Infiltrating hatred - Black K Klansman by Spike Lee

 What is the (true) story of Ron Stallworth ?

BLACKkKLANSMAN is a film inspired by Ron Stallworth, the first Afro-American officer who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan. Officer Stallworth (John David Washington) and his partner Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) will infiltrate the upper reaches of the Klan, in order to stop it from taking control over a small Colorado city. Oscar winning GET OUT team went into partnership with Spike Lee , the straightforward, honest director who relates fact of history books don't really talk . 

 

Why you need to see this film ? 

You need to see this film because .... it is fun. Even though KKK and the crimes, the violence it generated don't seem to be funny, Spike Lee managed to turn a dark period of American history into an entertaining action film. This film didn't make me desperate at all, in the contrary, it made me want to act against racist violence even more. 

The second reason why I liked this film is because Spike Lee managed to make a mainstream film out of a serious political affair. Indeed, turning such an issue (the KKK, racist violence, the responsibility of the police in this violence or the role police can play to stop it) into a mainstream film is for me very important. It allows people who would not be naturally interested into this kind of issue to  learn more about the KKK. Turning such a polemic into a mainstream movie shows Spike Lee's talent. Furthermore, the racist violence videos at the end of the film (which are real videos) and Trump's discourse really make a parallel between what was happening in America in the 60s and what is happening now with extremist white supremacists in the US. 

This film was made to be mainstream BUT it did not remove the political aspect of Stallworth officer's struggle (the protagonist you can see on the right on the picture). That is why I think this film is a success : it is accessible to everyone, you can watch it with your family and laugh about some characters but there is still a strong political and historical aspect. Actually, I think that the mainstream and the political aspect complement themselves in this movie. 

I hope that this article will make you want to watch "BlackKklansman" and sorry for the spoilers X)

you can buy the DVD for 10 euros at the FNAC (even though I don't want to make advertisement for this shop ). maybe you can also find it at the library !

Eva