"You are a convicted felon, Mr. Hoskins. You are now that until proven otherwise. Prove otherwise at all times."
That line of dialogue is spoken to Collin Hoskins, played by Daveed Diggs (HAMILTON) as he comes in, just after curfew, to the halfway house where he is staying after completing a three month prison sentence. His probation is a few days away from being over. He has a job at a moving company given to him by his ex-girlfriend where he gets to work with his best friend Miles, played by Diggs' real-life friend and creative partner Rafael Casal. Things seem to be turning around for Colin but he has the specter of his past mistakes hanging over him at all times and things take a turn for the worse when he witnesses a racially-charged police shooting. Now, Colin is left fearful that something will go wrong in his last days before he gets his freedom and before he gets a chance to change the perceptions people have of him now that he's a felon. This is the setup for BLINDSPOTTING; a passion project for Diggs, Casal, and director Carlos Lopez Estrada.
BLINDSPOTTING is a film all about perceptions and how they can shift in ways we never expected.
This starts to become evident with the film's setting. It takes place in Oakland, California, a city that itself is going through changes in perception as gentrification looks to smooth over the rough edges of the city and replace them with up-scale eateries and juice bars. Transplants have moved in and begun changing the cultural makeup of the area as well, much to the chagrin of Casal's Miles, who grew up in the rough and tumble areas of Oakland and feels deeply connected to them. He complains to Colin throughout the film about how the hipsters are ruining the city and co-opting their culture.
Casal is a revelation in BLINDSPOTTING. Working mostly as a hip hop and spoken word artist, Rafael Casal had no serious acting experience before this film and he is a complete natural as the co-lead. His take on Miles not only feels extremely authentic, when he is called on to play a wide range of scenes, everything from easy-going comedy (his banter scenes with Daveed are a pure joy) to intense emotional displays as he reveals the anger and hurt at how isolated he is in the only culture he's ever known, a culture that is being eroded in the name of progress... he nails every moment.
Daveed Diggs is equally captivating as Colin. The frustration he feels as someone trying to get their life back on track when all people see when they look at him now is an ex-con is palpable. He is so endearing in the role that when his freedom is threatened by the thoughtless actions of Miles or just bad luck, the dread is unbearable.
This likely makes BLINDSPOTTING sound like a slog of intensity and "important filmmaking" but nothing could be further from the truth. BLINDSPOTTING is a movie full of fun, enjoyable moments and when the tone does turn serious at points in the film, it only further invests you into these characters that you've grown fond of over the course of the film. it's a credit to Estrada's lively direction and the lived-in quality of the performances that the film handles these tone shifts well and never becomes anything less than immensely entertaining.
It's the rare film that can deliver powerful messages, strong nuanced acting, and all the while remain a crowd-pleasing, entertaining film. BLINDSPOTTING does all this and makes it look effortless. I cannot recommend this movie highly enough. It is simply one of the year's best films while also being one of the most important.
- Matthew Essary
(aka "Wheels")
