Dear White People — Blue Fairy Film Blog

My one criticism of Justin Simien’s 2014 film Dear White People was that the characters weren’t fleshed out enough. In a correction that has yielded a partially changed cast and developed storyline, we have the Netflix original show Dear White People. Simien uses many of the same characters and actors, but changed a large portion of the plot. Still set at the fictional Winchester College, and still dealing with issues relating to race, this is a new but just as woke interpretation.

Dear White People the film was most interested in being a message film that dealt with race in the worlds of film, academia, and law enforcement, and didn’t put enough effort into creating interesting characters. Thankfully this was adapted into a show and each of the main ensemble is given their own episode to fully flesh out who they are. Troy Fairbanks (Brandon Bell) was a stereotype of the rich boy with daddy issues in the film, but the show deals with his anger issues, drug addiction, fear of intimacy, and constant struggle to define his own identity. The character of Sam was well played in the film by Tessa Thompson but Logan Browning was born to play this role. Not only is Sam a smart, passionate leader and activist, but she also has her own fears and doubts about the state of her relationships. She is a character that you can root for, for her political action, but shake your head at how she handles daily life, and having such a complex character really sets this apart and above the film. For nearly every character I could write a treatise on how they are played by talented people that create lovable if flawed characters.

Other great things about the show: the episodes Chapter V and VI respectfully, Ashley Blaine Featherson’s role as Joelle, that Shamir cameo in Chapter VIII, Giancarlo Esposito of Breaking Bad and Do the Right Thing fame narrating the entire show, and that sweet You Must Remember This shout out.

Besides the fact that this is a series that has interesting characters, it’s also extremely relevant in our current times. Simien both prods white society and makes it understand the struggles of “The Other.” Having a sole white character in Gabe (John Patrick Amedori) creates a nice balance, but thankfully this is not his story, so we can still focus on the Armstrong Parker dorm, the setting of this show. Relevant social issues that are covered include police shootings, blackface, appropriation of black culture, the role of money in academic segregation, and the general inability of white people to let black people take the helm in any situation. There are many instances where white people act like normal, even enlightened and intelligent people, but then show their racism rather casually. While the film seemed to want to educate and blithely entertain, this show wants you to really feel the outrage, understand the struggle, and empathize with these characters, who you grow to love in the first season’s brisk ten episodes. My main criticism this time there aren't more episodes.