STORY
After feeling immensely annoyed with the majority of book readers showing more fondness towards literary stereotypes from the Black writers, a highly intelligent Black author Monk chooses to stain his writing craft by writing a satirical novel from a different name, so he can indirectly drop his anger towards the authors and publishers. After submitting the book, the agent breaks the news to Monk that the book shockingly received strong praise from the publishers.
REVIEW
Now this is some story that grabs my undivided attention. Because ‘American Fiction‘ is funny, emotional, thought-provoking as well as a commercial satire. The film is adapted from Percival Everett’s novel ‘Erasure’.
What impresses me the most is in the times when the Black voice in America is listened by the highest number of listeners in 405 years, there is this Black upper-class author who prefers to write outstanding novels with fully developed characters and rich language over gang war, police brutality, mistreatment and injustice filled with profane language.
No I am not denying the Black injustice. I just wrote 405 years above, not 248. During the course of bringing the Black revolution, if anyone notices about Black entertainment and literature, almost every plot or context has similar elements and narrative. If you are watching a Black sitcom, film, or a documentary, you have already predicted what the story will offer you. Monk is one of us, who wants to initiate or innovate a new Black idea to be remembered for. Monk is like us, sick of repeated content and willing to offer something new, something fresh.
But the colossal hammering in the reading culture of the new age is that your choices and judgement have gone political. The Black person is predicted and assumed to be following the same footsteps and you have a weird interest for reading or listening to the same Black story again and again.
Think from Monk’s perspective, it is okay if you are the reader but chooses not to read any of Monk’s books but someone else. But if you are Monk, and publishing your own novels is your bread and butter as well as your legacy, what will you do if no one is willing to buy your book despite being brilliant and being million times better than those soulless books.
So what amused me in the Oscar-winning screenplay of this film is that Monk’s irritation grew very well. Monk wanted to pull the nerves of the publishers by writing and mocking a stereotypical literature but on the contrary, they loved the book. Offered a kind of money he never earned. He got a film to adapt that book. If that wasn’t enough, the book was nominated for the best-seller. People like Monk either try to fit the bill or somehow distinguish their own identity while existing amongst the stereotypes.
But being different and changing the era is not for everyone. Monk comes from a dysfunctional family. His old woman has Alzheimer’s and his sister Lisa was taking care of her until she passed away. Their estranged brother Cliff is divorced and is interested in men. The emotional relation of the household is complex and tries to move on from the tragedy. So Monk’s shoulders are suddenly burdened as well as rusted with the shocking progress of the book.
DIRECTION
Not only the screenplay and the dialogues are rich, the direction equally serves the purpose without exaggerating the social mockery. And thanks to Jeffrey Wright for understanding the brain behind Monk’s character and adopting it like fashion. When Monk is advised by his agent to adopt a persona of a convict to sell his fiction, you will observe Jeffrey not giving in too much of a convict while walking inside the restaurant meeting the film producer. Naturally, no serious person can go 360 and behave completely opposite in the first go as many films dramatize the character in a situational comedy. You can observe how Monk is so much done playing a double.
I absolutely liked that dialogue, “The Dumber I Behave, The Richer I Get”. No offense, isn’t that one of the ugliest and the harshest truths in many cases.
This is my first experience with Cord Jefferson as a director. He is basically a writer and my only experience about his writing before was Watchmen. So watching American Fiction was a must. And I like the directors being sincere with their art. Monk meeting his sister and spending minutes about their sibling-hood had a purpose. Cord wanted the audience to go through the process about how losing someone in the family feels like. After spending two minutes of their conversation at the beach, she suddenly suffers the heart attack and passes away.
Talk about the rise of broken language that people now find it more poetic and compelling. Jeffrey was so good in translating shock and disappointment on his face when he listens to fan-favorite author Sintara Golden reading an excerpt of her new release. This is followed by a standing ovation and Monk is frozen with the reception. Yes I understand that this language is common amongst the Black American middle and lower class communities but the point is that Monk wanted the Black literature inform the world that Black people are more than this.
SCENES
Without a doubt, the best scene of the film was Monk writing that book and its characters acting on his lines in the same room. Assumed to be a serious scene, what follows is the exaggeration of slang dialogues pressing the exact objection Monk use to make. I have no knowledge if the author writing the book and the story itself were shot in the same frame in any film or a TV show before but I found this very creative.
Another thoughtful scene was Monk discovering that Sintara, about whom he opined to have similar traits of other Black writers writing literary stereotypes, shared his literary views. While they argue on the table, Sintara and Monk brings the best out of the conflict of interests and we the audience view their perspective in a different dimension. And guess what, both are right in their argument.
CLOSING REMARKS
Erika Alexander stars as Coraline and Jeffrey Wright as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison
in writer/director Cord Jefferson’s
AMERICAN FICTION
An Orion Pictures Release
Photo credit: Claire Folger
© 2023 Orion Releasing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
I think it is unjust to compete ‘American Fiction’ with other magnificent films of 2023. In fact, ‘American Fiction’ and ‘The Holdovers‘ have neither competition nor comparison. Until now, I sense these are the best films with a genuine drama produced with the finest quality of art.
American Fiction make me walk through a pensive mood where opinions are mustard, anger is silent, sincerity is ravaged, and books are colored. Bibliophiles and those who love watching a quality dramedy must consider watching American Fiction.
RATING 8.7/10
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Sami Naik | Film Critic 