DeMane Davis and Khari Streeter’s low-budget Lift never quite escapes the gravity well of certain over-determined conflicts or plot dynamics, but that’s the only negative thing I’m going to say about it. After reading about this in some article (I think at Slate) about indie films that slip between the cracks, I stuck it on my Netflix queue and found it pretty damn rewarding. Niecy (an excellent, excellent Kerry Washington) is a young woman trying to move past service to more leadership roles at a department store, grappling with a complex relationship with her demanding mother (Lonette McKee), and struggling with a relationship with her trying-to-go-straight (off the pot, off the game) boyfriend (Eugene Byrd). Oh, and she makes a real good living by stealing the very finest of designer products. Continue reading Johnny T—just kidding. Lift