When Dear White People, written and directed by first-time filmmaker Justin Simien, made its debut at Sundace — it was admired by all those who witnessed it.
Taking place in the fictional university of Westchester College, the project riffs on situations experienced by Simien and told to us in satirical form. For a newborn effort, Dear White People pulls off a few surprises that will leave audiences engaged and ready for repeat viewings. Led by Tessa Thompson (For Colored Girls), who plays Samantha White, the film explores race with her as the audible rebel without a pause, breaking down what White people can and cannot do in this “post-racial America” setting.
As Sam exposes the politricks being used on campus to separate the masses, the sole all-Black residential house is under threat of dissolution by the university’s dean for reasons of diversification. All the while institutional discrimination — from other houses using race to exclude others to using family ties — has resulted in the stagnation of opportunities for the minorities who wish to get an education at Westchester. Dear White People is an American film for the Now-Generation that explores feelings of racial divide and natural common sense with a humor that is sharp, biting, and thought provoking.
As the movie opens and the audience witness more characters, the cast reflect certain racial power struggles that spill over into the audience’s lives conveniently. Take for instance the president (played by Peter Syvertsen) and the dean (Dennis Haysbert). Their struggles to one-up the other has been inherited by their respective sons, Kurt (Kyle Gallner) and Troy (Brandon P. Bell). Both are upstarts in their own right, but are merely pawns in their father’s game to become the de facto leader of Westchester and have the biggest bragging rights.
It is Simien’s excellent pen skills and ensemble cast who execute these elaborately drawn out characters that imbue Dear White People
with such lasting power. In addition to Sam, Troy, Kurt and their fathers, there is Lionel Higgins (Tyler James Williams), a gay misfit who uses the racial divide as an opportunity to join the school’s White newspaper staff to cover the growing controversy. There’s Reggie (Marque Richardson), a pro-militant youth who urges Sam to fight with every last breath. Lastly, there is Colandrea “Coco” Conners (played by Mad Men‘s Teyonah Parris), a complicated character with a sharp tongue whose aim is to become a bonafide reality TV star.All those principal players, under the clever direction and writing of Justin Simien, make Dear White People a whip-smart production. His playful scene setting and homages to Spike Lee (one particular part is reminiscent of Do the Right Thing) allow the audience to focus on each flawed protagonist and ensure that the overall plot is controversial and conversation-starting. No one is perfect and above reprise in Dear White People. While Sam (Thompson) does her best to fight against the adversity thrown against her at Westchester University, she sometimes fights fire with fire, and there are even moments where she’s guilty of inciting issues herself.
Simien’s deft usage of social strife mixed with real world commentary ensures Dear White People as a bold and beautiful entry with few flaws. Speaking of flaws, the one major issue is with certain secondary characters (Troy, Coco, and Kurt for example) who have had their stories explored and not fleshed out in the final act. It leaves a “what happened with so-and-so” type of feel once the credit rolls, but isn’t enough to stop anyone’s appreciation of this film.
For those who are expecting extreme vitriol much like the aforementioned Spike Lee Joint – don’t. Justin Simien’s film is not a love letter to racism in America, but rather a poignant discussion on how the subject of identity and race in our country has evolved. In the project’s third-and-final act, a headline-defining frat party with a Whites-in-Blackface theme propels Sam’s narrative to take shape and is arguably the most monumental part of the whole picture. Throughout Dear White People
‘s 100 minute runtime, there are all sorts of double-edged, open-to-interpretation questions being asked by Simien’s dexterous screenwriting. All in all, it is a beautiful swirl of contradictions, not limited by Simien attempting to answer the questions he poses.In fact, there’s more talk about race, class, culture, representation, social status, identity, and awareness in Dear White People than in any film out in the past few years. And it is strong, too. With the film allowing its characters to not be perfect, Justin Simien’s initial project is littered with ambition and subtle execution, with satire as the sharp-edge point that ties the powerful emotions together.
As important of a film debut as Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station, Dear White People may be imperfect in parts, but it is definitely worth your precious time and hard-earned dollars.
You can watch the trailer for Dear White People for yourself below:
Justin Simien’s Dear White People will be in select theaters beginning October 17.