I really appreciate the film "Dear White People". After all, few films try to really say much of anything about race and racism. It's a touchy subject so instead of opening up honest dialog, films generally offer bland messages and avoid controversy. However, this film often doesn't mind going into 'dangerous' territory. But, unfortunately, too often the film disappoints when it comes to many of the white characters--characters that often lack the depth of the black characters. In essence, the whites seems like caricatures too much of the time--though the guy playing Sam's boyfriend was an exception.
The film is set at a fictional Ivy League school and centers around various black students and their attempts to find themselves and their voice in this place. Some of these students tend to keep a low profile, some try desperately to fit in with the 'in crowd' (i.e, the popular but racist white kids) and some struggle to stand above the crowd. Sam, in particular, struggles. On one hand, she hosts a controversial show called 'Dear White People' where she addresses race and what black people REALLY think. But, on the other, despite her strong image as a fighter, she is filled with uncertainty and doubts.
I really loved seeing the wide variety of black characters. It provided a rich tapestry and pushed back against common depictions of blacks as a monolithic one-size-fits-all look you often see in films or on television. But this also heightens what doesn't work in the film. While some black characters are bad, some good but mostly they ALL are just trying to fit in and find themselves, almost all the white characters are racists or have no personality at all. Now this isn't entirely bad--after all, the film is about black students and this should be the focus. But too often cartoony whites make it easy to dismiss the film--and it shouldn't be because it does bring up some excellent points and makes you think...or at least it should.
Fascinating and worth seeing.
The film is set at a fictional Ivy League school and centers around various black students and their attempts to find themselves and their voice in this place. Some of these students tend to keep a low profile, some try desperately to fit in with the 'in crowd' (i.e, the popular but racist white kids) and some struggle to stand above the crowd. Sam, in particular, struggles. On one hand, she hosts a controversial show called 'Dear White People' where she addresses race and what black people REALLY think. But, on the other, despite her strong image as a fighter, she is filled with uncertainty and doubts.
I really loved seeing the wide variety of black characters. It provided a rich tapestry and pushed back against common depictions of blacks as a monolithic one-size-fits-all look you often see in films or on television. But this also heightens what doesn't work in the film. While some black characters are bad, some good but mostly they ALL are just trying to fit in and find themselves, almost all the white characters are racists or have no personality at all. Now this isn't entirely bad--after all, the film is about black students and this should be the focus. But too often cartoony whites make it easy to dismiss the film--and it shouldn't be because it does bring up some excellent points and makes you think...or at least it should.
Fascinating and worth seeing.