American Skin - Another Film You Are Too Lazy to Watch
- Inversed Poet
- Mar 4, 2021
- 6 min read
!!!Warning SPOILERS Ahead!!!
".... I grew up middle class...I have an uncle who is a cop... But I haven't seen anything acknowledging that a kid lost his life. A citizen who was expected to be a patriot. How can anyone who has this history of pain and poverty and subjugation be expected to be a patriot--Proud to be an American..., only to be shot down because of their American skin. And how can anyone patriotic ignore these killings and yet, pride themselves on being apart of a great nation? Great nations aren't great because they oppress, but because they liberate. Not because they kill, but because they heal. Police and soldiers should be the gatekeepers of that truth......"
-Shane Paul McGhie
The film "American Skin" stars its writer and director Nate Parker. The 2019 film was also produced by Spike Lee and released on January 15, 2021.
Parker has starred in classic films such as "The Secret Life of Bees" and "The Great Debaters". He has also directed films such as "Birth of A Nation".
This generation of people, i.e. the many that refuse to educate themselves in empathy and effective two-way communication, must make a choice. We can not continue in this manner. When will there be growth?
When will we be able to be the great nation we claim to be and approach the issues of social injustice with action, honesty, and civility?
This is not a conversation about Race! It’s a conversation about Humanity! But all-over social media and throughout the news, human beings are being villainized, misunderstood, and ignored on every end of the spectrum!
It is okay to have a conversation, right? Every day We can: talk about sex and what we want to be when we get older or joke around about race, enjoy music from different cultures to show how well rounded we are, band together about how much we love food from across the globe, plan a specific day of every week to have a movie day together or we can spend our whole lives being friends knowing every detail of each other’s lives, all while avoiding this conversation.
It is unsettling that we cannot discuss social issues and come to a common ground of understanding. The Facts are not all black people are thugs, not all white people are prejudice or discriminatory, not all cops are blatant or undercover racist, The Black Lives Matter movement is not a terrorist group, Black people are human, Cops are human, this is not a war on police, this is a fight against Police Brutality. A fight against using deadly force on unarmed individuals when the same deadly force would not be used if the individual were not a person of color.
This movie came out on Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday, January 15, 2021. Which is twelve (12) days after the attack on the United States Capital.
This film could not have been released at a more opportune time. Nate Parker needs his props for his bravery to release such a film while our nation is facing several accounts of civil unrest. To view the official trailer click the image or Click Here>>>
I know many of you will not watch this movie.
It is deeply disturbing that people make up their own understandings of certain matters without research. It is absurd that social issues must be put in a movie for entertainment just to get people to possibly pay attention and/or consider a different perspective. It is downright lazy, privileged, and negligent that we as people can commune and agree on sports or food but cannot address the very foundations this nation was built on, the present-day systems that negatively affect our fellow neighbors, and the ways to improve our nation for everyone.
Frankly, it's exhausting and ridiculous that I must provide short clips of the script or monumental moments to help you decide if you’re going to watch the film or not. Below is a quote from one of the most powerful scenes in the film. Which I hope motivates you into seeing the film to fully grasp its context.
".... I grew up middle class...I have an uncle who is a cop... But I haven't seen anything acknowledging that a kid lost his life. A citizen who was expected to be a patriot. How can anyone who has this history of pain and poverty and subjugation be expected to be a patriot--Proud to be an American..., only to be shot down because of their American skin.
"And how can anyone patriotic ignore these killings and yet, pride themselves on being apart of a great nation? Great nations aren't great because they oppress, but because they liberate. Not because they kill, but because they heal. Police and soldiers should be the gatekeepers of that truth and should protect it with their lives... $%#&k! Man this sucks, This really actually #$%^&ing sucks. IT SUCKS! People are dying, kids are dying."
"I don't want to hear another story of a black kid killed by a cop. And I don't want to hear how the cop did the right thing no matter the circumstances. I don't wanna have to see another mother and father just grieving and powerless and pushed to the point where... where... they're willing to give their own lives... so if it means us doing the right thing... if it means us having to hold him accountable so that police everywhere will take a beat before they make his mistake...then so be it."
-Shane Paul McGhie
The Laziness must stop. If you can decide when to tune in and tune out of issues presented in this film and the overwhelming amount of injustices in modern-day society, you are privileged. If you do not take the time to educate yourself before you form a half-baked opinion on these matters while maintaining friendships or relationships with black and brown people, you're
delusional, and I envy your ability to daydream through life in the bliss of ignorance.
However, I Digress.
Pros:
The choice to hold a mock trial with a jury of peers is a brilliant and delivering the concepts such as racism, dehumanization, and police brutality, in a way that we have not seen before.
<<<WARNING>>>
<<<This trailer has Major Spoilers For The Entire Film. It's Best To Watch This After You View The Movie>>>
The Film does an excellent job at examining the different counter-arguments that are often brought up during conversations of race relations and police brutality. These counter-arguments include questions or statements such as: What about Black on Black crime, I’m not a racist-my friend is black, I don’t see color, forget about slavery its in the past and so much more.
The Film also examines the perspective of all parties involved in this battle for justice. The perspectives that are explored include; The Black experience, the Police experience, the student experience, the mother experience, the women experience, the veteran experience, the Latin American experience, and the American experience which all ultimately leads to viewing this matter through the lens of The human experience.
Cons:
I did not like the emotional acting of the officer on trial because didn't seem like genuine empathy, anger, or grief even after the resolution of the conflict. The timing of this film was very strategic however, in our hurt and in our anger for our angels taken too soon, I do not want people to mistake this movie as a call to action to do something drastic.
Also, the way in which the main character conducts a mock trial may lead people to describe the film as Radical and consider this a form of “Woke” Media.
Overall, this film is a must-see for those that wish to see different perspectives or just form a basic understanding of present-day social issues. This is also a must-see film because it delivers its concepts in a raw, honest way that is easy to empathize with and comprehend. Personally, I think this would be a great conversation starter with those who have a negative perspective on or go out of their way to avoid films such as this.
As Always Thank You For Reading!
Keep Open Ears, Eyes, & Mind
"Till Next Time
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