Member review

Raoul Peck transports us into the mind of James Baldwin and His America using Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript “Remember this house” and Samuel Jackson’s silky-smooth voice coupled with a whirlwind of thought-provoking images and videos to create not only a documentary about the past but an explanation of modern-day racial tensions in America. As Baldwin says himself “we carry our history with us”.

I am not your negro is undoubtedly an expert marriage of creatives of Baldwin and Peck. This is a refreshing change as black history on film was rarely recorded through the eyes of a black man. Peck not only recounts popular black history we know of: Martin Luther King and Malcom X but gives an insight to Black historical figures who have been overlooked for too long i.e. James Baldwin and Medgar Evans. It even encouraged me to research further into their lives.

This documentary doesn’t just pose commentary on what means to be black in America but leaves you questioning your own sense of identity. It's exhilarating score and sound editing combined with its unique cinematography produces a truly individual film.