Blindspotting
2018
***½
Director: Carlos López Estrada
Cast: Daveed Diggs, Rafael Casal, Janina Gavankar, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Ethan Embry, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Tisha Campbell, Wayne Knight, Kevin Carroll, Lance Holloway
Collin, a young Black man nearing the end of his probation, struggles to stay out of trouble after witnessing a white police officer shoot an unarmed Black man, while his best friend Miles is a disaster waiting to happen. Carlos López Estrada's directorial debut, written by its two leads, Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal, is set in rapidly gentrifying Oakland, California. The film delivers a thrilling, if sometimes unusual and awkward, blend of drama, social commentary, and humour. Its low point is a tonally baffling flashback to Collin's felony, while its high point is a dramatic climax delivered through freestyle rap.
