Confronted with a series of racially charged incidents, a young black man must overcome rage, alienation, and hopelessness in order to find his own humanity.
With so many films that dance around the topic of race, it’s refreshing to see the way in which director Skinner Myers unapologetically unveils the hard truths a young black man must face in a world not built for his advancement. This film not only addresses quiet racism but focuses on the inner battle of being a sleeping negro who ignores and even denies systemic racism just to get by or a woke one who rebels and lives authentically black but possibly gets nowhere.
The context of this film forces the characters to wake up and take a hard look at their reality and then do something about it. I loved everything about this story, especially its ability to capture very uncomfortable but necessary situations most storytellers avoid with fear of backlash. I definitely recommend this film. It’s so brutally honest, I can’t stop talking about it.
“The Sleeping Negro” had its world premiere at Slamdance 2021. It is currently screening in festivals in the USA and around the world. It will start its US theatrical run on December 3rd at Cinema Village in New York and at the Glendale in LA, before getting a digital and home-video release.
