(PCM) Justin Simien’s hilarious satire Dear White People takes a much needed look at the state of race and race relations in America today; Dear White People opens in theaters on a limited run starting October 17.
Winner of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival’s Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent, Dear White People is a sly, provocative satire of race relations in the age of Obama.
Writer/director Justin Simien follows a group of African American students as they navigate campus life and racial politics at a predominantly white college in a sharp and funny feature film debut that earned him a spot on Variety’s annual “10 Directors to Watch.”
When Dear White People screened at MOMA’s prestigious New Directors/New Films, the New York Times’ A.O. Scott wrote, “Seeming to draw equal measures of inspiration from Whit Stillman and Spike Lee, but with his own tart, elegant sensibility very much in control, Mr. Simien evokes familiar campus stereotypes only to smash them and rearrange the pieces.”
The unexpected election of activist Samantha White (Tessa Thompson) as head of a traditionally black residence hall sets up a college campus culture war that challenges conventional notions of what it means to be black.
While Sam leverages her notoriety as host of the provocative and polarizing radio show “Dear White People” to try to prevent the college from diversifying Armstrong Parker House, outgoing head-of-house Troy Fairbanks (Brandon P. Bell), son of the university’s dean (Dennis Haysbert), defies his father’s lofty expectations by applying to join the staff of Pastiche, the college’s influential humor magazine.
Lionel Higgins (Tyler James Williams), an Afro-sporting sci-fi geek, is recruited by the otherwise all-white student newspaper to go undercover and write about black culture—a subject he knows little about—while the aggressively assimilated Coco Conners (Teyonah Parris) tries to use the controversy on campus to carve out a career in reality TV.
But no one at Winchester University is prepared for Pastiche’s outrageous, ill-conceived annual Halloween party, with its “unleash your inner Negro” theme throwing oil on an already smoldering fire of resentment and misunderstanding. When the party descends into riotous mayhem, everyone must choose a side.
Dear White People is written, directed and produced by Justin Simien.
The film stars Tyler James Williams (TV’s Everybody Hates Chris, Peeples), Tessa Thompson (For Colored Girls, TV’s Veronica Mars), Kyle Gallner (A Nightmare on Elm Street, CBGB), Teyonah Parris (TV’s Mad Men, They Came Together), Brandon P. Bell (TV’s Hollywood Heights), Malcolm Barrett (The Hurt Locker), Brittany Curran (TV’s Chicago Fire), Marque Richardson (HBO’s The Newsroom) and Dennis Haysbert (TV’s 24, Far From Heaven).
Dear White People is already receiving heaps of positive critical reviews, sporting a certified fresh rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Colin Covert wrote that Dear White People “percolates with pointed observations about racial and cultural dislocation” and the Village Voices Calum Marsh wrote “It’s anger that gives Dear White People the charge lifting it from funny to great.”
Dear White People opens on a limited run October 17, 2014. Visit the official website for more info and watch the trailer for Dear White People below!
Dear White People is rated R for language, sexual content and drug use and has a run time of 1 hour and 48 minutes.
The post The Hilarious ‘Dear White People’ Starts Limited Run Oct. 17 also appeared on PCM Reviews.