Searing look at race in U.S.
One might regard filmmaker Raoul Peck’s documentary as a case of unfinished business.
Back in 1979, acclaimed author James Baldwin wrote to his literary agent about writing a book linking the lives of three figures of the 1960s civil rights movement: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. All three were assassinated and never lived to see the age of 40.
Baldwin’s manuscript never got past 30 pages, so Peck, with the full co-operation of the late writer’s estate, uses his perspective as a filmmaker to reimagine and broaden the scope of the project. The result — hard-hitting and insightful — is a reminder that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Using Baldwin’s own words and a range of archival interviews, Peck links the black community’s past struggles for equality to the present.
We’re reminded of the historic civil rights protests throughout the U.S. South in the 1950s and 1960s, and the hatred and ugliness they exposed. That’s juxtaposed with the 2014 killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., by a police officer, which reignited the rage of the black community.
There are also photos to remind us of other recent examples of the ongoing violence faced by African-Americans, especially young people like Trayvon Martin, who died in 2012 at the hands of a self-appointed vigilante who was later acquitted of murder.
We also learn about the life of Baldwin, a fascinating figure who fled to Europe in 1948 only to return to take up a burden that his race placed upon him. The FBI took note in 1966, labelling him both a homosexual and a “dangerous individual.”
Throughout the film, we hear Baldwin’s own eloquent and sorrowful analysis of the race issue that America continues to grapple with. It’s a painful reminder of why groups like Black Lives Matter still matter.
“I Am Not Your Negro” is showing at the Westdale Theatre. Toronto Star