Review: ‘I Am Not Your Negro’ exemplifies activist James Baldwin’s work (Includes first-hand account)

When certain issues take centre stage in the world, at home or both, it’s not surprising to notice an uptick in the number films — fiction and non- — that address related subjects. Whether inspired by current events or a years-long project that can finally secure financing due to its sudden relevance, there can be a perceptible surge of these types of movies. It’s unimportant which category the Oscar-nominated documentary I Am Not Your Negro falls under, but rather that it was made and has some very important things to say.

James Baldwin was a writer of novels, essays, plays, poetry and social criticism. He lived much of his adult life in France because he wanted to work somewhere he felt safe. However, he returned to the United States in 1957 in the midst of the civil rights movement and became one of its most recognized spokespeople, having even graced the cover of Time magazine in 1963 for its issue on the unrest in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1979, he had begun a book that would link the lives and assassinations of three of his close friends — Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Unfortunately at his death in 1987, he left only 30 completed pages. With the permission of Baldwin’s estate and using this unfinished manuscript and his other works, filmmaker Raoul Peck has created a moving documentary that connects Baldwin’s writing to the current, persisting issues of race in America.

While Baldwin’s ideology fell between Malcom X’s muscular approach and King’s nonviolent tactics, his poignant, clear and stylish manner of analysing the issues in his writings elevated him to becoming one of the key voices of the civil rights movement. His words are given voice by Samuel L. Jackson in the film, alongside archival footage of his television interviews on the subject in which he positions the black problem as an American problem: “The story of the Negro in America is the story of America.”

Peck uses Baldwin’s life and works to examine race in the United States, connecting the civil rights movement to today’s Black Lives Matter. The film traces the history of the movement chronologically via the tragic deaths of the three aforementioned activists. “I was raised to believe that the eldest was supposed to be a model for the younger and was of course expected to die first. Not one of these three lived to be 40.”

The documentary also explores black representations in Hollywood and the on- and off-screen portrayals of actors such as Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte, particularly when compared to the movies of Western hero John Wayne. A photo of white protesters ridiculing young Dorothy Counts as she walked to a newly integrated school are shown while Baldwin recounts feeling a sense of shame that no one was there to walk with her that day. His expression of the era’s frustration and anger are connected to the same sentiments that continue today, demonstrating the enduring relevance of his work. When responding to comments that he appears bitter, Baldwin said, “I may or may not be bitter, but if I was I’d have good reason for it.”

The film connects to today’s problems with contemporary images of black teens like Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and Michael Brown who pointlessly lost their lives in recent years. Yet it ends on the air of hope Baldwin carried throughout his life and which can continue to serve as words of encouragement: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

James Baldwin inspired many others, including his friend Marlon Brando.

Get tickets for IAmNotYourNegro: I7HyyYL4wt

— I Am Not Your Negro (@IAmNotYourNegro) February 23, 2017

Director: Raoul Peck
Writer: James Baldwin
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson

Similar Posts

  • Review: ‘Boy Erased’ only has to tell its story to be affecting (Includes first-hand account)

    In spite of certain actions, behaviours and programs proving harmful, it’s been exceptionally difficult to eradicate them. Therefore, it’s become the work of the survivors to educate others about the negative effects and warn them away from these damaging elements. Of course, those who choose not to believe will never be convinced, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try — saving one is better than none at all. Gay conversion therapy is a prime example of a destructive system that is meant more for the people around the person enrolled than the person themselves, yet they continue to operate across the United States. Boy Erased is one man’s experience at such a camp.

  • Review: ‘The Editor’ is a stylish homage to giallo cinema (Includes first-hand account)

    There’s a fine line between imitation and inspiration, but the distinction is irrelevant if the project is executed with care. Admiring someone else’s style or talent and aspiring to replicate a fraction of their success is a worthwhile endeavour. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery after all. In film, homages and references are common as masters of cinema set the standard for techniques and aesthetics in particular genres. The team at Astron-6 has made a name for themselves embracing formerly popular movie types and The Editor is their latest project, recalling giallo cinema.

  • Review: ‘The Beguiled’ captivates characters before it all goes wrong (Includes first-hand account)

    During war times in the 19th century and earlier, the men would all leave and the women would ban together in an effort to protect their homes and families. While the men faced the carnage of battle, the women faced their own hardships with supply shortages, pillaging soldiers and tending large pieces of land alone. This was the case during the Civil War, in which men of all ages and races were sent to kill each other while the women were delivered news of their deaths. In The Beguiled, a Southern all-girl’s school becomes host to an injured Yankee solider near the end of the conflict.

  • Review: ‘Mustang’ gains deserved recognition for spirited portrait (Includes first-hand account)

    Being a girl or a woman remains a challenging prospect, but it’s even more difficult in certain parts of the world and in cultures where gender prescribes specific expectations and dictates your position in society. Double standards are far more prevalent in these areas as males are basically free to behave as they wish and any responsibility of wrongdoing is immediately thrust upon the females who are demanded to exhibit more control. But the irony of these situations are increasingly less accepted as borders become less finite and more liberal thinking is able to pass through. Mustang is the story of five young women trapped in the purgatory between evolution and deep-rooted tradition in Turkey.

  • Review: ‘Alien: Covenant’ gets closer to the truth (Includes first-hand account)

    As many fans learned thanks to George Lucas, going back to reimagine a beloved series’ origin story is a tricky business. While the creators have unrealized ideas regarding where it all could have started, these are not always in line with audience theories nor is it simple to recapture the essence of what drew viewers to the original films to start. Ridley Scott began this journey with 2012’s Prometheus, which now continues with its first sequel, Alien: Covenant.