Checked out a fantastic new indie film called Blindspotting over the weekend. This is one of the best films I’ve seen this year… just a fantastic slice-of-life film that deserves to be seen.
Blindspotting follows a young black man living in Oakland who has only three days left on probation after a two month stint in prison. His best friend from childhood is a hot-headed white guy from the same neighborhood who is making it difficult to stay on the straight and narrow. This friend buys an illegal gun to protect his family and that gun becomes a classic Checkhov’s Gun… tracking who has it at any given time was nerve-wracking.
The film is very funny and very serious… as much of a heartbreaking analysis of race as it is, it’s also a genuinely funny and entertaining film. Comedy comes from a lot of sources but one of the best is the indignity the white friend has over all these damn hipsters moving in. WHAT? He has to ASK for a burger with meat? Vedgie burgers are the default?
The film works as a message movie without FEELING like you’re being preached to and that’s critical. The characters are likable, relatable, and honest… I cared about them so when there is commentary about touchy subjects, it feels like something people are experiencing, not a lecture from a screenwriter.
This is a great, heartfelt film that is as funny as it is suspenseful and powerful. I hope I’m not overselling it and I hope you give it a shot. Like I said, one of the best films of the year.
Score: 90