Last Friday, I attended a screening of the movie Dope. I can very easily say that I thought this was a great movie. Not only does it touch on the human condition and racism, but it also employs humor, fear, sadness, happiness, anger, desperation, and a variety of other emotions. I remember feeling not only these emotions but many others as well both during and after the film. As an audience member, I instantly connected with the protagonist’s aspirations, optimism, and determination throughout his arduous twisted journey. I think his demonstrated ability to successfully maneuver the many obstacles that he repeatedly faces proves that he’s a unique problem solver and does perhaps indeed deserve the *SPOILER ALERT* big Harvard acceptance letter at the end.

Also, at a time of high racial tensions in the U.S., I think this movie is particularly interesting because it portrays non-stereotypical characters and plot line. The main protagonist is an African American young male, and of the other two protagonists, one is an African American lesbian tomboy and the other is a Latino young male. They are defined as geeks or nerds early on because they’re passionate about 90’s rap music and culture and not about what average teens are in to as well as the fact that they’re in a band. They also mention that they particularly stay away from gangs and drugs, although those are accepted and prevalent in the community. I feel that I can somewhat relate to this because I’ve never quite had the same interests as the majority of other girls my age growing up. I’m very glad to have seen this movie because it allowed me to engage in the experiences of Malcolm, the main protagonist, through a unique lens that I wouldn’t have otherwise gotten a chance to see through. I also think movies like this are important to watch for the base reason that they simply open up one’s mind to other perspectives that one’s mind was previously closed off to, either subconsciously or consciously.