Blindspotting (2018) film review

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My Rating **** Genre – Dromedy Run Time – 1 hr 48 Minutes. Certificate – 18 Country – U.S.A Awards – 5 Wins & 22 Nominations = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = George Floyd’s death polarized America. To black people it was white oppression, to most white people it was yet another black guy committing yet another crime and so statistically this was always going to happen with a pi**ed off cop. If the cop had killed a white guy with a long rap sheet that way then no one would care. No one.Less than 30 unarmed civilians are killed by cops a year and many are having a mental episode. Director Carlos Lopez Estrada, here, looks at America’s racial divide in a different way, that of the gentrification opening up fault lines across America, the white middle-class cleansing the ghettos with jobs, low crime and love, the hipster lifestyle, the black and Latinos priced out and crammed into the remaining city ghettos, crime shooting up there, Oakland, California, ground zero for Daveed Diggs and Rafail Casals vibrant and original screenplay here, also the lead actors on show. -The Cast- • Daveed Diggs as Collin Hoskins, a former convicted felon on his last three days of probation. He is friendly and laid back. • Rafael Casal as Miles Turner, Collin's short-tempered and reckless best friend. The two have been close since childhood. • Janina Gavankar as Val, a desk secretary. • Jasmine Cephas Jones as Ashley, Miles' partner and mother of Sean. • Ethan Embry as Officer Molina • Tisha Campbell-Martin as Mama Liz • Utkarsh Ambudkar as Rin • Wayne Knight as Patrick • Justin Chu Cary as Tin • Kevin Carroll as James =The Plot= Lifelong ‘twentysomething’ blue collar friends Collin (Daveed Diggs) and Miles (Rafael Cassal) are seeing great change in their neighborhood. The middle class are moving in, property and rent prices are shooting up, and a lot whiter than it was. Miles is angry about that and acts black and ghetto to rebel, unsure of his identity now. Collin feels less at ease these days as black men in the area and now seen as a threat, so much so there is an 11pm curfew in the neighborhood. One night Collin witnesses a black suspect being shot in the back by a police officer in pursuit just before curfew. The guy dies but Collin chooses not to report it as he is an ex con still on probation. Why invite more hassle into his life is his fallback. His offence was a violent bar brawl with a customer when he was a bouncer. The next day he tries to process what he saw as he and Miles hit the road as removal workers. Meanwhile Miles increasing rebellious and volatile behavior gets them into yet another scrape as his white friend acts increasingly black to show loyalty to his friends as the film gathers a darker tone. ===Results=== All concerned have made great use of a $5 million dollar budget here, producing one of the Hollywood indie hits of 2018. There’s a bit of Hamilton going on here with its sprinkling of pentameter verse, rap and rhyme seeded into the script, making it a very different experience to your average American indie buddy comedy. The lead white character is deliberately irritating as he tries to be as black to tribute his best friend, a contrast designed to explore cultural appropriation, one of many themes this nibbles at, his best black friend having braids, the white look in the black community, some say. The white characters are obtuse to highlight the changing ghetto dynamic and get your sympathies. It’s funny and bouncy to-and-throw stuff early on but takes a darker tone as it increasingly become a film aimed at black audience with it sympathizes. The white characters are seen as obnoxious and the problem, the black and Latinos victims in some way. No one talks about George Floyd waving a fun in pregnant woman’s face and robbing her in her own house. It’s all apologetic film now written by the middle class to appease the black working class. The occasional rapping and rhyme bits work and cleverly done. The script is a bit knock about but keeps you interested on where the film is going. Is it a comedy or is it something else? The lead performances are ok but the white character does get jarring to the point where you want to slap him. Daveed Diggs in the lead steal the movie. Definitely a film to catch and catch you our equally. ===RATINGS=== Imdb.com –7.5 /10.0 (31,234votes) Rottentomatos.com – 94% critic’s approval Metacritic.com – 77 % critic’s approval ===Trailer=== https://www.imdb.com/video/vi895925785?playlistId=tt7242142&ref_=tt_ov_vi