“AMERICAN FICTION”, 5 OSCAR-NOMINATED FILM
Cinema Writer/Film Critic Efe TEKSOY; wrote the comedy and drama film “AMERICAN FICTION”, for America’s Los Angeles-based Internet Newspaper @alaturkanews.
AN IMPRESSIVE COMEDY-DRAMA
Written and directed by Cord Jefferson, “American Fiction” is adapted from Percival Everett’s 2001 novel “Erasure”. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2023, where it won the People’s Choice Award and was listed among the top 10 films of 2023 by the American Film Institute. The production, which was nominated for Oscar awards in 5 categories at the 96th Academy Awards, received two nominations at the 81st Golden Globe Awards and won the Best Adapted Screenplay award at the 29th Critics’ Choice. The movie American Fiction essentially touches upon the issues of “Racial Discrimination” and “Social Class Discrimination”. Also, it humorously criticizes the problem of the commodification of art in the publishing industry and the problems of value corruption in consumer culture.
TOPIC OF THE FILM
Thelonious “Monk” Ellison is an African-American author and Professor living in Los Angeles, whose novels have received academic praise but are selling poorly, and publishers rejected his most recent manuscript because it was not “black enough.” Because of his arrogance towards students on racial issues, his university places him on temporary leave and recommends that he attend a literature seminar and spend time with his family in his hometown of Boston. In Boston, Monk bonds with his mother, Agnes, who shows signs of Alzheimer’s disease, and his sister, Lisa, who is a medical doctor but a heavy smoker. Tired of the publishing industry profiting from “Black” entertainment, Monk writes his own quirky “Black” book, using a pseudonym, to prove himself and pay for the care of his mother, who has Alzheimer’s. This book will drag him into the heart of hypocrisy and madness.
Stars; Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown, Michael Cyril Creighton, Myra Lucretia Taylor and Keith David.
CULTURAL INDUSTRY
American Fiction movie; It centers on the character of Monk, who is dragged into the chaos of inner turmoil, just like the other fragile souls in his family. In addition to this dramatic side of the story, there is also a critical aspect towards the culture industry. Here, Monk’s novel, written under a pseudonym, is evaluated by the literary award jury, in which he is also present, and the predominantly white jury praises this book. French Psychiatrist and Political Philosopher Frantz Fanon states in his book “Black Skin, White Masks”, one of the classic works of racism, discrimination and modern egalitarian thought, that white symbolizes capital and black symbolizes labor (quoting Senegalese poet and politician Léopold Sédar Senghor). In the film, we see the reflections of the symbols on color and race that Fanon mentioned in his book.
American Fiction movie; It offers the audience an impressive comedy-drama with its strong cast and its satirical approach to popular culture and the culture industry.
EFE TEKSOY
REFERENCES AND SOURCES
FANON. FRANTZ, Black Skin, White Masks (Siyah Deri, Beyaz Maskeler), Orçun Türkay, translate, İstanbul: Metis Yayınları press, 2019
