Episode 2: Blackkklansman

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A post shared by Carlemile (@carlemile) on Aug 12, 2018 at 7:48am PDT

Lord!!! Have mercy!!!! Anyone who knows me know I’m a huge Spike lee fan. Bamboozled. Malcolm X. Inside Man. Jungle fever. Do the right thing (etc) I love this man work right here but I never seen his films in theaters so best believe I wanted to see #blackkklansman so I can experience his cinematic work on the big screen.. and I got more than I bargained for. I learned something about myself this weekend. I’m comfortable watching racism at home, not on the big screen. A lot of times when I see Spike’s works, I’m motivated, inspired and empowered. I didn’t get that from this film. It has its funny moment, there’s not much action, it’s a serious drama and as soon as the film starts we in the ugly face of racism and unlike the other films where I watched them in the comfort of my own home, I felt the dis-ease in the rawness of racism. Unlike the film Django unchained where I know it’s a fantasy, I couldn’t escape that this is real life (and y’all know I love coming to the movies to escape, Not to relive life ugliest moments). The script is great, the cast is great and of course Spike is a master director. I actually loved the first half of the film. It was entertaining, it was artistic and it was empowering.. but by the 3rd act.. things changed. The suspense was great in the end but once they resolve one issue, you realize they didn’t stop everything. The kkk didn’t end. It lived on. I think what bothered me is the fact the KKK could watch this film and not see anything wrong. I could actually see members of the Klan supporting this film because of the amount of scenes of just Klans talking shit in intimate settings (like at home in bed with their wives). Maybe he was just showing how they get their loved one involved in the BS but part of me feel like I would appreciate this film more at home. I left the theater depressed. That ending was a bitter sweet one. Spoiler alert, the KKK is still around today and to me, makes the story feel incomplete. Support black films and see it in theaters if you don’t have a problem with seeing racism on the big screen.. but if you’re looking for an escape this weekend, this ain’t it!