海角大神

Did I enjoy Jordan Peele鈥檚 latest movie after I initially viewed it? Nope.

My expectations for the movie were too concrete. I鈥檇 become used to Mr. Peele鈥檚 adeptness at turning horror films into social commentaries, whether they were indictments of white liberalism (鈥淕et Out鈥�) or harbingers of class warfare (鈥淯s鈥�).

Then I thought about this latest film, 鈥淣ope,鈥� 鈥� and the director鈥檚 intent 鈥� from a more abstract perspective. Mr. Peele, who is Black, didn鈥檛 feel burdened by the need to make a stereotypical Black film, or a film with an overt message of social justice. He made a film that highlighted cinema, and through that passion, he advanced his unique genre of films.听He expressed freedom in simply being a Black man who created a work of art.

Such a sense of autonomy can be fearful 鈥� and fleeting. I am reminded of the cautionary tale of comedian Dave Chappelle, who famously quit his eponymous show because it became too much of a spectacle. 鈥淐happelle鈥檚 Show鈥� was irreverent comedy mixed with social commentary, but he felt like his messages weren鈥檛 clear when people mocked them instead of meditated on them.

Mr. Peele鈥檚 鈥淣ope,鈥� featuring cowboys and aliens, is irreverent at times. The protagonist, played by Daniel Kaluuya, is named听Otis Jr., or O.J., which seems to be a nod to听the former football player and rental car pitchman who was famously acquitted for murder. Mostly, it is a movie that warns against the danger of spectacles and how predators 鈥� both in nature and industry 鈥� are not easily tamed.听鈥淣ope鈥� also alludes to how Black people and Black culture are exploited in Hollywood.

The filmmaker鈥檚 abstract approach to 鈥淣ope鈥� challenges the notion of what escapism might mean to Black moviegoers such as myself. That can be tricky, as even Afrofuturistic movies such as 鈥淏lack Panther鈥� contain political themes and ideologies. And yet, in a world and a country with noted anti-Black policies and sentiments, the need to 鈥済et away from it all鈥� is more than understandable. Does that idea of liberation manifest itself differently between movie maker and moviegoer? It largely depends on the subject 鈥� both the art and the viewer.听

It was easier to escape into听鈥淏lack Panther鈥� because it was an action movie of the Marvel variety, and I鈥檝e enjoyed that franchise with a childlike enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Mr. Peele has set a standard with his first few movies that might seem like the theater of the absurd 鈥� if they weren鈥檛 so on the nose about Black trauma.

With that said, I enjoyed 鈥淣ope鈥� more on my second viewing because I had a better understanding of what the director sought to convey. I grew to appreciate听his artistry as much as I did his analysis, and that was a needed transition for me.

Black folks have internalized that burden of responsibility to speak for our community in film and media听鈥� and to be clear, it is a burden 鈥� for generations. Arguably the most loaded quote in Hollywood history came from Hattie McDaniel, the first African American to win an Oscar.听

鈥淚 sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race, and to the motion picture industry,鈥� she said after she received the award, even as her seat for the event was segregated from the white attendees. Labor over love, duty over desire, describes the fate of so many Black Hollywood trailblazers. Mr. Peele didn鈥檛 paint himself into a corner with the expectations of others.听

The filmmaker鈥檚 latest work is refreshing in a world where recent Black cinema can look like trauma retreads. There is a new film about Emmett Till slated for the end of this year, and the very thought of another piece of media about the brutal beating and lynching of a 14-year-old Black child makes me uneasy and sorrowful. The fate of Emmett is one of the most recognizable civil rights tragedies.听Mining the story for historical nuggets pales in comparison to the perpetual pain that the story presents.

We are in desperate need of different stories and outlets to present Black triumph 鈥� and yes, Black trauma.

Mr. Peele鈥檚 quirkiness and love of cinema have provided such an outlet. On the one hand, his work is an ode to the Black Hollywood pioneers听before him. On the other hand, his work is a clarion call for moviegoers to think outside of the box in terms of how we digest media. In our ravenousness, we鈥檝e become myopic, even those of us听who consider ourselves cultured or researched.

There is a saying which captures the plight perfectly 鈥� 鈥渃an鈥檛 see the forest for the trees.鈥� Mr. Peele鈥檚 brand of escapism doesn鈥檛 mow down the foliage 鈥� it simply takes a step back and appreciates a wider perspective. It is a lesson for all of us.听