It was written and directed by Kobi Libii in his feature-film debut, and it stars Justice Smith, David Alan Grier, and An-Li Bogan.

The collaboration involved production designer Laura Fox, cinematographer Doug Emmett, editor Brian Olds, and composer Michael Abels.

[4] Aren, a young biracial African-American man, displays his yarn sculpture at an art gallery, facing rejection; no one buys his work.

A chance encounter with Lizzie, a woman with a multiethnic background, at a coffee shop leads Aren to develop feelings for her, even as he's called away for Society duties.

The society arranges a job for him at MeetBox, a social media platform, where he's assigned to reassure Jason, a depressed white colleague.

Amidst his growing friendship with Lizzie, Aren learns of MeetBox's racial recognition flaws, and the company's superficial response highlights systemic issues.

Despite Roger's attempt to erase Aren's memories, the magic weakens, signaling a broader rebellion within the Society against their subservient roles.

Among the crew members were cinematographer Doug Emmett, editor Brian Olds, composer Michael Abels,[8] and production designer Laura Fox.

[9] Doug Emmett, known for his work on The Edge of Seventeen and Sorry to Bother You, collaborated closely with director Kobi Libii to craft a visual style that blended elements of classic "Black savior" films with a modern aesthetic.

The most difficult scene to realize was the great hall of the society, which required intricate rigging of lights in a high, fragile ceiling.

[10] The film was shot in raw format, with significant color grading performed in the DI by Natasha Leonnet, who designed a show LUT that referenced 1970s Kodak Ektachrome.

[10] The production design was led by Laura Fox, whose previous work includes the 2021 film The Eyes of Tammy Faye and the TV series The White Lotus (2021–present).

To create the Institute, the team selected the Los Angeles Theater, incorporating its existing architecture and adding magical elements, such as pocket doors that opened mysteriously.

Inspired by historical photographs of Black life by James Van Der Zee, which were used as artwork within the Institute, the space was designed to evoke depth and history.

[9] In contrast, MeetBox was styled as a parody of modern tech office spaces, drawing on research into workplaces like Google’s Spruce Goose hangar.

"[20] The Washington Post's Michael O'Sullivan critiqued the film as a satire with a novel concept that ultimately fell short, turning a potentially sharp commentary on racial tropes into a mix of superhero and romantic comedy elements that lacked depth and failed to challenge audiences.

He said that despite its creative premise, its execution was overly cautious and pandering, and that it missed the opportunity to make a more impactful statement on race and representation in cinema.

[21] Entertainment Weekly's Devan Coggan expressed disappointment with the film, noting that while it introduced a compelling concept that challenged a long-standing cinematic stereotype, it ultimately struggled to maintain momentum, getting lost in a conventional romantic comedy subplot that diluted its satirical potential.

She felt that by failing to deeply explore its own themes, or to fully develop its magical society's world, it neither satisfied as a critique of racial representation nor as a romantic comedy, leaving much of its promise unfulfilled.