I Am Not Your Negro-2016

Director Raoul Peck

Starring Samuel L. Jackson

Scott’s Review #674

Reviewed August 19, 2017

Grade: B

I Am Not Your Negro, a 2016 documentary by director Raoul Peck, chronicles an unfinished manuscript by social critic James Baldwin titled Remember This House.

The memoir is a series of recollections by Baldwin, who died in 1987, of his experiences with famous civil rights leaders Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Medgar Evers.

Released in a year when similarly racially themed documentaries emerged, such as 13th and O.J.: Made in America, all received award nominations at several year-end ceremonies.

If I have to compare them, 13th, the one most similar in theme to I Am Not Your Negro, is the superior piece.

While interesting, the latter didn’t grip me as much as the former.

Still, I Am Not Your Negro is worth watching, if nothing else, to understand and be exposed to the ongoing battle for racial equality in the United States.

The documentary centers on the discussion and backstory of the leaders mentioned. It uses old footage of each man for location shots and speeches.

A high point is Baldwin’s interview and his insight into his racial experiences, both positive and negative.

Each leader, King, X, and Evers, receives roughly the same amount of screen time, and the best part is Baldwin’s dealings with each man.

I immensely enjoyed the multitude of scenes featuring racial history in cinema, and the harsh reality is that blacks have not been given their due until relatively recently in how their characters are portrayed.

As recently as the 1950s and 1960s, and arguably later than that, blacks were demeaned or treated as nothing more than secondary characters. Worse yet, some were portrayed for laughs or as caricatures.

A startling admission comes from Baldwin himself. An enormous John Wayne fan as a child, reveling in the joy of his films, it was a harsh reality to understand that the Indians in Wayne films, seen as the “bad guys,” were Black Americans, and therefore himself.

Baldwin’s films were viewed through a child’s innocent eyes, but real life was harsher.

Samuel L. Jackson’s narration is unnecessary.

As a well-known name, the actor distracts from the message. Jackson seems to read Baldwin’s words as if he were acting, and Baldwin and Jackson are very different men, so the result feels disjointed.

The most important takeaway I Am Not Your Negro left me with is a crucial. A better understanding of the historical plight of Black Americans and how far the United States has come in achieving racial equality.

Even more important, however, is the realization that we still have so much work ahead of us as a nation to ensure even better race relations, and this is a sobering message.

Oscar Nominations: Best Documentary Feature

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Documentary Feature