‘American Fiction,’ Black culture, and the nature of joy
by Ken Makin
Mar 03, 2024
3 minutes
The premise of “American Fiction” feels stranger than fiction. This isn’t an indictment of the satirical film, which has an exceptional plot and cast. What comes off as absurd is our current landscape of race relations and culture.
Director Cord Jefferson, who wrote the screenplay from a 2001 book by Percival Everett, touches on these challenges while providing a Black lens into the strength of people – family and community. This search for humanity starts with a writer aptly named Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, who
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