A feature-length film detailing the story of the only black man to officially be a part of the Ku Klux Klan? Sign me up.
While I'm a little late to the party, I finally got around to seeing "BlacKkKlansman," the story of Ron Stallworth, an African-American Colorado police officer who was able to gain access to the Ku Klux Klan. Not only is it incredibly serious and at times suspenseful, but it's also a barrel of laughs.
Assuredly, it will receive at least one nomination during Oscar season.
BlacKkKlansman Trailer #1 (2018) | Movieclips Trailerswww.youtube.com
"BlacKkKlansman" features John David Washington, a relatively unknown actor, as the main protagonist Ron Stallworth. It's really quite impressive to see Washington play his different roles. Not only does his character have to be himself, but he also has to be undercover, taking on the challenging task of acting like someone who is acting as someone else.
Not just that, but this film also stars one of my favorite actors, Adam Driver, as Flip Zimmerman, a white police officer who as to act as Ron Stallworth at the various KKK meetings. Driver plays this role with excellence, not only as a cop but as a man consumed by the racist rhetoric of the KKK. Obviously while at the KKK meetings, Zimmerman must take on the role of a prejudiced white nationalist, and he embodies this role quite well.
However, where "BlacKkKlansman" really shines is in the writing.
This film really a whirlwind of emotions. There are some really serious moments where you're on the edge of your seat, wondering if Flip and Ron are going to be found out. Other moments are incredibly lighthearted and genuinely funny. While I think this movie will certainly be nominated for Best Picture, but I think it truly has an excellent chance of actually winning the Best Adapted Screenplay category, and I currently have it as the front runner there.
However, what "BlacKkKlansman" truly tries to teach us is that that the racism that people experienced during that time is really not so different from the racism people experience today. People are still just as hateful and prejudiced, as evidenced in the reel that plays after the movie concludes of the white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville. African-Americans were killed by some crazed, prejudiced people, which is comparatively not too dissimilar from those who died in the 1960s as a result of racism. One could also see this type of racism when looking at the Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Tamir Rice cases. "BlacKkKlansman" helps us understand that the fight against racism is certainly not over, and there is still a lot of progress to be made if we hope to completely eradicate racism.
Is it worth it?
With a nice combination of varying tones and spectacular performances, "BlacKkKlansman" shows us that racism is still very much alive, and it's everyone's job to help eradicate racism.
