Clooney rebukes racism in his film

Be it in real life or reel, Hollywood star George Clooney is known to express his opinion on issues close to him. For instance, his involvement in political affairs. “We all have to participate [in] one way or another,” says Clooney.

On the work front, too, the actor-filmmaker is focusing on real issues. His directorial project Suburbicon is a darkly humorous 1950s crime tale. Clooney highlights the racial tensions in present-day America, with a story about a black family moving into an affluent white suburban neighbourhood as the backdrop.

“We should talk about whether or not building walls and scapegoating of minorities is how we want to be represented. The best way to do that is to remind oneself that this is something that we do, that we’ve been doing probably since the beginning of our country and that we have to constantly litigate it,” says Clooney.

The film follows Gardner Lodge (played by actor Matt Damon) in the aftermath of a break-in at his suburban home, which results in the suspicious death of his wife. As the investigation deepens, Gardner and his wife’s twin sister Maggie (Julianne Moore) find themselves in a situation escalating beyond their control.

Clooney says that while there are “people much better qualified to tell the story of African-Americans in mid20th century suburbia,” he wanted to use the story of the Mayers family — based on a real black family that moved into the all-white suburb of Levittown, Pennsylvania in 1957 — to shine a light on the “absurdity” of racism.

PHOTO: MARK BLINCH/REUTERS Actor George Clooney has directed the film, Suburbicon