Barry Jenkins, making the rounds this year, hasn't been shy about the filmmmakers that have influenced him, from Cassavetes to Wong Kar Wai. There's also plenty of Charles Burnett and Kieslowski here.

But I mention all this not to drop names but to say this:

Despite wearing its many influences on its sleeve, there's an unavoidable sense here that we're not watching something derivative. We're watching something New.