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This is the third film in 2018 to use Oakland, California as the starting point for the kinds of cinematic fantasies that Hollywood rarely grants to people of color. “Blindspotting” is the first film in the series to do so. It is one of three films that challenge audiences’ preconceived notions about what can happen to Black and brown people onscreen, as well as how those outcomes are depicted. Oakland has been designated as a sister city to the majestic fantasy world of Wakanda, achingly bridging the gap between Heaven and Earth, thanks to the film “Black Panther.” Similarly, the more recent “Sorry to Bother You” depicted an alternate reality Oakland in which the struggle to survive devolves almost entirely into science fiction.
By contrast, the plot of “Blindspotting” never delves into the surreal or fantastic; instead, the film’s tone takes on the burden of doing so, shifting in unexpected ways that fracture reality while remaining stubbornly anchored to it. In this film, the balance is constantly shifting between high drama and low comedy, between terrifying danger and sweet moments of near-romance. The performance reaches its apex with an intense, brilliant monologue that is an almost otherworldly dare, a piece of performance art that some viewers will undoubtedly find questionable. In the same way that all great films are, “Blindspotting” is a force to be reckoned with and wrestled with on many levels. Regardless of where you come out on the other side of your evaluation, your expectations will almost certainly be dashed.
During my viewing of this film, I was reminded of a quote from Chester Himes, the African-American crime fiction writer whose work, like “Blindspotting,” frequently deviated from the mainstream in ways that are reminiscent of the film. “And I thought I was writing realism,” Himes confessed at the outset. The fact that I was writing absurdity had never occurred to me. “Realism and absurdity are so similar in the lives of African-Americans that it is impossible to distinguish between them.” The ghost of Chester Himes makes his presence known in this film through a story-within-a-story that recounts Collin’s (Daveed Diggs) journey to prison and the subsequent release from prison. In Collin’s current place of employment, two gentlemen recognize him as the former bar bouncer who delivered a legendary ass beating to an unruly, drunk patron in a previous place of employment. This beatdown, directed by Carlos López Estrada, is as fiercely hilarious and graphically violent as anything found in Himes’ fiction, and it is as entertaining as it is violent.
For the most part, this scene appears to be incidental, but it becomes critical to understanding the relationship between two of the film’s main characters, Collin and his ex-girlfriend Val, later on (Janina Gavankar). The majority of “Blindspotting” is haphazard and digressive, and it is only upon reflection that one realizes how cleverly constructed and intricately woven together everything has been throughout the film. Collin’s best friend, Miles, is played by Rafael Casal, who also serves as the film’s co-star and writer, and he deserves a lot of the credit. These two actors complicate the idiosyncrasies of their characters while also delving into the societal and personal tensions that keep their interracial friendship together in the face of adversity.
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Contrary to the aforementioned bouncer incident, Collin is portrayed as the more level-headed member of the duo. When “Blindspotting” begins, he is three days away from the end of his probation, and he appears to be surrounded by elements that are specifically designed to send him back to prison. When Miles and I meet up for coffee, it turns into a gun sale overseen by a common friend. As Collin freaks out in the backseat, mumbling his mantra of “plausible deniability” in the hopes of saving his parole, Miles flashes his new purchase with reckless abandon—our it’s first glimpse at the unspoken benefits of his privilege. Fortunately, the car belonging to their gun-selling friend drives away before any police officers arrive. It appears that, in addition to providing illegal firearms, this individual also works as an Uber driver. The side hustle must evolve in tandem with the changing environment.
Moreover, Oakland is changing, and it is quickly becoming gentrified by White hipsters and douchey tech bros, such as the one who was instrumental in sending Collin to prison. Despite the fact that Miles and Collin are both employed by a moving company—Colin drives the truck while Miles navigates, and the two of them split the manual labor—it is amusing that they have never moved anyone into the area. Everyone appears to be packing their belongings and, in the case of an artist played by Wayne Knight in a cameo appearance, symbolically taking the city’s history with them as they do. Through the use of digital imagery, Knight’s artwork superimposes the oak trees that gave Oakland its name over the locations where they once stood. Our source informs us that “they’re only on the street signs now.”
“Blindspotting” portrays gentrification as a negative force, and it emphasizes that it is a greater source of irritation for Miles than it is for Collin. Miles believes that the newcomers who are attempting to claim Oakland as their own look like him, and that this is an affront to his own native rights to the city as someone who grew up in Oakland. In Miles’ case, he’s a walking overcompensation: a White guy with a gold grill, a proclivity for reputation-proving violence, and an insistence on raising his gangsta persona a few notches higher than is absolutely necessary in order to maintain his street cred. Casal portrays him fully immersed in this persona, which comes across as more of a genuine homage than the kind of cultural appropriation Miles fears deep down in his heart. Miles is pushed to the brink of violence at one point when he is mistaken for the type of gentrifier he despises.
Blindspotting Quiz
Miles would be the Sidekick Negro to the White lead character in a lesser film, and the roles would be reversed in a lesser production. Nevertheless, Diggs and Casal rewrite the script, instilling Miles with the fear of coming across as what he perceives to be a negative stereotype, a fear that is typically reserved for, and experienced by, people of color. Despite the fact that Miles wishes to be afloat, his privilege is the life preserver that will keep him afloat at all times. While it is impossible to deny Miles’ affection and respect for Collin, whom he has known since they were eleven years old, he remains oblivious to the consequences of his actions, even after the aforementioned bar fight, for which he loyally provided backup, resulted in only Collin being sentenced to prison. Casal performs admirably in this situation.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this Blindspotting quiz.
Diggs is also outstanding in what may be the more difficult role. Collin witnesses a fleeing Black man being shot in the back by a pursuing White police officer early in the film, and Diggs portrays his reaction on two levels: the cool level he presents to his friends and the tortured level that haunts him on the inside. In “Blindspotting,” Collin is plagued visually by nightmarish dream sequences and morbid visions of the dead, but the film is even more effective when it employs the Academy Award-winning sound design to reflect Collin’s torment. While the technical tricks are entertaining, they also evoke the horrible reality that being Black in America is to constantly exist in a state of perpetual post-traumatic stress disorder, knowing that even in moments of joy, we are hyper-aware of our surroundings and the societal dangers that may arise from them, even when they are at their most benign. “Blindspotting” has the audacity to put the lives of Miles and Collin on a collision course, forcing them to face off against each other in the end.
Aside from that, “Blindspotting” makes time for Miles and Collin to interact with the women in their respective lives. Miles is married to Ashley (Jasmine Cephas Jones), with whom he has a young son, and they live in the same house. Collin works with Val, a former lover whose reasons for not rekindling their romance are more complicated than either of them is willing to admit. Collin and Val have a long history together. In one scene, both Ashley and Val are as brightly illuminated by the camera as their respective male leads: Ashley has an angry, honest kitchen table conversation with her irresponsible boyfriend, and Val practices her psychology terms while braiding Collin’s hair (one of those terms gives the film its title). As a result, we would like to see them more often, but at the very least, the film brings them out of the background to make a contribution to the story every now and then.
That leaves the climactic monologue, which allows Diggs to capitalize on his skilled mastery of wordplay, which earned him the Tony Award for “Hamilton” in the first place. In my opinion, it is the most powerful scene of the year so far because it is a leap of faith. That this is Collin’s final response does not appear out of place is because the film’s use of surrealism to heighten his emotional state feels like the culmination of the film’s use of surrealism to heighten Collin’s emotional state. The small audience with which I saw “Blindspotting” was equally enthralled as I was by the film, according to a fellow critic who said he could feel the audience resisting this sequence both times he saw the film.
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Following the screening, a woman and the gentleman she was with inquired as to whether or not we would have been friends with Miles. “NO WAY IN HELL!” I told her, but she responded by challenging me to think about it further. I realized that I had been friends with people like Miles, brash troublemakers who had my back and loved me despite the fact that they could have easily gotten me killed or thrown in jail if they had gotten their way. In my mind, I was thinking about “realism and absurdity.” This is the equivalent of what it’s like to have a “Blindspotting” moment, followed by a more measured emotional reaction and subsequent introspection. This is one of the year’s best films, in my opinion.
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The film “Blindspotting” is available for free rental on iTunes this week only.
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