'I Love Boosters' brings surreal fashion tale to theaters

LOS ANGELES -- A new film hitting theaters this week dives into the cutthroat world of fashion through an unconventional lens. "I Love Boosters," directed by Boots Riley, follows a group of shoplifters, while raising questions about who is truly stealing from whom.

"I believe that Boots Riley is a revolutionary, timeless, and daring, passionate, unafraid, Black, beautiful filmmaker," said actor LaKeith Stanfield.

The movie marks Riley's return to filmmaking, bringing his signature surreal style to the new movie.

The film centers on a group known as "boosters," described in the trailer as "somebody who steals clothes from a store and sells it at a discount price. It's's like community service."

The star-studded ensemble cast includes LaKeith Stanfield, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Don Cheadle, Demi Moore and Keke Palmer, who's at the center of it all.

Stanfield highlighted Palmer's role on set, describing her as "always a motivator, a great person to have as the lead of the movie in setting the standard as to how we're gonna make this movie. It was just great, and she's also, while at the same time being a leader, a friend, a genuine down-to-earth friend that everybody can feel connected to. She doesn't miss a person."

Palmer plays Corvette, a fashion-forward character who begins to question the system after discovering others may be profiting from stolen designs. In one moment from the trailer, her character declares, "Christie Smith stole my design."

Riley emphasized the film's visual style and theatrical experience, encouraging audiences to see it on the big screen.

"We did these big washes of color," he said. "So you don't want to see it on some screen on your wall. You want it to be where you're affected and overwhelmed by this color. Beyond that, beyond your own personal experience, you have to be around everybody laughing their butts off."

"I Love Boosters" is rated "R" and opens in theaters on Friday, May 22.