This was another film I had been putting off because of the tagline. It's only 26 minutes so I finally toughed it out but I'm really grateful it's over and currently has no plans to be made into a full-length feature.
Cornelius (Kai Francis Lewis) is London-born of Nigerian descent. After a boy of the same background and age is murdered in a very high-profile incident, Cornelius' family moves to Essex to get away from the dangers of the city. Unfortunately, Essex is even more violently racist and Cornelius finds himself utterly surrounded by people who hate him on sight. Rather than risk constant bodily harm and psychological torment, he begins a path of assimilation, lightening his skin and buying colored contacts in an effort to be accepted by the white supremacists.
It's a jarring portrait of the lengths of cognitive dissonance humans will go to survive. Unfortunately, I'm guessing it's also a daily process for many, many people of color in Caucasian-dominated spaces. In that sense, the film doesn't really have anything new to say, nor does it show how Cornelius managed to escape that life, or his struggles to regain his sense of identity. It is a moving, personal account, interspersed with dramatic recreations to underscore the narration.
Currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
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