************************This review contains spoilers****************************
In Blindspotting, Collin (Daveed Diggs) is serving the final three days of his probation term, anxious for a fresh start as he works his job as a mover alongside his childhood best friend, Miles (Rafael Casal). As he walks on eggshells and tries to continue making it back to the halfway house he must report to by 11:00pm, Collin witnesses a police shooting of an unarmed, fleeing former felon that rattles his peace of mind as ponders his own future as a convicted felon.
Thematically, Blindspotting is an examination of identity and the part that society’s view and stereotyping of us plays in how each of us views ourselves. As a now convicted felon who lost his girlfriend due to both the crime he committed and his loyalty to the volatile friend he grew up with, Collin spends the entirety of the film engaged in an internal struggle over who he is and who he will be now that he has the scarlet letter of a serious crime permanently attached to his name. The main protagonist recognizes the stigma attached to he and his character moving forward due to his incarceration and struggles between actively changing aspects about himself in order to negate this unfair burden and not giving them credence in the first place by remaining the same. Collin’s internalization of the pathologized view of black men comes to a head in a tense third act scene where, by chance, he runs into the cop that he witnessed murder the fleeing felon. While holding the officer at gunpoint, Collin finally vents the frustration, pain, and confusion at the labels put upon him by society while the Oakland he grew up knowing changes rapidly and people who are guilty of far more than he and those who look like him push them out of the only city they’ve ever known.
Miles’ crisis of identity is the yang to Collin’s yin, with Miles struggling to prove his connection and belonging in rugged, tough, and black Oakland as a white boy born and raised in the city limits. To prove this, Miles takes the same route of hyper-masculinity that many young men take when forced to prove their toughness; ready at a moment’s notice to turn to violence and conflict to show he’s not the one to test. Miles’ status as a racial minority within this environment adds a second layer to his over the top personality display in that he goes all out in embracing and adopting the stereotypical aspects of black “Oaktown” with a grill and constant use of Oakland slang and dialect. Miles’ problem is the opposite of Collin’s; people see him and his white skin and automatically put him in the box of being nonthreatening to the point of viewing him as being available to take advantage of. Through this, those that would stereotype Miles are also pushing him out of the only neighborhood and culture he has ever known, in a twisted way of what Collin experiences as a black Oakland native in a rapidly gentrifying Bay Area. These mirror images of identity crisis serve as an all-encompassing look at the effect on our actions of how we view ourselves and how wish to be viewed. From the traumatizing effects on Collin’s self-worth and overall psyche, to the need to constantly prove himself Miles has been affected with for the entirety of his life. Societal pressures to fit inside of tidy, neat, easily definable boxes fails to recognize the complexity of human existence. This attempt to make the vividly colorful human spirit into something more monotone can ultimately ruin us and confine what should be free into a prison that confines us all.
The visual aesthetic utilized in Blindspotting by director Carlos López Estrada, making his feature length debut, and director of photography Robby Baumgartner is one of the highlights of the film. From the way scenes are lit to the color grading chosen for the shots, Blindspotting is a very vibrant film that grabs your eyes and refuses to let go. Estrada also displays an incredible visual flair through some of his scene transitions. One that stood out immediately was a tracking shot of Collin out on one of his morning jogs through the park that quickly transitions to the next scene with Miles’ son running through the house in the same styled tracking shot. Combined with the authentic shots of the city of Oakland (a California city that is really having a moment and dominating the movie world in 2018 after the release of Blindspotting, Black Panther, and Sorry to Bother You), Blindspotting is a visual dynamo.
Simply put, Blindspotting is one of the best films of the year. It brilliantly mixes different tones together, weaving effortlessly between funny and serious at a moment’s notice. The film features numerous genuinely laugh out loud moments and scenes while also presenting thematic depth that is both relevant and timely. And while Blindspotting explores the much debated issue of gentrification, the way it does sets it apart from other recent films that have touched upon the subject through its inclusion of the character Miles. Blindspotting is littered throughout with subtle nods to gentrification and the culture clashes that inevitably follow. The more commonly talked about aspect of gentrification, that of well-off, white suburbanites from traditionally white locales occupying spaces, sometimes arrogantly and smugly, that poor people of color have traditionally occupied is on full display here and shown onscreen through Collin’s experiences (most hilariously in an all too real confrontation involving Miles, Collin, an oblivious, rude newcomer to Oakland, and a parking space). But what really makes Blindspotting stand out is it’s exploration of gentrification through the prism of black gentrifiers and white locals. Gentrification is normally only looked at as an issue of white out of towners encroaching on black locals, with black gentrifiers occupying a murky space between the aggrieved and aggrievers. The pivotal scene where Miles’ Oakland authenticity is challenged by a young black professional not native to Oakland himself is a brilliant turning of the gentrification debate on its head, asking the often avoided question of where black gentrifiers fit into this debate. This bit of bold storytelling really strengthens the film and allows it to stand out.
The entire cast from the leads Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal, to supporting players Janina Gavankar and Jasmine Cephas Jones, to cameos from notable actors Wayne Knight and Tisha Campbell-Martin, make their mark with authentic, believable performances that also make their mark both comedically and emotionally when the moment calls for it. Blindspotting is indeed nearly perfect, save for the film’s climax and most pivotal scene. The conclusion of Collin’s frustration with his place in life and experiences as a young black man and his final confrontation with the embodiment of all the tension (I’m avoiding a major spoiler by being as vague as possible) that entails was a bit too preachy and unrealistic for me, to the point where it almost completely took me out of the movie and undid all that came before it. My problem with this is more a matter of personal tastes however, as I am not a fan of spoken word poetry which is the method through which this was delivered. And after having some time to ponder the film as a whole afterward, this ending scene bothered me less. Still, it prevented Blindspotting from perhaps being my #1 film of the year instead of just top ten. This personal nitpick aside, Blindspotting is one of the year’s standout films and a remarkable achievement in writing from Diggs and Casal, and directing from López Estrada. If it plays in your city, it is absolutely worth the price of admission.
Image: Lionsgate
