BET+’s The Accused, Starring Paige Audrey-Marie Hurd, Is A Reminder That Home Can Save You

There’s a new thriller streaming on BET+ that fuses intellect, intensity, and culture into one emotionally-charged narrative. The Accused which streams starting today, follows Dani West (played by Paige Audrey-Marie Hurd) , a genius plant geneticist is framed for her fiance’s murder Jordan (played by Robert Christopher Riley), she goes on the run, relying on her intelligence and physical prowess to expose the truth and clear her name before time runs out.

This film is not your typical thriller/suspense film. Instead this film explores individuality, and community, beyond just survival. The carefully crafted cast includes Manny Perez, Lawrence Saint-Victor, Crystal Lee Brown, Nicole G. Leier and Summer Crockett Moore (who is one of the producers). The Accused is about a pursuit for justice, however it sparks the question: what happens when the life you built on reinvention is interrupted by the truth of where you came from?

During a recent interview, Women For The Culture spoke with the director, writer and producer of the film. Writer Pat White (who wrote the original script) usually gets a clear idea of who her characters will be overall when starting a project, however she still has to focus on the why which allows her to develop the backstory. The backstory “then drives the plot, the character, [and] the motivation,” says Pat. When it comes to the balance of cinematic pacing and the scientific nature in this thriller movie, it was motivated by Dani’s morals, intellect, the exigency of her circumstances, and what her truth is.

It took collaboration to bring this film altogether. Once Pat wrote the script and it was shared with BET as the distribution company, they wanted the script to reflect more of the culture, but still “keep it high level”, as producer Pierre Romain mentions. From there, co-writer Clarence Williams, tweaked the script with a tailored approach to immerse the characters into a more urban world.

Watch the trailer to the film:

The overall theme of this film is a cautionary tale about elevating yourself and forgetting where you come from along the way. For Dani, she experiences this desire for elevation, but when things go south, it’s her background that saves her in the end. Dani’s past, which is the backstory, becomes a component of the action which ultimately becomes her saving grace. Director, Tony Glazer states, “it's the only thing that grounds her, it's the only thing that really allows her to get her wits about her long enough to figure out how to solve this dilemma that she finds herself in.”

The film is produced by Worldwide Entertainment and Media and Choice Films for BET+. Produced by Pierre Romain, Julie Solinger, Summer Crockett Moore, and Tony Glazer. Executive Produced by Jason Harvey

You can watch The Accused on BET+ right now!