"Dear White People" Movie review
The world premiere of “Dear White
People” now has a movie that is has caused a lot of attention in movie theaters. The film was
released earlier this year as an independent film across the country, the film
is set at the ivy league, Winchester University on a college campus during the
present day in 2014. The campus is largely diverse with people of all
backgrounds. The protagonist, Lionel Higgins (Tyler James Williams) comes to us
he is locked out of his campus dorm and housing do to being a homosexual
African American student. He cannot find a place to live and he is also a
sophomore as well still deciding where he fits in at on campus. The movie took
me back to college immediately. I was in college only about four years ago and
I can tell you it took me back to that time trying to fit in, know where you
want to be at, who you want to be, and where you want to go as well. As many of my readers know I attended
first Bergen Community College, I was there from August 30, 2004 to August
17,2007 when I completed my last summer class towards my degree in Contemporary Mathematics which was
completely challenging. I even went to tutoring too back then. I earned my Associates degree in Journalism and
attended the graduation a year later on May 15, 2008. I started at Hunter College on August 27, 2007 and graduated
from Hunter on Thursday, June 3, 2010 my graduation was held at Radio City Music
Hall. All right why am I
mentioning my college days to you now because it was so recent. I am lucky I
still remember these days and I am lucky to still be very close to my college
campus. I know what really happens and goes on behind the scenes and in front
as well. You deal with a lot of issues, that’s part of the struggle, and part
of the college experience while you are there especially a diverse campus full
of people from everywhere. You run into different issues all over. I think for not only myself, but many
students you deal with the issue, pressure of finding a place to belong, to
find a group to connect to as well. Lucky for me being in New York helps a
great deal, there are so many people of all backgrounds here, and people here
who are here can teach you many things, share their own stories, and
background.
The film is over all hilarious, you
have to have a sense of humor for this film. One issue in particular and common theme is race
relations, I loved the film I often saw and found myself in some of the female
characters in this movie. I saw myself a lot in the characters Samantha "Sam" White (played by Tessa Thompson) and "Colandrea "Coco" Conners (played by Teyonah Parris). I could see some of the issues I myself dealt with as
well, trying to find my way to be apart of a clique, and finding a way to make
your voice heard. Also finding a way to obtain your degree and make yourself
proud and have a balanced reputation.
You also find a way to simply find yourself as well. My time on campus
as an African American female did I feel threatened, did I feel I needed to
belong to a crowd or stick with African Americans like this is in the film. Not
at all I see where Justin Simien was going with this as well. How all of the
African American stereotypes in our society today exists. How certain images of
“The sellout”, “The ghetto black girl”, “the mixed/mulatto girl struggling to
find which side to choose”, “the wealthy African American student looking to
fit in and be normal”, “The militant black man”, “the African American hip hop
student”. All of these are roles I have seen been made in films before but it
shows how everything has evolved now too.
If anyone is a film buff, film history major, or a media and film major
in college or graduate school you should look up the movie “School Daze” by
Spike Lee. That film will definitely show you the race relations and race
issues we all have dealt with as well on campus. There are thousands of movies,
but that is definitely one of the more current American films that people could
relate to during that generation as well.
The
second issue was the stereotypes, the class issues, and dealing with the
problems that affect many people around the world as well. Even just the every
day issues. You feel the pressure to fit in to please those around you in your
social circle as well. You feel
the need to make them happy, you also try to figure out ways to make people
feel comfortable and feel relatable to what you have been through as well. You
want people to see the essence of who you are as person not judge you because
you are different than them, you have different hair textures, different skin
colors, you just want a sense of acceptance period. As the wise Dr. King said I
always live by his philosophy on every day race relations and social
interaction of people of different backgrounds and cultures. “Judge every man
and woman by the content of their character and who they are, not by the color
of their skin”. Judge every human being especially in America by their
personality, behavior, actions, what they say whether their actions are filled
with malice, hatred, ignorance, being condescending, or mean-spirited. Do not
judge them on their racial backgrounds because you simply do not know the
person underneath all of that skin. We live in one of the greatest countries in the world. Where people
of all nations fight so hard why because they want to be like us. I am just
going to say it. Just like Colandrea “Coco” Conners she said “They don’t care about Harriet motherf**** Tubman”….
well I say let’s give them a reason to care.
I believe give them an education
on what all minorities have contributed to society. Not just African Americans
but continue to show them what has made the country greater and what has made
people better, what has made them strive and achieve success as well. That’s what you want to be proud of and
happy with as well. You want to
show them this what you need to really focus on the greatness of what we
achieved not so much the stereotypes that have tried to destroy and bring us
down. Continue to show yes we can be successful, attend college, make ourselves
well established in society as well.
We can make our ancestors proud, we can make them see yes we broke
barriers. That’s what I think people need to take away from the movie. Take
away that we are better than that.
Better than what negative media stories have showed in the public. I
loved the film and will probably the movie this year on dvd very soon. It was
well written and I loved the concept as well. Go see this love letter to not just white people but all
people those who still condone prejudice, stereotypes, and racism. Justin
Simien well done!
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| A photo of Breakthrough actress for the Gotham Independent Film Awards for 2014 Tessa Thompson in the movie, "Dear White People" |
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| One scene of the cast getting outraged yelling at a ticket holder at a movie theater. |
Go see “Dear White People” starring Tyler James Williams
(“Everybody Hates Chris,”) Dennis Haybert ("Waiting to Exhale", and a plethora of many movies), Tessa Thompson, Kyle Gallner,
Brittany Curran, Marque Richardson, Teyonah Parris, Brandon P. Bell, and Peter
Sugvertsten. This film has
received some incredible awards earlier this yea They
also received an award for the 2014 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Award
for Breakthrough talent for Justin Simien, the Gotham Independent Film Awards:
The Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award, and last an award for Breakthrough
actress, Tessa Thompson. Tessa is definitely one of the characters along with
Tyler and Teyonah who really stole the show. Tessa has appeared in the movie
“For Colored Girls” by Tyler Perry (2010) she has been acting since 2005, and
was born in Los Angeles, California.
For more information on the characters, the actors, actresses, and
directors of the film go to http://www.twitter.com/dearwhitepeople
and http://www.facebook.com/dearwhitepeople
to find out on show times for the film as well.
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