The premise of American Fiction feels stranger than fiction. This is not an indictment of this satirical film with an extraordinary plot and cast. What seems ridiculous is the current state of race relations and culture.
Director Cord Jefferson, who wrote the screenplay from Percival Everett’s 2001 book, touches on these challenges while offering a black perspective on the strengths of people such as family and community. This exploration of humanity begins with a writer aptly named Thelonious “Monk” Ellison. He has a measured approach to race, but is aloof about most other things.
Why I wrote this
a story focused on
Whether it’s blaxploitation, blackface, or steering a national and global art world that isn’t truly honest about its racial past, the duality of the funny and the sad (the iconic comedy and tragedy) (think of the mask) means something different within the Black experience, the monitor. Written by a cultural critic.
The history of art is just as dangerous as the history of black people in America. Jeffrey Wright, who deservedly received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his performance as Monk, approached the role with the gravitas and perspective needed to convey such duality. (Co-star Sterling K. Brown, who plays Monk’s brother, also won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Jefferson also won for Best Original Screenplay.)
The hallmark of “American fiction” is its ability to elicit black joy through interpersonal skill. Early in the film, the dichotomy between the black upper middle class and the black working class is drawn. As the film progresses, we see the latter triumph in a way that uplifts everyone in the film.
These relationships are also a celebration of contemporary black artists. Wright has always been a team player and a great performer. Brown plays Monk’s younger brother on a reckless journey to find truth and acceptance as a gay man. Also great is Tracee Ellis Ross, daughter of the pop icon and five-time Emmy nominee. She plays Monk’s sister, who is overwhelmed caring for her dementia-stricken mother. Issa Rae of Insecure fame plays Monk’s literary rival.
Overall, “American Fiction” offers some real lessons on how to deal with the absurdities of life in order to build a better future. The critique of the blaxploit elements of white politics (liberal and conservative) and entertainment culture is scathing. But a deep and abiding love between black people and family hits them.
The premise of American Fiction feels stranger than fiction. This is not an indictment of this satirical film with an extraordinary plot and cast. What seems ridiculous is the current state of race relations and culture.
Director Cord Jefferson, who wrote the screenplay from Percival Everett’s 2001 book, touches on these challenges while offering a black perspective on the strengths of people such as family and community. This exploration of humanity begins with a writer aptly named Thelonious “Monk” Ellison. He has a measured approach to race, but is aloof about most other things.
As a black man and writer, I couldn’t help but empathize with Monk’s attempt to find balance. The history of art is just as dangerous as the history of black people in America. There are moments when people lose their livelihood, or even their entire life, because of their advocacy or credibility. Jeffrey Wright, who deservedly received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his performance as Monk, approached the role with the gravitas and perspective needed to convey such duality. (Co-star Sterling K. Brown, who plays Monk’s brother, also won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Jefferson also won for Best Original Screenplay.)
Why I wrote this
a story focused on
Whether it’s blaxploitation, blackface, or steering a national and global art world that isn’t truly honest about its racial past, the duality of the funny and the sad (the iconic comedy and tragedy) (think of the mask) means something different within the Black experience, the monitor. Written by a cultural critic.
Monk, a novelist and professor, grapples with professional frustrations related to his black identity. At the university level, it’s a similar conflict to what we’re seeing in real time, around critical race theory and what words should and shouldn’t be used. As a writer, Monk found her own more serious and sophisticated work competing with her vulgar, entertainment-driven work.
content. These films are a form of “blaxploitation,” a term coined in 1972 by Junius Griffin, president of the NAACP Beverly Hills-Hollywood Chapter.
Actor Wright is well aware of this anxiety and its origins. That’s what made his recent tribute to pioneering black comedian and vaudevillian Bert Williams so moving. Wright highlighted Williams’ career in an Instagram post, considering it “the beginning of not just African American cinema, but American cinema.”
Wright’s homage to “next level” talent has elements of comedy and tragedy. He offers dignity to a man forced into blackface, a man W.C. Fields described as “the funniest man I’ve ever seen, and the saddest man I’ve ever known.”
Whether it’s blaxploitation, blackface, or movements in the national and global art world that aren’t honest about their racial pasts, the duality of being funny and sad (the iconic mask of comedy and tragedy) ) means something different in the black experience. It represents trying to evoke joy and happiness while sadness and disaster are not just around the corner, but rather on the other side of the proverbial street.
The hallmark of “American fiction” is its ability to elicit black joy through interpersonal skill. Early in the film, the dichotomy between the black upper middle class and the black working class is drawn. As the film progresses, we see the latter triumph in a way that uplifts everyone in the film. This is the black experience. Because historically, a lot of our gains as a community have come from heroes who boycotted buses and defunded the police.
These relationships are also a celebration of contemporary black artists. Wright has always been a team player and a great performer. Brown plays Monk’s younger brother on a reckless journey to find truth and acceptance as a gay man. Also great is Tracee Ellis Ross, daughter of the pop icon and five-time Emmy nominee. She plays Monk’s sister, who is overwhelmed caring for her dementia-stricken mother. Issa Rae of Insecure fame plays Monk’s literary rival.
One of Wright’s best-known performances is that of Peoples-Hernandez, a scene-stealer in the 2000 remake of Shaft, so much so that American Fiction criticizes the glorification of drug use and violence in black culture. It’s ironic that it is. Monk also has another self/pen name in “American Fiction”. Stagg R. Lee is the name he uses to write books containing disgusting black stereotypes. Of course, this is a play on Stagger Lee. Stagger Lee was the nickname of a notorious pimp and gambler whose mythology exceeded cultural influence.
Overall, “American Fiction” offers some real lessons on how to deal with the absurdities of life in order to build a better future. The critique of the blaxploit elements of white politics (liberal and conservative) and entertainment culture is scathing. But a deep and abiding love between black people and family hits them. Watching Monk transform from self-awareness to being fully aware of his surroundings inspires my own journey and exploration of work-life balance.
I am likewise reminded of the kindness of the jazz artist who shares Monk’s name. Thelonious Monk, an improviser, had enough grace left in him to be versatile in his art. “There are no wrong notes on the piano,” he famously said. So is his life.