Firstly I am not American, nor am I black, so I am not able to comment on some of the political innuendos that some of the reviewers gave. However, this film kept me glued to my seat. The theme is more universal than what people seem to think. I have experienced it myself. I have personally known an African guy from a very poor background that excelled at school, only to be expelled due to him trying to supplement his income to get into University. He sold weed to the more wealthy students at school, and as fate would have it, everyone that were his regular clients managed to get into top Universities and Colleges, where he basically ruined his future. Many people that live in poverty and crime ridden areas are so desperate to make a success of their lives that they sometimes do have to make decisions that are not considered moral or ethical by people who are not exposed to those struggles. Most middle class people (specifically here in South Africa, but I suspect that it is a universal theme in most of the world) are completely oblivious to the fact that there are so many youngsters that desperately want to escape poverty and want to make a success of their lives, by getting quality tertiary education. As the film indicated, their chances are much less to achieve that due to their background and the struggles they have to endure on a daily basis. I know quite a few individuals that succeeded and managed to lift themselves out of poverty and leave the crime ridden areas they grew up in. It is an inspiration to listen to their stories and how they sometimes had to cross what we consider ethical and moral lines in order to pay for their studies or get into proper colleges. In terms of the film - The soundtrack was brilliant, the acting was so sincere and the character development was outstanding. What I also loved about Dope was the constant humour that really helped to lighten up the actual serious theme that the film tries to convey to its audience. Although many will consider it a comedy, it actually (hopefully) will leave a lot of food for thought. The dark web stunt that was pulled in Dope, in my opinion, was actually a well crafted plan, and I applaud the threesome for coming up with that solution, as alternative strategies could have been devastating. I think it was an outstanding film!
