Is The Best of Enemies woke?
Movie · 2019
The Best of Enemies has a wokeness score of 7/10, which we rate as 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 points
- Promotes racial reconciliation narrative centering white redemption from KKK leadership.
- Frames school integration debate as emblematic of systemic racism requiring dialogue and change.
- Uses true story to deliver message on overcoming prejudice with contemporary social commentary parallels.
Wokeness analysis
The Best of Enemies (2019) centers on the 1971 true story of civil rights activist Ann Atwater and KKK leader C.P. Ellis co-chairing a community charrette on school desegregation in Durham, North Carolina. The narrative explicitly frames racism as systemic and pervasive in the post-Civil Rights era South, using the unlikely friendship as a vehicle for messaging about personal redemption, overcoming prejudice, and the power of dialogue across racial divides. While based on real events documented in Osha Gray Davidson's book, the film amplifies themes of white transformation through exposure to Black activism, portraying Ellis's arc as central to progress. Critics note its liberal message-movie structure, with greater emotional depth given to the white character's internal conflict than to Black perspectives or the practical impacts on affected students. This intentional focus serves to underscore contemporary relevance to divided society, making the ideology prominent. The story prioritizes inspirational reconciliation over nuanced historical complexity or entertainment, leading many to view the agenda as overshadowing the plot. Elements like highlighting ongoing racism justifications and the activist's outspoken role feel designed to comment on modern identity politics, even if rooted in history.
Plot
Set in 1971 Durham, North Carolina, The Best of Enemies dramatizes the real-life conflict between outspoken Black civil rights activist Ann Atwater and C.P. Ellis, the local Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan. After a fire displaces Black students, the pair are forced to co-chair a community charrette to decide on school desegregation. Their intense clashes evolve into mutual understanding and a lasting friendship, highlighting personal growth amid racial tensions. Starring Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell, the film explores themes of prejudice, community division, and unexpected alliances based on the book by Osha Gray Davidson.
Analyzed by AI on May 31, 2026