How Black is too Blackity Black?
Source: Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios
American Fiction is the latest raucous satire in an ever-growing line of post-Get Out films that cleverly skewer racial tropes sprinkled into mainstream films, TV shows, and anything else deemed worthy of an award.
In Cord Jefferson‘s hilarious directorial debut which confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes, the always-amazing Jeffrey Wright stars as a frustrated novelist named “Monk” who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes.
To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own which propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
Check out the trailer below:
Thriving in the literary world is hyper-Black author Sintara Golden (Issa Rae) who represents everything that “Monk” despises in the publishing industry.
Source: Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios
Based on the novel Erasure by Percival Everett, American Fiction also stars Tracee Ellis Ross, Sterling K. Brown, Erika Alexander, and more in the buzzy film that’s sure to get people talking.
“I wanted it to be satire without becoming farce,” said Jefferson in an interview with DEADLINE. That was important to me.”
I think that some satire becomes farcical, and I think that’s totally fine. I think there’s some great farcical films, but I didn’t want to do that with this. I wanted it to feel satirical but also grounded. I think the blending of the family stuff in there grounds it. It grounds the film before it becomes just pure satirical farce.”
American Fiction opens in select theaters Dec. 15 and expands Dec. 22.
