 |
| "God bless White America." |
Summary:
Ron Stallworth is the first black cop in Colorado Springs. The first. In history. When he gets promoted to the intelligence division, doing undercover work, he decides to swing for the fences. He calls the local Ku Klux Klan's information hotline. And they call him back. What follows is a story of race, identity, and American values.Pros:
Echoes: From the opening frames of this movie, a game Alec Baldwin doing his best Alex Jones impersonation, Spike Lee makes it absolutely clear that this film does not exist in a vacuum. It is not a quaint story that just happened forty years ago. It's not done. Lee, who co-wrote the script with Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz and Kevin Wilmott, wants us to know that this shit is STILL happening. Words and phrases echo throughout the movie, and are immediately recognizable: "great again," "they are rapists and murderers," and "America first!" At the end of the film, Lee shows us footage of Charlottesville. He lets us see the modern Klan, and neo-Nazis marching through an American street, shouting "Jews will not replace US!" He shows us the car plowing into a crowd of protesters. He shows us the president of the United States telling us that there are bad guys on both sides. BlacKkKlansman is a period piece: but it resonates with today. Too well. Scary well.Passing: Adam Driver's character, Flip, is Jewish. He is also the person chosen by the department to act as Ron Stallworth in person. The real Ron (John David Washington) still plays Ron over the phone, mostly in his conversations with the Grand Wizard, David Duke (yeah, holy shit). The film allows Flip to come to conclusions about his work in interesting ways. He realizes that he has always been able to "pass" as a white person. There is nothing distinctly un-normal about him. If he wanted to hide his Jewishness, he could do so. Washington allows Ron to say everything he needs to Flip in a look and a stare. Ron can't "pass." There is no hiding being black. I like that Spike Lee allows Driver to carry this scene: it's his epiphany to have. And it's also the audience's. We need to understand that both men are similar, but one of them can pass, while the other cannot. A white person can hide many of the things that bigots hate/fear/misunderstand. A black man cannot.
The Banality of Evil: There is a scene where a husband and wife lay in bed, sweetly playing with each other before they go to sleep. The scene allows us to see that they are people. They have a bedroom. They have a home. They have lives. In that scene, however, their "sweet talk" consists of the couple sharing their dream of "killing n*ggers." It is a fascinating scene for all of it's loveliness and all of its ugliness. If you turned the sound off, all you'd see is a husband and wife sharing a moment before bed. But you can't turn the sound off. It's there, in all of its hideousness. This is important: the Klan are people. I think a lot of people feel comfortable by assuming that bigots and racists are arch villains who don't really exist. But it aint that way. The Klan is in your town, and it's in mine. They watch the same shows, listen to the same music, eat the same food. They are "normal." And we have to understand that if we are ever to really combat it. It would be easy for Lee to paint his Klansmen as overwrought red-neck cartoons, but he doesn't. The film is better for this.
Two Sides, Without Comment: Ron begins a relationship with Patrice (Laura Harrier), a young activist. He lies about what he does. He says he's in construction. During the film each character circles the idea of whether or not a black man can be a cop. Patrice argues that they cannot: their presence in a racist institution counteracts any good they would do from within that institution. Ron advocates that there is no other way to change an institution except from the inside. Lee, wisely, allows the characters to speak for themselves and does not give the audience an out by telling us which one is right. Both characters make great arguments, and Washington and Harrier have wonderful chemistry. But Lee never tells us who is right. That's challenging, and honest, and I liked it.
A Period Piece: This is a well-constructed 1970s period piece. The costumes are gorgeous and lived in, and feel real and authentic. The film also allows us to see Colorado Springs in some really interesting locations: quaint homes, a stoic police department, and flashy dance clubs. This is a gorgeous film.
A Spike Lee Joint: At his best, Spike Lee knows how to balance heavy-hitting drama with comedy. He is at his best in BlacKkKlansman. He eases the tension with some light-hearted flourishes. After a tense scene where a car full of black students get pulled over and accosted by white cops, Lee allows the characters to dance, unabated, in a night club. The joyful music stands in contrast to the abject silence that accompanied the previous scene. The club goers are shown snapping their fingers, clapping, and tapping their toes: they are loving each other. And that is the proper way to combat hate. Live your life. Love your life. That's the only way the bigot wins: by forcing you to live by their terms of fear and hate. One of Stallworth's first assignments is to go undercover at a rally featuring a prominent black speaker. Lee shows us the speech. And throughout the speech, he intercuts black faces reacting to the speaker's words. It's a beautiful piece of filmmaking. Spike Lee is a wonderful filmmaker and BlacKkKlansman is a wonderful film.
Cons:
The N Word: This film does not shy away from this word, or other, awful, epithets. Lee allows the ugliness to sit there, in front of you, laid bare. If you have a problem with that, be warned.In Your Face: I said earlier that Lee allows his characters to speak, without taking a side. That is true, but this film also has an agenda. This film is political. This film has something to say about race in America. It does not apologize and it does not coddle. You've been warned.
In Conclusion:
On the one-year anniversary of the madness that happened in Charlottesville, this is the movie that America needs right now. We need to take a hard look at our problems. We need to understand that these problems are not new. They've been with us for a long time. BlacKkKlansman entertains, but it also instructs. It educates. It calls to arms.Should You Watch It?
Oh yes. I can understand why it might not be "your cup of tea," but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't challenge yourself.Miscellany:
- John David Washington is the son of Denzel Washington.
- This is based on a true story. The real Ron Stallworth wrote a book of the same name. I picked up a copy at WalMart.
- David Duke did not actually discover that Stallworth was black until 2006, after being contacted by a reporter. The film's handling of this scene is much, much better, even if it is historically inaccurate.
- This is based on a true story. The real Ron Stallworth wrote a book of the same name. I picked up a copy at WalMart.
- David Duke did not actually discover that Stallworth was black until 2006, after being contacted by a reporter. The film's handling of this scene is much, much better, even if it is historically inaccurate.
Comments
Post a Comment