I Am Not Your Negro

The title of this blog isn't a political statement about the film I saw recently. It's the actual title of the documentary based on James Baldwin's writings and speeches. The film is nominated for Best Documentary and it's the only film I've seen in the category. So my completely biased opinion is that it should win.

I first heard about the movie from a review in Entertainment Weekly. I assumed it wouldn't be showing in any theaters around me so I made note to watch it once it was released on DVD. A few days later I get an invitation from Kelly to go see it at the Charles Theater. Good ol' Charles theater, always playing the socially conscious and hard to find films. I immediately said yes and just barely made it in time to see it. Thankfully the place was mostly empty since it was a late showing and the Super Bowl was on. We sat dead center, a bit closer to the screen than I'm used to. But since there weren't any actions scenes or loud sounds, the seating suited me just fine.

About the movie itself, all I can say is go see it. Black, white, young, old. It honestly doesn't matter. It shows you that the same thing has been going on for years and that self reflection and facing reality is the only way things will change. The movie inspired and saddened the audience with its brutal honesty. The director, Raoul Peck, holds nothing back. He seamlessly puts together footage from the civil rights movement to today's black lives matter movement. Same message, different day.