For some reason, most movies aimed at African-American audiences tend to be either over-the-top comedies or morality plays too melodramatic in tone to be taken very seriously.

Nitara Carlynn Long was born in Brooklyn on Oct. 30, 1970, but was raised mostly in South Central Los Angeles in the wake of her parents’ divorce.

Born in London on Nov. 6, 1972, Thandie Newton is a consummate actress associated with riveting performances in everything from "Beloved" to "Besieged" to "Crash."

Winner of the 2005 NAACP Image Award as the “Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture” for "Ray," Kerry Washington is a versatile, talented and fearless actress who has built an impressive list of credits over the course of her relatively brief career.

Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is a dancer with a leading New York City ballet troupe preparing to stage a production of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Although previously only a member of the chorus, she’s recently been informed by her director, Thomas (Vincent Cassel), that he might like to feature her as the face of the company during the upcoming season.

For the greater majority of all people who are born and grow to reach maturity and adulthood at some point in time they struggle with identity, purpose and what their meaning is really all about.  These anxious feelings that are sometimes composed of fear, self-loathing, confusion and isolation many times are only compounded by the fact that few people going through this cycle ask or reach out for help, in fact many will recoil from any form of aid that is offered to them.