Dear White People (2014) Film Review

There are different approaches that films take to discuss race relations in our world today. Two of my favorite films, American History X and Fruitvale Station, take a harsh, dark, but realistic look at how it affects the individual. Then you have over the top comedies like Undercover Brother or Guess Whose Coming To Dinner take use humor to open up the discussion. What if a movie decided to take  mix of both of these worlds, a little bit realism look at race while also having fun and making some great jokes that also make a commentary. Somehow Justin Simien has been able to beautifully combine these two approaches to create one of the most original and honest films about identity that brings a breath of fresh air to cinema. Something that opens up the conversation and reminds us that there are more problems than we are willing to realize. Movies are all about perspective, the perspective of the writer's ideas on the world and its characters or the perspective of the audience that the director chooses for us to see, so I love seeing movies that give me people's perspective about the world around us. I can only see and fully understand my own perspective but film allows me to at least absorb someone else's outlook for a few hours. Especially as a White Christian Male, I seriously enjoy being able to see director's and writer's perspectives so that I can open my mind and expand my horizons. That way my views on the world, life, and people can always be growing, changing, and maturing the more I consume.

Dear Black People, written and directed by Justin Simien, follows a group of African American students at a predominantly white Ivy League university. One of them, Lionel Higgins (Tyler James Williams), a shy and unsocial homosexual, is try to get a spot as a writer on the main campus paper while also trying to find a place to live where his fellow residents won't verbally abuse and embarrass him. Sam White (Tessa Thompson), a passionate and outspoken media major, start growing in popular through her radio program "Dear White People" in which she blatantly calls out everyday racist tendencies of whites but by also speaking out against the oppressive school system her fellow African Americans are experiencing. We also follow a hall president who lives in his father shadow and a young lady who decides to make herself more ghetto in hopes to land a spot on a reality show. These students have to navigate college life while dealing with a white majority campus and trying to discover who they truly are on the inside. At the same time a college residency house choose a risky and racist party theme that could cause campus to implode.

What makes Dear White People work so well is that it is not a straight up comedy that is trying to just make fun of white people of the whole time. This could have easily been a tiresome retreading of jokes we all have heard before about how white people annoy, bother, and prejudice black people on a regular basis. Now there is nothing essentially wrong with that, if it is funny I will enjoy it. Instead Dear White People is more than that, it is dealing with some serious issues that young adults in college all deal with: sexuality, identity, and family. We are all trying to figure out where we belong and what part we have to play in this big thing called life. That is what this movie is all about, trying to figure out where these characters want to fit in. Do they want to play the role that society has given them? Do they want to rebel and raise their voice in protest, or is that just another role they are expected to fill? All while trying deal with a predominately white college campus that obviously feels like there is no such thing as racism anymore. That's why I enjoy the movie so much because it has a real heart at the center of the jokes and fun. Without that heart this movie would feel more like a stand up movie masquerading around as a film. Instead writer and director Justin Simien elevates his characters and makes them feel authentic and relatable. No one is perfect in the movie, everyone has flaws that play out throughout the film. Some are able to grow and become people and some are doomed to repeat their past mistakes over and over again.

Though its the characters and the cast that make this movie shine on through. At the beginning I was thinking that some of these people were a little over the top in their beliefs and actions but when you sit back and really think about it, you know you have met these people before. Not every black person in the film is an outspoken protestor who is fighting the system and not every white person is ignorant and prejudice either. The movie is completely fair and honest with its portrayal of college campuses today. Some of the arguments heard reminded me of my days on campus talking about how race was handled. Let me be clear though not everything about this movie is about race. With a title like Dear White People you would almost be safe to assume it is an all out attack on race relations in the United States. While it definitely has somethings to say about that it also explores more internal battles that everyone faces. Will Troy always live in the shadow of his father or stand up and be an individual? Will Sam White be the girl everyone wants her to and start a revolution or will she discover what she truly wants and follow that path? Will Lionel continue to be walked over and be taken advantage of for his race and sexuality or will he fight back and make his voice heard? Though applause to Justin Simien because we wouldn't care about these questions if we didn't care about these characters and he makes them believable, relatable, and honest. We have all been in that phase where we are not sure where we are going or where we are going to fit in. It is a tough place and sometimes we have to do stupid or regrettable stuff to realize what we really want.

As a movie everything here works wonderfully, shot on a RED Epic the film looks great and Justin Simien has an interesting choice of framing and cinematography at times. He feels like a fly on the wall capturing buildings around the campus but also capturing the smaller things like a girl's high heels on the ground from a one night stand. He also frames his characters in bizarre ways at times either way far to the side or using wide angles to show the overbearing nature of the white Ivy League school has on them. Another interesting aspect here was the music throughout the film, it never plays loudly but sits as a bed underneath all of the dialogue and action of the film. Its smooth R&B beats that help add the hint of atmosphere to the film. Half the time you might not even notice it but it adds a nice element to the film.

As with Gone Girl earlier this year, this film had a fantastic ensemble and I really wish they would do an ensemble category at the Oscars. Tessa Thompson and Tyler James Williams stand out above the crowd as our protagonists and give strong performances but I also want to say that Justin Dobies does a great job with the small amount of screen time he has. Kyle Gallner makes a perfect villian but playing him up just enough without going overboard. Peter Syvertsen plays one hell of a convincing ignorant and prejudice white president too. Across the board everyone does a great job here and give props to Simien for a hell of a job casting. Dear White People also has one of the best credits ever! While 22 Jump Street has the funniest credit sequence of the year, here we have the best without a doubt. The movie had already won me over by this point and I don't want to ruin anything for people who haven't seen it but when you see it, its a great smack in the face to today's society. Think racism is dead President Fletcher? Bullshit.

I highly suggest Dear White People to you if you enjoy a smart comedy with some great characters that has something to say but is definitely worth hearing. I will say one the funniest things about after the film was my best friend, who is black, pointed out that I missed almost half of the jokes because I didn't understand black lingo or terms so I can't wait to rewatch it again and again. Really make some time to go see Dear White People and enjoy yourself.

4.5/5