2 minute read
Film
ON FILM Andy Hastie, Yeovil Cinematheque
The excuse always given by Hollywood third highest-grossing film ever in the United States. Up when challenged as to why there is not a until now, any meaningful representation of black lives proportionate representation of black actors, and experiences has had to come from the independent directors or stories in mainstream American cinema sector, with paltry publicity budgets compared to the big is, ‘Black films don’t make money, it’s a niche market.’ studio fare, so more often than not falls under the radar, This belief was blown out of the water with the arrival irrespective of quality and worthiness. There are a few of Black Panther in 2018. A superhero film, based on exceptions however, which by their excellence start to the Marvel Comics character and with a predominately emerge from the festival circuit to be picked up by the black cast, Black Panther has broken box-office records, main cinema chains. I’ll suggest a few of the more recent grossed over 1.3 billion dollars to date, and stands as the I would recommend watching.
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Fruitvale Station (2013)
Fruitvale Station (2013) follows the last 24 hours of an African American 22-year-old, shot dead by transport police in Oakland, California. This affecting film, set around New Year’s Eve 2009, is a dramatised take on a true story, making it all the more gripping. Filmed more as a low-key character study of a complex man, it nevertheless is a deeply moving, shocking experience.
Selma (2014) is an Oscar-winning account of the pivotal moment in 1965 when Martin Luther King Jnr led 3 marches from Selma to the state capital, Montgomery, in Alabama, demanding equal voting rights for black people. This civil rights struggle film, which includes a lot of important background detail, is full of righteous non-violent anger, and is impactful in its portrayal of how rigged the American voting system was (is?) and is utterly relevant now as then.
BlacKkKlansman (2017) is Spike Lee’s satirical truelife examination of race relations in 1970s America. It follows the first black detective in the Colorado Springs Police Dept, who is determined to make a difference by infiltrating and exposing the local Ku Klux Klan. With the help of a Jewish colleague, they plan an undercover investigation to destroy the extremist organisation’s push for mainstream appeal. Often outrageous, but with a serious core, Spike Lee cleverly juxtaposes historical racial hatred with similar shocking real footage of neoNazis at Charlottesville in 2017.
Finally, a reminder of two films from Academy Award winning director Barry Jenkins. Moonlight (2017) is a coming-of-age story in three sections, following Chiron from early childhood in Miami to adulthood in Atlanta, as he navigates drugs, family, love and sexuality. Think of any superlative, and it will already have been used to describe this film. It’s that good. If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) is based on James Baldwin’s novel of the same title and is a celebration of love told through the story of a young couple from Harlem, fighting the injustice inflicted upon them; passion and sadness are inextricably linked. If you haven’t seen any of these films, they are all powerful reminders of where we are, and why people are still protesting change. All are available on either Netflix or Amazon Prime.
No new news on Cinematheque’s reopening date but as circumstances allow, we will be back!
cinematheque.org.uk swan-theatre.co.uk
