Review of Freedom Writers (2007) by Indianaparkwars — 29 Jan 2021

A White Savior Film That Isn't Harmful, But Is Still Problematic as an Antiracist Film.

10/12.

Freedom Writers was an excellent film. I watched this and Da 5 Bloods on MLK Jr. Day to continue my antiracism journey and to both celebrate race and watch films that deal with racism.

Freedom Writers is a beautiful story that wrenches my heart. I cried several times throughout. It's beautiful and upsetting, but almost carries the same Oscar-baiting drama as films like Crash or Green Book. Now, this is another white savior movie, but unlike Green Book, it's not slanderous to the true history and in turn, racistly trying to be an anti racist film.

But the whole film is about the white woman being a hero and saving the black, Asian, and Hispanic kids (and the one white kid). She is the main character and the savior and the focus is on her. Of course, that's the story and she is a tremendous human. But, the film prides its antiracism and unifying messages, but also creates an unhealthy dependency on the minority characters. They need her and don't want to be without her and they're portrayed as being lost and helpless without her.

So, this film has antiracist themes and it's a Race Film, dealing with racism, but being a white savior, it almost sits on the outside of the core of antiracism films. At the core of these films include films that are typically black-starring or black-produced and really deal with racism in a different way. Some good examples would be BlackKklansman, Selma, Sorry to Bother You, and Get Out. But, movies that sit on the outer circle of antiracism films are this one, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Green Mile, and The Help. They may have good intentions, good stories, or antiracist themes, but they just miss the mark by accidentally disenfranchising POC, over-dramatizing the stories, or collaterally contributing to racism through not fully antiracist stories.

But, these aren't as bad as movies like Green Book that completely bastardize the true story, have disingenuous diversity/POC representation, and try to pass off a toxic race film as antiracist. Freedom Writers doesn't nearly go that far. The white savior complex doesn't help the film since it disenfranchises the characters of color and shows a necessity for white people to uplift people of color, but it also tells a great emotional story and comes across as a well-made movie otherwise.