Review of Dear White People (2014) by Kyle W — 06 Feb 2015

Writer/director Justin Simien bursts onto the scene with this bitingly complex look at race relations in the Obama era, as depicted at the fictitious Ivy League institution Winchester University. At Winchester, the white kids and the black kids may seem to be integrated harmoniously, swapping off-the-cuff jabs and retorts and slipping into bed at the drop of a hat, but merely a second glance proves tensions run high.

Simien focuses mainly on four African-American students - Sam White (Tessa Thompson), who runs the titular radio program and believes that post-racial America isn't so different from what came before; Troy Fairbanks (Brandon P.

Bell), the ambitious young son of the Dean of Students whose political ambitions run deep; Coco Conners (Teyonah Parris), a social climber unafraid to admit she wants to be just like "the rich white kids;" and the shy gay aspiring journalist Lionel Higgins (Tyler James Williams).

The ensemble portrays these deliciously complicated characters with fervor, relishing Simien's dynamite screenplay, which ping-pongs from the feeling of a stand-up gig to moments of utter truth. Comparisons to Spike Lee are inevitable, and rightly so, although to make them is also to sideline Simien's unique contribution; above all else, he manages to communicate the complexity of an issue that looms over our daily lives (albeit in charmingly candid terms).

He knows Sam's rage is valid, but doesn't let her off the hook for her more radical methods, just as he knows white boy Kurt Fletcher's (Kyle Gallner) suggestion that the hardest thing to be in America is a "rich white guy" is ridiculous, but never discounts it as a valuable piece of a conversation.

By and large, the film is a fantastic conversation-starter - that it's also a great movie is an added plus.