That black American films is its own genre gives me mixed feelings and I have to confess that I’ve not always a big fan of them even when it comes to critically acclaimed ones. Which might be why this one is right up my alley as it points fingers at how the artistic works of Black culture are pigeonholed into particular stereotypes. I found this to be wickedly funny with even the smallest word choices so carefully considered and loaded with meaning. I just loved Jeffrey Wright weighing the words on his tongue. The ending is a tad unsatisfying but the director all but directly explains why he ended things that way. I think this might be my favorite American film this year.

Thelonious Ellison, called Monk by most people, writes high-brow novels which reference mythology. His books are highly regarded by fellow academics but fail to sell. He also teaches at college but his brashness with students he considers overly sensitive ruffles feathers. When he is put on leave, he return to his hometown in Boston and attends a literary seminar. There he is dismayed when all of the attention falls on new black writer Sintara Golden whose book uses overexaggerated Black slang and panders to the usual stereotypes. Meanwhile at home, he learns that his mother has early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and his sister suddenly dies of a heart attack. When his latest manuscript is rejected, he writes a satirical novel full of the worst Black stereotypes out of frustration. He creates a fake persona of a convict on the run named Stagg R. Leigh as the author and submits it to his agent. He is almost immediately offered a huge advance for the book, which would solve his money problems. He later even gets a movie deal before the book is released. In disgust at what this means for the state of literature, he tries to torpedo the deal by renaming the book to Fuck. But the publisher accepts the change and of course it becomes a bestseller.

Jeffrey Wright is more often seen in a supporting role but he just kills it as the lead here. I love how his face twitches minutely to particular words and it’s so funny how the triggering words are completely different from those that his students find offensive. This is director and writer Corder Jefferson’s first feature film after a long career in television and he demonstrates a complete mastery of the character of Monk. The film has to deal with two facets of the character, his contempt for the literary tastes of contemporary American society as well as his personal relationships with his family and later new girlfriend. Jefferson balances the two stories perfectly to paint a full picture of the character. Monk never reveals that he is Leigh to anyone, so ashamed he is of what he has created. He is highly sensitive to what is perceived as Black culture, which might explain why his satirical portrayal of it is such a success. But as his family reveals, he is also such a genius that he cuts himself off from everyone else, not noticing that his father cheated on his mother or that his brother has been gay all along. It adds up to a complex yet believable and sympathetic character.

My favorite bit is when Wright is asked to serve as a judge for a literary award and learns that Sintara is a fellow judge. He is quietly surprised to find that she is just as intelligent and learned as he is and that they share similar views on most topics. When he finally confronts her about her own book, she seems nonchalant about giving the market whatever it wants. The film ends on a deliberately ambiguous note but it should be obvious that Wright ends up in a place not dissimilar to that of Sintara, at least where his writing is concerned. He’ll continue to produce what he considers dreck if that brings in money and feel guilty about it. Less satisfying is that it leaves his personal relationships unresolved. It’s fine that there’s happy romantic ending for him but at least let us see someone from his life react to him being secretly Leigh all along. His discussion with Sintara also gets cut short. He should have just asked her if she think her book deserves to win a literary award.

Upon reflection, the reason I loved this so much when I’m reticent about many African-American is exactly why Wright is so frustrated with Black culture. Surely African-American stories can be about more than just oppression, suffering and gangstas in the hood. It’s also a film that targets wokeism in schools and only a black director and a black lead actor can sell the message that it’s okay to use the word “nigger” in its proper context. This film’s existence is another sign of the growing backlash against wokeism and I look forward to more work from Jefferson.