I Am Not Your Negro (2016) — Riley Cross Reviews

The Blockbuster Pick for "Think Tank" Nights

Listen, I spent six years working that cedar wood counter, trapped between fogged-up mirrors and customers trying to justify renting *Gigli* just to see Jennifer Lopez. I’ve seen enough movies that kill a vibe to write an instruction manual. Now, for your Night In, you want something that’s going to stick to your ribs, not just dissolve like a bag of stale popcorn. I’m telling you, put on *I Am Not Your Negro*. It won't put you in a good mood, like a rom-com would, but it will kick you in the chest with something way more important.

Raoul Peck turned James Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript into a documentary that feels more urgent today than it likely did when they sat down to write it. It’s dark—like, 'I checked the locks three times' dark—but it’s also vibrant and sharp as a tack. It blends old news clips with Baldwin’s voice, and honestly, listening to him talk about race in America is like watching a masterclass in wit that never gets bitter.

I remember watching a specific moment late one night. It was one of those clips of Baldwin sitting in a subway station. He describes the camera’s brutality, how the lens preserves a tragedy without offering a solution, reducing the human body to a statistic for the screen. There’s this silence that falls over you when he delivers that line, heavy and suffocating, completely different from the filler movies that clog the rest of the shelf.

This is the best film for the "Think Tank" kind of night. No distractions, just booze and big thoughts. It’s not a feel-good flick, so don't buy the heavy bags. Just clear the coffee table, turn the volume up, and let Baldwin hold court.

Bottom line: A blistering, essential documentary that forces you to confront history with an intensity that no fictional thriller can match.