Last week I had the pleasure of going to a probate. The experience was enriching and a unifying force within itself. Afterwards I left the steps of Baker and headed down to the Cornell cinema. While I was waiting for the movie to start I did not know what to expect. I went to the event without inviting any of my friends so I planned on doing this solo. Luckily when I get there two friends from Keeton showed up and I sat next to them. I was so glad that I had them it made the film experience that much more enjoyable for me. It was so comforting to watch such a real film that called out the various disadvantages that marginalized peoples face. If was comforting to sit with friends that understood those struggles and could easily relate to the characters in the film.

The film is about three high school geeks from a rough California neighborhood that end up at a Los Angeles party that changes their lives from that point onward. When you think about the title of the movie and the rough neighborhood in which the teens grew up one would assume that the geeks were abusing illegal substances, that is far from the case. The teens strategically sell dope in order for Malcolm, the main character to get into Harvard. Along the way the teens address various micro -aggressions and systems of oppression that they face. This movie was powerful. It addressed so many issues that I have had to face in such an eloquent way that I have purchased it on amazon and plan on playing it for my family when I go home for break. My favorite line is “Why do I want to go to Harvard? If I were White, would you even ask that question?”

There were various times that this movie failed to address what actually happens in real life. The average black student at Harvard or any other elite institution does not have the journey that Malcolm did. This movie once again perpetuates that black students must have gone through such atrocious circumstances and terrible schools in order to get into a school like that. If the main character where white would he have the same journey to Harvard as Malcolm?