Is Colorblind woke?
Colorblind (2023)
Movie
Released: January 1, 2023
Wokeness Score
8/10
Strongly Ideological
Woke messaging is very prominent and often feels forced or shoehorned in. Characters and plot are primarily shaped to serve the ideology. Many viewers feel the agenda overshadows the entertainment.
Key Summary Points
- Black protagonists confront overt racism from white landlord and police as central conflict.
- Colorblindness metaphor used to lecture on judging by skin color and systemic prejudice.
- Heavy-handed scenes include cotton symbolism, protests, and forced tolerance lessons.
Wokeness Analysis
Colorblind (2023) centers its narrative on a Black colorblind artist and her son facing overt racism from a white landlord and police officers in a new neighborhood. The plot explicitly uses the protagonists' colorblindness as a metaphor to critique judging people by skin color, framing everyday interactions through the lens of systemic anti-Black prejudice. Reviews highlight heavy-handed racial confrontations, including a landlord giving cotton to underscore slavery tropes and forced interactions where the racist character learns tolerance through the child's perspective. The film incorporates protests, chants about being 'wide awake' to racism, and visual POV sequences depicting colorblindness to amplify social commentary. While the story includes some character development for the landlord, the messaging dominates, with critics noting over-the-top racist tropes and platitudes that prioritize ideology over organic storytelling. Produced with input from Black community members and featuring diverse leads, it leans into progressive themes of unity against racism but feels didactic, positioning the narrative as a vehicle for anti-racism lessons rather than pure entertainment. Audience and critic feedback often describe it as thought-provoking on race but heavy-handed, aligning with heavily ideological content where plot serves the message.
Plot
Magdalene, a colorblind Black artist, and her young son Monet move into a new neighborhood, where they immediately face challenges including a confrontation with a police officer and hostility from their racist white landlord Walton. Both mother and son share colorblindness, which the film uses symbolically. Walton is forced to babysit Monet, leading to interactions that challenge his prejudices as he sees the world through the child's perspective. The story explores themes of racism, perception, and human connection amid encounters with profiling and prejudice. Released in 2023, it blends drama with social elements in a Canadian production directed by Mostafa Keshvari.