One of the boldest films premiering on the 2024 Sundance Film Festival is “The American Society of Magical Negroes,” directed by Kobi Libii. The movie takes purpose on the Magical Negro stereotype and facilities on a younger man (Justice Smith) who’s recruited right into a society wherein African American members are tasked with guaranteeing that white individuals’s lives stay simple. Libii, Smith and co-star David Alan Grier visited the Variety Studio offered by Audible and spoke concerning the reactions to their button-pushing satire.
“Some members of the white community will see it and say, ‘We’re tired of hearing about race.’ Well we’re tired of talking about it,” Grier stated. “We’re tired! We’re tied, too. We all want to get past this, but you can only get past it by going through it.”
Smith remembered reactions to the movie throughout focus screenings. He seen that some Black viewers discovered themselves struggling to return to phrases with the movie’s premise. The script focuses on how company buildings in America have institutionalized Black staff to behave in service of and uplift their white staff.
“There were Black people who were triggered by seeing something that they weren’t ready to admit in themselves,” Smith stated. “Like, ‘I’ve never made space for white people in this way.’ But then there are Black people who are like, ‘This is me, this is what I’ve had to do to survive.’ This shows that we’re not a monolith. This art is controversial because it expands what Black art can be and speaks about such a specific side of Blackness and survival that we haven’t really seen before…this micro-aggressive corporate racism.”
Speaking to Variety earlier than the Sundance Film Festival, Libii additionally addressed his determination to deal with such a delicate, race-driven challenge.
“The subject matter I’m playing with is really sensitive and raw, and people have such strong, visceral feelings about it,” the filmmaker stated. “I think means that we’re pointed in the right direction in terms of what we should be talking about. I’m genuinely excited for people to bring that same passion and political conviction into what I think is the more sophisticated and intricate and nuanced conversation that the full film is.”
What Libii is eagerly anticipating, although, is the response from the reside viewers. “I love the audience reaction, especially because it’s a comedy, so people giving other people permission to laugh – especially about some of the tricker stuff — is something I’m looking forward to,” he stated.
Focus Features is ready to launch “The American Society of Magical Negroes” in theaters March 22.