What a jaw-dropping way to begin the festival. The tension in the room could be felt from the jump and persisted to an abysmal halt. Every little choice was made to be unexpected. First time director, Rashid Johnson, absolutely "fucked shit up (as artists are supposed to)" as he said in his closing remarks during the Q&A session. This film took a classic novel and perverted some of it's most crucial scenes in such a way that left the audience pondering the arbitrary stereotypes that seem to guide our daily lives.
The film begins with a heavy statement from the lead 'Bigger' (played by Ashton Sanders, who may just blow up after this performance) that acts almost like the stories overarching thesis. Essentially Bigger states boldly that he doesn't want to be just another cliche, a black man caught up in a petty liquor store robbery. Interestingly enough, Bigger decides to do the opposite of his novel counterpart and takes the higher road. However, what happens when society is designed for you to fail? What happens when you make the right choices and those right choices lead you astray? Well, what happens is Rashid Johnson's take on Native Son. Suzan-Lori Parks, a writer on the rise that we should all be paying attention to, stated in the Q&A that "it wasn't until Big started playing by the rules that the shit went down." And the film is just that. A man doomed to fail.
Ultimately, the strength in this film is its ability to keep its audience on their heals. Everything, from large plot points to idiosyncracies within the performances, is meant to be the opposite of what you expect. Rather than obsessing over hip-hop, Big listens to Punk and Classical. instead of robbing a liquor store, Big gets a job as a driver for a wealthy white man. Rather than chasing the forbidden fruit, Big holds his head up high and stays focused on his one true love. This film is everything you don't expect yet still finds itself in the same predicament we come to expect.
Meet Rashid Johnson, director of Native Son, playing in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
Written by: Cameron Lui