I Am Not Your Negro

I Am Not Your Negro

(2017)

Directed by: Raoul Peck
Written by: Raoul Peck, based on 
James Baldwin's writings
Starring: James Baldwin, narrated 
by Samuel L. Jackson
Rating: 14A
Release Date: February 24th, 2017

A protester exercises his free speech as a police officer looks on in a still from I Am Not Your Negro
Image Source

     "The story of the negro in America is the story of... America," says James Baldwin, in an archived interview. When I Am Not Your Negro was released slowly throughout 2016 and to general audiences in 2017, James Baldwin had been dead for thirty years; he died of stomach cancer in 1987. Yet, the cancerous roots of racial hatred, slavery and institutional bias have only dug deeper and deeper into the heart of American society. A quick search on whatever search engine you use, reveals seemingly endless factsheets, articles,  and staggering injustices like the fact "the vast majority of [U.S.] counties arrest blacks at a higher rate than whites, with some having a disparity of greater than 10 to 1," even though marijuana use was generally equal or at times higher among the white population, (The Washington Post). Racial injustice isn't simply a fact in America; it's a way of life.

     Raoul Peck's film, I Am Not Your Negro is largely based on Baldwin's unfinished novel, "Remember This House," which Peck uses to frame social issues still relevant in modern america, and important aspects of Baldwin's life. Using excerpts of Baldwins novel read by Samuel L. Jackson and audiovisual clips of Baldwin himself, I Am Not Your Negro tells the story of William Baldwin's life and his thoughts on being a 'black American;' caught between being seen as an 'other' in American society, but never really escaping his American roots, even while living in Paris. This cognitive dissonance informs the entire film, and leads to a final, searing indictment of American racism. 

      Raoul Peck, a Haitian-born filmmaker, known for films like Lumumba and Sometimes in April, seems to have found his muse in the documentary form. With Samuel L. Jackson narrating in a gravely, solemn tone, (Jackson stated in the Blu-Ray Q & A feature he tried to convey the feeling of Baldwin's words, but tried to not do any kind of an impression of the man), and Baldwin's words speaking for themselves, Peck finds a concrete theme within the multitude of topics - institutional racism, racism in hollywood, cinematic portrayals of villains and heroes, as well as the lives and deaths, (and martyrs), of the civil rights era. It's an impressive juggling act that both Peck and Jackson pull off with expert precision. I Am Not Your Negro is a rarity when it comes to documentaries; it's compelling, heartbreaking and absolutely riveting. 

      Baldwin, was a lot of things - a public speaker, an intellectual, an author, a proponent of the civil rights movement, and close friends with both Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,. First and foremost he was an author; Notes of a Native Son, Go Tell it On the Mountain and many other prolific novels, essays and plays made an impact when they were released in the 1950's and 1960's, (check out his full bibliography here). Yet, (at least as Peck's documentary shows him), Baldwin struggled between the cruel injustices of America, and it's unadulterated beauty. He saw himself as caught somewhere in the middle between the conviction and "any means necessary" bravado of Malcolm X, and the intelligent, peaceful as well as logical stoicism of Dr. King. However, as the film goes on it becomes clear that America as a singular entity can't handle duality, or shades of grey - it's a country that only sees in black and white. 

     Baldwin's tone seems to get more and more grave as the film progresses - it begins with shimmers of hope - he tell the story of a young schoolteacher, a white woman, who gave him extra lessons, took him out to movies, and seemed to want to genuinely inspire creativity, wonder and intelligence in a young kid looking for inspiration. Baldwin states that this is how he learned racism is a learned behaviour, that it's not that white people are inherently racist, or that people of different colours or creeds are actually all that different; we're one and the same. It's the institutions, and a country literally built on the backs of slaves with their very bones that reinforces racism, that creates racial bias, and that continues to tear open racial wounds that never seem to heal. Baldwin suggests that until America truly faces it's roots it can never truly heal itself, that America seems to need a subjugated group of people to survive. As Baldwin put it far more eloquently, (and bluntly), "What white people have to do, is try and find out in their own hearts why it was necessary to have a nigger in the first place, because I'm not a nigger, I'm a man, but if you think I'm a nigger, it means you need it," (IMDb). In 2017, where a petulant child-like man was elected President; a 'man' who reinforces stereotypes about Muslims and other races without batting an eye, it seems like America still wants - or even needs - someone to hate. However, Baldwin refuses to give into pessimism; "not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed if it is not faced," (NPR). Like I mentioned earlier, James Baldwin has been dead for thirty years. But his words live on. It's time to start listening to them. 

GRANT'S RATING: 5/5 STARS

James Baldwin in I Am Not Your Negro: "Black Population"