Oscars Preview: 30 Movies to Watch Before the Nominations Come Out!
By Emily Scott
Image via Magnolia Pictures
I Am Not Your Negro
What it’s about:
I Am Not Your Negro is a documentary based on an unfinished script by writer James Baldwin. The movie explores race in America by investigating the relationships between the lives and deaths of Martin Luther King, Jr., Medgar Evers, and Malcolm X. In the process of delving into the deeply relevant racial history of America, I Am Not Your Negro also examines how film and other media reinforced the disenfranchisement of black people. Its IMDb tagline reads, “…Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished – a radical narration about race in America, through the lives and assassinations of three of his friends…using only the writer’s original words.” In the dimming light of Obama’s presidency, it is a crucial work to modern audiences.
Major Players:
The director of I Am Not Your Negro is Raoul Peck. He also worked to co-write the documentary, which was based on some of the writings of the late writer James Baldwin, with whom he shares writing credits. Samuel L. Jackson provides narration.
What the Critics are Saying:
With a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 97% on Metacritic, I Am Not Your Negro is being almost universally praised as an essential work of art from this year. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman writes, “Yet if you watch I Am Not Your Negro, you’ll spend a kaleidoscopic and transporting 90 minutes living inside James Baldwin’s mind, coming thrillingly close to his existential perception of the hidden meaning of race in America.” A.V. Club’s Noel Murray notes the film’s relevance, writing, “Peck doesn’t just illustrate Baldwin’s insights into race relations with footage from the ’60s; he works in video from Ferguson, Missouri, and photos of Tamir Rice and Trayvon Martin. I Am Not Your Negro doesn’t present itself as ancient history.”
Possible Nominations:
Best Documentary Feature