There were three films in the Documentary Feature category in this year's Oscars that were roughly categorized together as being about race in America. They are all very different films though. O.J.: Made in America was a deep dive, stemming from a central character: O.J. Simpson. It uses O.J.'s story/life to introduce an array of topics from the L.A. riots to why you had to be careful about having a black man running in a commercial in the 70's. 13th took an academic approach to the topic. It had a thesis, proof, and a conclusion. I Am Not Your Negro felt the most like a passion project. You know when you watch something that you can tell was edited and re-edited and restructured and rewritten obsessively? Watching this documentary, I can almost hear Raoul Peck saying "I want to make sure I get this right" as he cuts clips together. The result is pretty impressive. Peck let's James Baldwin do all the talking, either through old television clips or Samuel L. Jackson's narration of his work. He's able to tell Baldwin's story while tying it together with the present and never has to add an aside comment to give it context. It's more of a mood piece than a formally structured argument. I like the gut reaction energy it has that the very deliberate choices.
Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend
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