I Am Not Your Negro (2016)

I am very proud of Italy for screening this film at the Cineteca di Bologna. And there was surprisingly a very good turnout. At first, we thought we must've had the wrong theater. We walked in on a silent short film featuring no black people. So we walked out and the ticket taker informed us it would start after the short.

There have been a lot of race conscious documentaries lately. But this was by far the best. It's not an easy film. If you're looking for an easy film that is clear and concise backed by institutional evidence and factual arguments, watch 13th. This movie requires you to think, about race, about America, about yourself. Using James Baldwin's writings and speeches ostensibly centered around the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Medgar Evers, Raoul Peck weaves together a powerful documentary. I first encountered Baldwin in sophomore year. I don't know why he isn't assigned earlier. His name should be one put up right next to MLK and Malcolm X in middle school. He is eloquent and incisive and provocative and his words have power and depth. In my studies, I have come to recognize Malcolm X for the hero that he is, as opposed to the violent radical he is depicted as in our history textbooks.

There are a lot of great ideas in Baldwin's writings. He is not particularly an optimist. It's by no means an uplifting film, but it is really thought provoking. And it is very well made and well researched. He emphasizes the importance of film and television in representation of people of color. Peck must've searched through hundreds of hours of clips to curate the ones he included in the film. And each one is chosen and cut perfectly for the line of Baldwin. The black and white graphics and the anxious music fuel the anger and disappointment. I left the theater with feelings. And it made me want to go back and read more Baldwin. I think I will.