IMDb plot summary: A young African-American living in Chicago enters into a seductive new world of money and power after he is hired as a chauffeur for an affluent businessman.
Directed by Rashid Johnson. Starring Ashton Sanders, Margaret Qualley, Nick Robinson, and KiKi Layne.
Native Son has been a polarizing story since its inception, with some saying it effectively condemns a racist system for its role in perpetuating violence, and others voicing concerns that the protagonist embodies all the worst caricatures of his race. I have now read the book, seen a play adaptation, and seen this film, and I feel a similar ambivalence every time. This version makes a few big changes: it updates the story to modern day, keeps alive a character the novel kills off, and omits the entire third act, the trial. To my surprise, I didn't miss the trial section at all, and I found it fascinating how well the updated timeline works... though also wildly depressing. It says something if you can transport a pre-Civil Rights Movement story about racism to 2019 with so few plot changes and have it still feel plausible. I honestly don't have much beyond that to expound upon because, in every form, Native Son makes me think more about the complicated ideas behind it than the events of the story, and that's something I appreciate.
How it entered my Flickchart:
Native Son > Stage Fright
Native Son < Match Point
Native Son > Death to Smoochy
Native Son > Swing Girls
Native Son < Henry V
Native Son < Seconds
Native Son < I and You
Native Son < The Shoes of the Fisherman
Native Son > The Happening
Native Son > Death by Hanging
Native Son < Full Metal Jacket
Final spot: #990 out of 3201, or 69%.
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