Official press release photo
Justin Simien’s directorial debut, “Dear White People,” is a satirical film that focuses on the college experiences of four African American students at a fictional, predominately White “Manchester University,” and that has been making quite a splash at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Simien initially began promoting the film last summer through a brief three-minute concept trailer attached with a donation link, which after posting immediately went viral attaining 80k views and over $10k worth of donations within a few days.
The immense support and fervor caused by the trailer is understandable, as it presents the kind of contemporary racial drama and social commentary that has been largely absent since Spike Lee’s “Do The Right Thing.” Simien constantly cites Spike Lee’s films as his main influences, and staying within the same controversial vein of those movies, Simien aims to start a dialogue about the state of race affairs on college campuses.
The trailer immediately begins by showing a group of Black students in front of a movie ticket booth openly criticizing “Black movie” clichés and the commonly stereotypical characters, which are criticisms often made of predominately Black films. It then cuts to the film’s radical main character, Samantha, on her inflammatory radio show where she sends public service announcements to the school’s White population with such remarks as, “Dear White people… stop dancing,” and “Dear White people… please stop touching my hair.”
Movie still: A group of black students in front of a movie ticket booth.
Other characters include Samantha’s ex-boyfriend Troy, the straight-laced son of the dean of the school who is dating the White daughter of the President of the University, Coco, the ambitious classmate who wants to appear as sophisticated and passive as possible in order to someday become a TV personality; and finally Lionel, who is both the openly gay student that is on a mission to find out where he can fit in. The major conflict of the film arises when Troy’s fraternity, which happens to be predominately Caucasian, decides to throw a “Black people” themed party complete with Blackface and watermelon.
The film’s tagline explains that it is “A satire about being a Black face in a White place,” which is a relatable experience for most of the Black students here at UCLA, but also happens to be ironic, as a majority of the film’s trailer was shot on the UCLA campus.
How the characters all react to the racial tension and realistic situations presented are meant to reflect the many burdens that minority groups face on college campuses every day. Simien’s confrontational approach has drawn a fair amount of criticism from people within and outside the industry. The movie initially had issues getting any significant backing from major studios, which is why Simien ultimately decided to ask for support directly from the online community. And the substantial results show that a narrative like this has been long overdue.
“Dear White People” was released January 18th, 2014.
