I Am Not Your Negro, “I am not your negro” in French, is a documentary film directed by Raoul Peck, a black Haitian filmmaker, and based on the writings of James Baldwin (1924-1987), an African-American writer whose life’s work was dedicated to the fight against racism. The film was released in theaters in France on May 10.
More profound than just a film, more expressive than a mere documentary, I Am Not Your Negro does not leave one indifferent. For an hour and a half, the viewer is immersed in the racist America of the mid-20th century, plunged into those harsh years of civil struggle that black people had to endure in the United States, notably with the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and the lesser-known Medgar Evers.
Faced with this mix of archival footage and excerpts from Baldwin’s televised speeches, as well as from his three martyred heroes mentioned above, it is impossible for the audience not to slip, even for a moment, into the skin of a black American of that era.
While this historically themed documentary primarily aims to once again make the voices heard of those who sacrificed their lives so that black people would no longer be viewed through a racist lens, in the United States and around the world, it remains highly relevant. Indeed, the filmmaker draws a parallel between this past struggle and recent events that have shaken America in recent years, resulting in the creation of the “Black Lives Matter” movement.
The film, though rarely screened in French cinemas, received a very positive critical reception from both the press (4.3/5 on Allociné) and spectators (also 4.3/5 on Allociné). The work was also nominated for the Oscar for Best Documentary this year.
