135 minutes of endless reflection on what racism is and how dangerous it is. The film is based on a true story, which, unfortunately, completely dissolved in references to modernity. The idea is clear: nothing is over, everything goes on. But it didn't make a story about the '70s, it didn't make an immersion into an era. I would like to see the history of those years, to look at the world through the eyes of those who lived then. And here the heroes behave as if they know what will happen next.
The film itself is purely American. It is difficult to find anything in it that can be close and understandable to the audience here. The names of Hattie McDaniel, William Shockley, David Duke, Jesse Washington say nothing outside the United States and some other countries. Even if anyone can remember Angela Davis, it's unlikely to say what she was for or against. Not to mention the fact that in translation it is impossible to hear the change of speech of the characters. Ron on the screen tries to speak as white, and white David Duke wimply portrays the speech of a black man. This can only be heard in the original. Simply put, the problems of the film are not informative.
The film is not comedic. Yes, at the heart of the comedy situation, but the tape was not even conceived comedy. On the contrary, the pathos of the film are extremely serious. The painting could just as well be called “White Panther”. We are shown two movements, contrasting them and people's reactions to them. The director, facing the two worlds, draws attention to the difference in consciousness. When a black man listens to black radicals, he concludes that they are not dangerous and just throw words at him. Whites aren't so sure. When white people listen to white radicals, they think they're not dangerous and they're just talking. The black man doubts. Plus one of the main ideas of the film: racism is not limited to skin color. At least for some racists, some whites are whiter than others. The film is full of references to issues and cultural phenomena that are affected by racism. But in general, these are problems of a different culture.