Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Master of Light’ on HBO Max, a Stunningly Intimate Documentary About Artist George Anthony Morton

Decider.com

The Gist: George Anthony Morton paints his mother. Paints his brother. Paints his sister, partner, nephew. Paints himself. We’re by his side as he paints. He studies faces, smudges his finger on the canvas, adds layer upon layer to his portraits. “I’ve been through a lot, but I’m still here,” he says. He goes to Kansas City to bail his mother, Tela, out of jail – it’s a familiar situation. He grew up there. He tells his story to his therapist in their first session: Tela had him when she was 15. He grew up in poverty with his four siblings, in the “drug house” on the block. She was an addict. He chats with his brother, and they recall how George was 20 when he was arrested after robbing a guy for 13 8-balls. When he was taken to jail, Tela was right there next to him in the cell. He was sentenced to 135 months for possessing two ounces of crack.