In January, when awards season was still in full swing, the Sundance Film Festival premiered the movies that will become the center of attention when next year’s Oscars come around. Of the many acclaimed dramas, comedies, and documentaries, one stands out. A Thousand and One (2023) brings the struggles of everyday Americans to the forefront and begs its audience to ask difficult questions about what it means to be a parent as well as question the institutions that seemingly keep children safe.

Starring as the protagonist and mother noted for her determination and complicated moral compass is Teyana Taylor (Coming 2 America). Three actors star alongside Taylor as her son Terry at various ages. Aaron Kingsley Adetola, who plays Terry at age six, recently starred in Superblocked and Rise. Aven Courtney stars as Terry at age thirteen. Josiah Cross (King Richard) plays Terry at age seventeen. The director of A Thousand And One is AV Rockwell. This is Rockwell’s debut feature, but she is far from a novice. She has directed several short films like Feathers, The Gospel, and Open City: Kids. She made her television directorial debut in 2019 with Boomerang, the television sequel to the Eddie Murphy movie of the same name. Rockwell has also directed music videos for artists like Zara Larsson and Alicia Keys.

For anybody who can’t wait to see this intimate drama, here’s everything we know about how, when, and where you can watch this indie gem.

Here's Focus Features’ official synopsis for A Thousand and One:

A Thousand And One follows unapologetic and free-spirited Inez, who kidnaps her six-year-old son Terry from the foster care system. Holding onto their secret and each other, mother and son set out to reclaim their sense of home, identity, and stability in a rapidly changing New York City.

Related:Teyana Taylor on Crushing a Challenging Role in A.V. Rockwell's 'A Thousand and One'

When Is A Thousand and One Coming to Movie Theaters?

A Thousand And One premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, and it will be distributed to US theaters by Focus Features on March 31, 2023.

Is A Thousand And One Streaming Online?

Unfortunately, A Thousand And One will not be available for streaming when it premieres and there is no news on what streaming service it will eventually end up on. However, as Focus Features is owned by NBCUniversal, it is likely that it will end up on the parent company’s streaming service, Peacock, after it leaves theaters.

Watch the Trailer for A Thousand and One

The official trailer for A Thousand And One was released on February 23, 2023. We open on the streets of New York City and find Inez working odd jobs and roaming the city in search of her old life. When she spots her young son, she can’t stand the separation any longer and decides to take him from his foster family. Together, they have a great life. With a stable boyfriend and support at home, her son Terry thrives, but the limits of the lie hold him back. Can Terry achieve his dreams while on the run for his mother's sake, and will she be able to sacrifice everything for his future?

A Thousand and One Showtimes

Want to know whether you can catch the film at your local theater? You can check for A Thousand and One showtimes and tickets at a theater near you by using the following links:

How's the Critical Reception to A Thousand And One?

Reviews for A Thousand And One have been unanimous in their praise. The movie won the grand jury prize at Sundance 2023 and currently holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, receiving a B rating from Collider's Chase Hutchinson. Here's an excerpt from his review of the film (and you can read the full article here):

...Rockwell reveals that the political belief of needing to punish has painfully personal implications for those caught in the system’s crosshairs. Though it can feel like the characters are lost in this, much of this is the point as they're stripped of their humanity and merely identified as a problem to be fixed.There is no attempt to find true restorative justice as, like the outstanding recent film Saint Omer, we see that far too much has gone wrong over the course of several years to be fixed so easily. This film is not as sharp as that, but it remains clear-eyed in the moments when it counts. It provides a snapshot of the life of one family that, for better and worse, could be any other that gets swept aside in the pursuit of a "safer" world that comes at their expense.

Related:Sundance Film Festival 2023: The 10 Buzziest Films To Keep On Your Radar

More Movies Like A Thousand And One That You Can Watch Now

To help you out while you wait for your local theater to screen this intimate tale of motherhood, check out these three other films that follow people trying desperately to protect the ones they love.

The Florida Project (2017)

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Image Via A24

Taking the perspective of a group of young children let loose on the outskirts of Orlando, Florida, The Florida Project (2017) offers a sympathetic portrait of a forgotten lot. Following children who live right outside the most magical place on Earth, Disneyworld, these children make their own magic as the harsh nature of an impoverished reality creeps in. The director Sean Baker has made a career out of shining a light on the most underrepresented groups and offers his most complicated portrait of motherhood in this film, as we watch an often irresponsible but nevertheless loving woman struggle to keep her daughter safe.

Shoplifters (2018)

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Image via GAGA Pictures

Not many films hold the honor of being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film as well as winning the Palme d’Or at the Cannes International Film Festival. Shoplifters (2018) by Hirokazu Kore-eda remains one of the few films in that category. Shoplifters follows two adult petty criminals who live off the grid and make a family out of the children they find forgotten on the street. Kore-eda finds beauty in a group of misfits and abused souls who are able to show courage and create their own family. Kore-eda shows us that even if the state does not recognize it, this family is as real as they come.

Till (2022)

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Image via MGM

One of the more baffling Oscar shutouts of the last awards season, Till (2022) is not only brilliantly acted but unbelievably important. It follows the horrific but very real 1955 murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till, who, while visiting his cousins in Mississippi, supposedly whistled at a white woman and was subsequently tortured and killed. The film takes the perspective of Mamie Till, his strong-willed and grieving mother, who turns her tragedy into a lesson for the whole country to learn. Danielle Deadwyler gives the performance of a lifetime as Mamie and shows audiences just how far a mother will go to protect her child, even after the child's death.