In black & white

Manpriya Singh

Michael Jordan shed tears when Kobe Bryant died in a plane crash, but nothing close to the emotional upheaval that the news of George Floyd brought. “I am deeply saddened, truly pained and plain angry,” the NBA star posted on his social media accounts, echoing the sentiments of billions.

As America bleeds in the aftermath of George Floyd incident, we turn to Hollywood, which has often been cornered for subtly reinforcing racial stereotypes. However, it can also take a bow for some of the good films that highlight racism.

For instance, Spike Lee’s cult classic Bamboozled. The 2000 satirical comedy drama, highlighting how TV uses and misuses African people’s images, was hardly well-received at that time, with Lee even being accused of opening up old wounds.

Slice from real life

From Malcolm X to 12 Years a Slave to Selma, celluloid libraries are full of heart-wrenching stories on racism. While a significant portion of cinema confronts America’s black and white divide, there’s another that makes you think. For example, The Butler, a 2013 historical drama famous for an astonishing 41 producers! However, what makes the film special is the real-life-inspired plot about a butler, who has served eight presidents at the White House.

Then who can forget the mainstream of all films, Marvel Studios’ Black Panther (2018). Finally, a superhero movie with a much larger cultural impact. On its release, director Ryan Coogler said in an interview, how it’s a, “Superhero film that deals with the issue of what it means to be of African descent.”

Racial satire

None could imagine the horror genre to underline issues of racism until comedian Jordan Peele gave us Get Out in 2017. A white girl brings home her black boyfriend to meet the parents over dinner, but what follows in Get Out is a creative blend of racial satire and cold thrills. Yet another classic from the 1990s is the The Long Walk Home. Narrated in flashback, the title is a metaphor for the long walk back home that a nanny has to take because of the boycott of public transport by African-Americans.

Back in India, we rue intolerance. But it’s not enough to be just tolerant, it’s important to be accepting. Just as to be ‘not racist’ is not good enough, it’s important to be anti-racist.

manpriya@tribunemail.com