Raoul Peck's 'I Am Not Your Negro' locks you in and beams you up to the Starship Baldwin. Narrated by an almost unrecognizable Samuel. L. Jackson, Peck weaves old movie and television clips, interviews and songs with the spoken words of novelist, essayist and playwright James Baldwin's unfinished book to unwavering heights.
The book started out as a project about Baldwin's remembrances of his friends, three civil rights icons, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., all of whom were assassinated, but he died before he had a chance to complete his work.
Peck's documentary casts a spell that refuses to let you leave the screen until he's done with you.
Stephanie Zacharek writes: I Am Not Your Negro Shows How Far We Only Think We've Come
David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture writes; James Baldwin’s Words Are Freshly Resonant in the Timeless I Am Not Your Negro
When I write a capsule review, I usually make sure to tell you if it's worth spending your hard earned cash on a film since it's not cheap to take a date to a movie.
Fear not, it's well worth the ticket prices, popcorn, sodas and even some Bon Bons if you are in the mood.
