Long have been the days since Hollywood have pushed the boundaries of telling stories about societal issues regarding Black people in film. Of course, there have been the occasional trendy films that have seized the opportunity to capitalize off of recent news stories of police brutality and the rise of the “Karen,” but those issues hit so close to home in real time that they don’t allow for the viewer to breathe or, god forbid, to even chuckle because of the seriousness of the topics.
Filmmaker voices of the ‘90s, such as Spike Lee, the Hughes Brothers, and John Singleton, had a way of immersing serious topics within the Black community with moments that challenged social norms while using comedic relief in the form of everyday experiences to delight viewers. Who could forget the wisecracking, controversial confessionals that riddled Spike Lee’s film, Jungle Fever, for instance?
Jordan Peele was on the road to continuing this unique genre with his hit feature Get Out, a film about a Black man that finds himself consumed by his White girlfriend’s family, but the infamous director and writer quickly transitioned to sci-fi, leaving less room for the small doses of relatable comedic moments.
Kenya Barris, the creator of Black-ish, has always led with content that stirs social commentary, although there have been complaints from the Black community along the way (BlackAF comes to mind). You People, his recent collaboration with Jonah Hill, appears to be yet another work of art that will leave viewers feeling hot and bothered — and not in a sexy way.
A must-see film, the official trailer is merciless in its conversation. From the start, viewers discover that Jonah Hill’s character is Jewish. When he starts dating a “Black Girl” (Lauren London), a very passive aggressive conflict arises between his Jewish family and her Black family, that appears to be Muslim based on the small clip.
There’s discussion comparing the Jewish Holocaust to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, and mention of the ideologies of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. Then, there’s the smaller casualties of war. Drake, who wasn’t bothering anyone, is targeted with a range of jokes about his agonizing need for companionship often muddied all over his albums.
Watch The Official Trailer Below:
At this point, You People appears to push all the boundaries that treasured Black filmmakers of the past worked so hard to place in front of the masses. The only way this film will disappoint is if it plays on revisionist history and skimps over the truth. Otherwise, in the voice of DJ Khaled, it looks like Hill and Barris have “another one.”
