I was invited this week to a private screening of Blindspotting, out in theaters on Friday. The trailer looked interesting, so I went in with high hopes, but I was not prepared to be grabbed by the heart and rattled around a bit, then set down gingerly to sit with my thoughts. Just my kind of film.
Blindspotting was co-written and stars longtime friends and collaborators Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal. It’s about two men in Oakland surviving, and about how where you’re from can be a source of pride and also your demise. As the world changes around you, do you grab tight to your roots or change right along with it? Diggs and Casal invite you into their lives, into their private conversations and personal thoughts, and make you question your own.
“Bursting with energy, style, and humor, and infused with the spirit of rap, hip hop, and spoken word, Blindspotting, boldly directed by Carlos López Estrada in his feature film debut, is a provocative hometown love letter that glistens with humanity.”
As a vocalist, I can’t listen to music when the singer sucks. And as a writer, for me, the story has no wings without great character development. I think this is what makes Blindspotting so powerful. Diggs and Casal’s characters are rough around the edges, if not dangerous and tragic, but their friendship is admirable and they’re both extremely likable. You want them to win. As the movie progresses and the characters evolve, you’re left questioning your own preconceptions and wondering whether your own friendships are detrimental. (Heck, at least I did.) The acting is stellar. The whole cast is great.
Blindspotting is reminiscent of Spike Lee’s 1989 hit Do the Right Thing – racially-charged and gritty, authentic and colorful, devastating and gut-wrenching, hilarious and poetic, endearing and hopeful. The social landscape Blindspotting paints is critically timely and relevant. If you want your prejudices tested as you witness true artistry, and if you enjoy when a movie sits stubbornly in your mind for a few days, if you want to get real…well this is the film for you. Watch the trailer below and check it out this Friday in theatres.
