Jacobin readers hardly need to be told that the new Boots Riley movie I Love Boosters is a must-see. It’s been eight years since the sleeper hit Sorry to Bother You, during which time Riley was busy with his Amazon Prime series, I’m a Virgo. In that time, he seems to have taken a great leap forward as a director. And I say that having loved Sorry to Bother You.

I Love Boosters starts so brilliantly, with a color scheme so vivid it’s stunning, especially in this era of drab visuals and muddy lighting. The mesmerizing initial images are vibrant with life. The camera is following Keke Palmer as she walks into a club that’s all lit up in dynamic shades of green, yellow, orange, and she seems to be grooving on the color as much as on the music.

Palmer is gorgeous, compelling, compulsively watchable on camera, emotionally gripping in dramatic scenes and inspired in comedy. She only needs the right roles to make her a top star. She’s one of the executive producers on I Love Boosters, clearly gunning for those roles, and this film is quite a showcase. She must have thirty costume, hair, and makeup changes, and she looks arresting in all of them.