the first of its kind: a revolutionary film in the way it takes on issues of representation and racism, and celebrates black culture with whole-hearted passion
BLACK PANTHER (2018)
Director & Writer: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman
Summary: After the death of his father, T'Challa returns home to Wakanda to take his rightful place as king. When a powerful enemy suddenly reappears, T'Challa's mettle as king -- and as Black Panther -- gets tested when he's drawn into a conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk.
Black Panther was the most tweeted about film of 2017…. And it wasn’t even released that year -- it’s undeniable that this was the most anticipated movie of early 2018, and given that we think the real question here isn’t “is BP good?”, because:
Before we even talk about it as a /movie/ we need to address BP as a cultural phenomenon.
Despite its rating this isn’t a movie for general audiences. It’s a movie made by and for the black community. It’s more than just another marvel movie blockbuster. It’s /current/ and is rooted very much in social context. We want to explain this context to you, but one caveat first: we are not black, you -- at least those reading this right now -- are not black. And so we might be able to empathise, but we won’t ever really /really/ understand what it’s like living as an african american in a white america. This’ll be an exercise in empathy, and we encourage you to keep an open mind!
So, social context. We think it’s really interesting that well…. Vibranium comes from Africa. And Captain America’s shield is made of vibranium. Captain America, the Paragon of American ideals. What does this mean? The most iconic weapon of the ultimate white patriot is a shield made by exploiting the resources of Africa, in the same way that the White House was built on the backs of thousands of black slaves. The very existence of vibranium is an acknowledgement of how much the american image (ie Cap), owes to the exploitation of African Americans. And the whole movie radiates with this understanding of black suffering.
In the beginning we are presented with a scene in 1992 Oakland, and both the year and the place are important. 1992 was the year of the LA Riots, the first spark of what we now call the Black Lives Matter movement. The unrest started when a trial jury acquitted four LAPD policemen for using excessive force in the arrest and beating of a black man named Rodney King. He was tasered and beaten with batons 56 times till he dropped to the ground, and only then did the officers actually handcuff him. Oakland, on the other hand, is a reference to the shooting of Oscar Grant in 2009, in Oakland. For the director, Ryan Coogler, this is very much significant. His first feature length film in 2013 (yes…. He’s 31…. #goals) was Fruitvale Station, a heart-wrenching 2 hours on the last day of Oscar Grant’s life, before he’s forced to lie face down on the Oakland pavement and is shot in the back by a white policeman.
But BP is more than just black suffering. It’s also about black power. Wakanda’s Vibranium technology, its economic prosperity and rich culture -- this is Black Panther carrying a concept called Afrofuturism straight into mainstream pop culture. This term refers to scifi and fantasy that reflects African diaspora. At its heart though, Afrofuturism asks the question: In a world where our collective fantasies have been designed by white scientists, white politicians and white technocrats, can the black community, which has been struggling to find representation and identity since its conception, imagine possible futures? Futures that belong to them? Wakanda’s answer is a whole-hearted yes.
But, actually, maybe it’s more than this idea of the future. Facing racism and poverty, the American black community constantly faced the question of where their place was in the world -- to quote Dan Brown: “where do we come from? Where are we going?” For many, the answer lay in the past. They knew their ancestors came on ships, in chains, bound to a life of slavery. But where did they come from? When a black kid in 1992 asks his parents, “why are we different? Where did we come from?”, his parents would’ve known the answer is Africa, but what do they know about that place? Nothing. And so Africa became less of a home country and more of a symbol, a representation of their culture, a place from which to draw identity.
And so, since the BP comics, Marvel has given the black community a world in which to root their hopes for both their cultural future and their sense of history and identity, and this movie has brought this right into the spotlight of mainstream thought.
And one more thing, can we just point out how BP is a beacon of female power? The Queen Mother, Okoye, Nakia, Shuri and the Dora Milaje -- strong, powerful women form T’Challa’s inner circle. The movie might feature a conflict between two men, but (you’ll get it if you’ve watched it) it’s the women who really drive the momentum of the film.
All of these women stand alone without needing the presence of men to give them character -- particularly Okoye, who literally SLAYS -- and have initiative and purpose and drive and dialogue and relationships that make them human, instead of some quavering approximation of the female form.
Overall, we thought Black Panther is more than a movie -- it's a cultural phenomenon that should've come much sooner, but we're happy that it's here now, and we hope that it's here to stay. Wakanda forever!! :)
P.S. while writing this we came across an article about Black Panther from the perspective of a black person in America. It was so powerfully written we teared up >.< please check it out: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/12/magazine/why-black-panther-is-a-defining-moment-for-black-america.html
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