BLACKkKLANSMAN was without any doubt my favorite film of the year. The film is funny, timely and at many times heart wrenching and cringe-worthy. It amazes me to say after decades on the cutting edge of provocative filmmaking that Spike Lee was able to one-up himself with a masterpiece (and yes, that word may be thrown around loosely, but in this case it is apt). Not since "Bamboozled" has Spike Lee rattled the cages to such a head cracking extent.
Along with "Sorry to Bother to You", another fantastic film touching on the same theme of "white voice" as a disturbing empowerment tool, this movie touched on many of the social questions we had to tackle as a country this year. BLACKkKLANSMAN, based on the book "Black Klansman: A Memoir" by the real-life Ron Stallworth, portrayed brilliantly by John David Washington, centers on Ron's days as an African-American infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan in the David Duke years. Along with his partner, an always excellent Adam Driver, who plays the white embodiment of Ron's white voice, attends the various Klan meetings to gather the on the ground intel.
The film, produced by Jordan Peele, is the culmination of all the years of talent building on the part of Spike Lee. This is the film I want with all my heart to win Best Picture. It needs way more eyes than it has had to this point.
If it doesn't win, I can't say that any of the other films are undeserving, but if the Oscars are about getting films noticed, this is the film that should be noticed.
Remember. Remember.
ROMAN MORALES
RomanAICN@Gmail.com
@romanmorales
art by Zach Spivey
