7.5/10

An eye opening and refreshing exposition of race relations in America during the Obama age. Writer/director Justin Simien follows a group of African American students as they experience campus life and racial politics at a predominantly white college. This is Simien’s film debut to the silver screen, and i think he has set the bar high for whatever the next film is that he chooses to direct. I loved Dear White People in so many ways. As a caucasian myself, i never once found anything in the film offensive or defying to all white citizens in general. I think the movie says more about how far we have come from racism, but it’s a marathon, not a sprint. The film is wonderfully acted by a fresh young cast that includes Tessa Thompson. I remember watching her in 666 Park Avenue, but she never had a lot to do with her role. It’s nice to see her finally get a role that puts her at the forefront as a narrator of sorts for Dear White People. She is the DJ of a college radio show with the same name, and her dry unapologetic commentary is what finds her at the helm of a lot of trouble by the dean of the college. Tessa never comes off as menacing when she points out the facts of racism, despite her friends arguably being a cult of Black Panthers in the making. Her character is the one in the film that is supposed to be the one walking the line without ever crossing into one territory or the other. I loved the camera work of Simien’s direction. There are a lot of wide shots to represent the black character in the scene as being alone in a big campus. The character is shown as such a small percentage in an otherwise large background, and the symbolism was never missed by your truly. I also loved the musical score. There are a lot of classical songs like Mozart and Beethoven that give the movie a feel of a play during a certain act. This is proven even further because each scene is treated as the fuse to a huge firework that goes off in the racially charged finale. I don’t want to spoil too much of the end of the movie, as i do recommend all of you see this very enlightening film. The only thing i will say is that the setting is so chilling that it almost changes the feel of the movie all together. Make sure you totally stay for the credits afterwords as there are a lot more facts to show you this isn’t just a movie. If i had one minor critique towards the film it would be that most of these characters don’t have anything to do but be around for the four main protagonists of the film. It feels like many scenes are repeated because of this, and just slows down the impact that the finale plans ahead for us. Simien doesn’t come off with the badgering of a Spike Lee directed effort, but instead he uses humor to showcase the arguments for both sides of the racially driving issues of this campus. Dear White People is one of this season’s can’t miss films. It thrives on an issue that is uncomfortable, but never steers away from driving the indifference home. It’s bold in every bit as it is honest.