Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Compelling ‘Dear White People’ Now Streaming on Netflix

(L-R) Brandon P. Bell, Justin Simien, and Logan Browning at The Edition Hotel in NYC. (MMoore Photo)
(L-R) Brandon P. Bell, Justin Simien, and Logan Browning at The Edition Hotel in NYC. (MMoore Photo)

The long awaited TV series “Dear White People,” based on the compelling and riveting film can now be seen on Netflix.

The series that mirrors racism hit a nerve when the trailer debuted on YouTube. It had 184,068 dislikes—dissatisfied customers said they were canceling their subscriptions—and only 12,648 likes, signifying the state of racial hatred in the United States is as American as apple pie.

“Dear White People” is definitely must watch TV and creator/director Justin Simien only had to chronicle centuries of institutionalized racism to have such a successful project. “I say this all the time,” Simien said, “moral licensing, institutional racism, the white working class, I mean, we were thinking about all this stuff, almost as if we subconsciously were preparing for this world all along.

“And one of the weirdest experiences was going in post-production and seeing the episodes and sort of being struck by how perfect it is for this time. It’s almost as if we predicted it. But we couldn’t have.” Simien, cast members Brandon P. Bell, and Logan Browning were at The Edition Hotel in New York City when they spoke of entertaining, relevant, and thought provoking series.

“The response of the movie was so great,” Bell recalled, “that I’ve never seen anything like it. And so to do this show, with over 10 episodes, 30 minutes, on Netflix, with the same visual aesthetic, exploring newer, hilarious characters that people enjoyed is great.”

Logan Browning, left, and Ashley Blaine Featherson in “Dear White Peopl.” (Adam Rose/Netflix)
Logan Browning, left, and Ashley Blaine Featherson in “Dear White People.” (Adam Rose/Netflix)

Browning, who reprises the role of Sam explained that the campus is still divided. “Half the campus is still rooting for her, half the campus is still throwing tomatoes at her. And she’s still having sex behind closed doors. So that’s all the same. I think what is different, obviously, is how Logan is just naturally going to portray the character because I can’t be the amazing Tessa Thompson. And that’s okay. I got to witness her blueprint of a character.”

“One of the biggest differences for Sam,” Browning went on to say, “is five years ago when Trayvon Martin was murdered, that was a catalyst and changed all of us forever. That is in the film, and Sam now has that as a part of her, which is prevalent in the show.”

The Netflix series is set against the backdrop of a predominantly white Ivy League university where racial tensions bubble just below the surface. “Dear White People” picks up where the acclaimed 2014 film left off.

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https://youtu.be/oYKgHvPVACE

 

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