A review of the film “Understanding Race” (Movie Review Sample)

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A review of the film “Understanding Race”
The name of the film is “Understanding Race” narrated by Peter Coyote. The film tackles the subject of racism by tracing back its origins in history and how this has trickled down to the current times. It looks at ways through which people stereotype differences among people through skin color. The film also examines actions that were undertaken by extremist groups such as Ku Klux Klan and its devastating effects. The narrator examines how political bodies perceived, translated and applied their understanding of racism. Good examples were the Nazi leadership in Germany and apartheid regimes in South Africa.
I picked key threads such as how scientists first alleged that humans are genetically different and came up with theories to prove it. They later admitted that the concept of race was faulty and dropped it. Unfortunately, the society has found it difficult to do away with racism. The film’s narrator addresses this broad subject under sub-sections with suitable titles like, race is: history, racism, convenient, difference, fiction, ingrained, funny, taboo and extraordinary.
The narrator mentions ways through which racism has thrived through the ages. For instance, the Nazi regime believed that if you had large facial features, then you were less evolved. A person’s race was the only determinant needed to spare their lives or kill them. In South Africa, on the other hand, the apartheid regime categorized people as white Asian, Black and colored. Each had different rights and privileges. Racism exists today in the US and other parts of the world. Pockets of violence that spring up from time to time, pitting whites against blacks, attest to this. Newly formed and remnants of past extremist groups have now resorted to propagate their racist ideals through the internet.
Throughout all these threads, the film shows that human beings are all the same even though they look different. It is up to every person to take an initiative of eradicating racism. The story of Darrel Davis’ interaction with Ku Klux Klan is just an example of positive effects of such efforts. By developing friendships with people we perceive as different, we can learn about them and them about us. This will help fight racism.
The film ends with this extraordinary experience of Darrel Davis, a leading music composer and performer. His life changes when he meets a fan who is also a member of the Ku Klux Klan. He honors his fan’s invitation by attending one of the society’s meetings. Davis exploits this opportunity by attending more gatherings where he meets with the Ku Klux Klan’s top leaders in his region besides interacting with ordinary members. He develops a hobby of collecting books, robes and other paraphernalia on the society. In the process, some people quit and hand him their robes to keep. The artist found this an ideal way of fighting racism.
What I saw and heard has similarities with class lectures. The speaker talks at length about stereotyping people on the basis of race. This is something we covered in class. The lecture on Race and Ethnicity Part I attest to this. From this...