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By Keila Santa ('25)
On Thursday, February 20th, I attended movie night at the Heineman Center to watch Cord Jefferson’s feature debut, American Fiction. Coming from someone who doesn’t typically enjoy comedies, this film was phenomenal. I found myself laughing out loud multiple times, both from the clever writing and the excellent performance from the cast—it’s no surprise that it won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Based on the 2001 book, Erasure by Percival Everett, American Fiction confronts our cultural obsession with the stereotypical Black trauma narrative through a simultaneously hilarious and touching story. After seeing fellow novelist Sinatra Golden (Issa Rae) gain critical and financial success by catering to White audiences, Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Jeffery Wright) decides to write an outlandish novel that gets taken a little too seriously. His backfiring experiment ends up propelling him into a part of the publishing world that he loathes, but between family trouble and being pushed to commit to the bit, he has to navigate it the best he can.
Without giving too much away, I found that the contrast between the “real” Black stories that the publishers demanded and Monk’s actual family drama throughout the film worked beautifully. American Fiction successfully explores the complexities and nuances of Black experiences while highlighting the not-so-authentic underbelly of Hollywood and publishing. Despite the darker themes, Sterling K. Brown and Adam Brody’s comedic inserts were a great balance and never failed to get a good laugh out of the audience.
Far too often, we see industries claiming they want to hear Black voices and then dismissing them if they don’t say the right thing. American Fiction calls for White Americans to be conscious of how they consume stories about minorities, and deconstructs the market for Black literature. It encourages viewers to stray away from flattening the Black experience to something that is one-dimensional, and though I am no movie expert, I can appreciate a well-delivered social commentary when I see one. My rating: 4.5/5 —only because the ending wasn’t my favorite, but you’ll have to watch to see if you agree…
Following the screening, a discussion was led by Jerome Burke, Director for the Center for Inclusive Excellence. Attendees quickly chimed in to share their favorite moments, thoughts on the overall message, and stories about their own personal experiences with the issues the film addressed. This was my first time going to a campus movie-screening and I was pleasantly surprised. The Heineman Center offers comfortable seating, and there were a variety of different snacks and refreshments to enjoy. A special thanks to Sally Shafto for putting on this great event and handing out free copies of Erasure to students—there is nothing like getting to read the masterpiece behind a film!
Join Outreach & Student Engagement Coordinator Weronika Zawora on Wednesday, February 26th at 12:30PM to discuss Erasure by Percival Everett, the basis for the movie American Fiction (2023). Open to all FSU community and beyond. More information here.
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