Off-Off Online: Being Chaka

by Deirdre Donovan

Part ghost story, part coming-of-age drama, part memory play, Being Chaka—written by Tara Amber, Chuk Obasi and Nalini Sharma—is a provocative investigation into racism in America. The surreal plot centers on (Kahiem Rivera), a black 16-year-old transfer student at a prep school in Manhattan. As the action unfolds, he continually shifts between reality and dreamscapes, with the line between the two worlds often blurring.