I grew up in Charlottesville, VA. I always thought it was a neat place to grow up because as a history nut, the place is rich in cultural significance, even if it wasn’t always the most positive. Despite being a very liberal town overall, it can’t help but have its inner southern trash rear its ugly head on occasion. I recall my time at school, where the slaves owned by Thomas Jefferson were treated like a mere footnote. But things even went as far as dealing with violent bigots throughout my childhood.
In many ways, the town truly represents the dichotomy of America. A town that considers itself highly progressive, while also having a statue of Robert E. Lee that’s been standing since the 1920s. The proposed removal of that statue ended up being the cause of a lot of trouble. I was on the other side of the country when the “Unite the Right” rally occurred on August 12, 2017, which notably happened just over a month after a KKK rally was held. I was still closely watching the events unfold because it was just so surreal seeing a place I knew being broadcast around the world, and in this particular context. That sickening feeling came back when footage of the “Unite the Right” rally crossed with footage of President Trump’s gross reaction closed off the latest Spike Lee joint, BlacKkKlansman, acting as the ultimate mic drop, and dedicating the film to the victim of that rally, Heather Heyer.
The film follows the the real story of how Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), a rookie detective at the Colorado Springs police department, infiltrated the KKK by getting in contact through the phone, and having a white detective, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), play as Ron while he goes undercover, and finds out information about a possible attack.
I’ve long been a fan of Spike Lee’s work, and his specific brand of raw yet stylized truth telling. In many ways, BlacKkKlansman, which he co-wrote with David Rabinowitz, Charlie Wachtel, and Kevin Willmott, falls well in line with his extensive and eclectic filmography, but it also stands out in a sense that it feels like Spike Lee at his most accessible. But even with that accessibility, he does not tone down his politics, which are as overt as ever before. Spike Lee has never been the most subtle filmmaker out there, yet it seems all the more necessary for him to yell his message out loud because, clearly, no one seems to be listening, as even his 1989 masterpiece, Do The Right Thing, feels like it could be made today with little to no alterations.
That is the major idea behind BlacKkKlansman. This idea of things never really changing, of history repeating itself, and the way the gullible and ignorant will continuously find themselves under the spell of monsters who will take advantage and promote their reductive views. Lee evokes images of films like the 1915 D.W. Griffith film, The Birth of a Nation, showing how the glorification of the Klan, and subsequent dehumanizes of black people can inspire terrible things, things that continue to happen to the 70s, when the film take place. He continues this thread to the end by bringing up the neo-nazi rally in Charlottesville, and comparing those events and Trump’s statements to that of some of the despicable characters we’ve just witnessed like David Duke (Topher Grace), Felix (Jasper Pääkkönen), and the various other Klan members that Ron and Flip come into contact with.
The film also explores an interesting aspect of Flip’s character, which is his Jewish heritage, or rather, lack thereof. He is a non-practicing Jew, he had no bar mitzvah, the culture simply wasn’t something that was ever a big part of his life. It’s why he initially isn’t quite as invested in the case as Ron is. However, after a while, he says something that really struck me. Something to the effect of how despite his Jewishness never played a part in his life, he can’t take his mind off of it because of the hatred he is constantly surrounded with, especially from Felix, who never really buys into Flip from the get-go, believing that he’s Jewish. It’s a clever way to talk about the idea of complacency, and fighting for what’s right even when you think you don’t have skin in the game.
It’s all about as heavy as it sounds, but the real magic of the film is that despite delving into some of the darkest and angriest thematic throughlines in Lee’s filmography, it manages to have a light touch to it. It’s a surprisingly fun film where it and the characters revel in the absurdity of everything that’s going on. There’s lots of great back-and-forth between Driver and Washington, who shares the same kind of charm and screen presence as his father, Denzel Washington. I especially enjoyed the moments between Ron and a local activist, Patrice (Laura Harrier), like when they argue about the merits of certain Blaxploitation films over others, or when they dance to “Too Late to Turn Back Now” by Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose. There are moments of joy and humor scattered throughout, but instead of clashing with the heavier moments, it enhances them, and makes it all the more powerful.
BlacKkKlansman is stunning work on all levels. While I can’t call it a “comeback” for Spike Lee as a filmmaker like some have claimed, since I loved a number of his last several films, it is one that I think stands among his very best. It’s easily the most refined and polished he’s ever been, and it works perfectly for this specific material. The commentary is sharp, and the film balances in creating a sense of catharsis and relief while also emphasizing that the need for caution and action is still necessary. Lee’s playful side and his righteous side are firing on all cylinders here, and what we end up having is a film that’s beautifully performed, stylishly constructed, and precisely the cinematic slap-in-the-face we need right now.
Every now and then, I still think about what happened in Charlottesville, wondering if things could’ve gone differently. As of me writing this, a state of emergency was declared for Charlottesville and the state of Virginia as another rally is planned on the one-year anniversary of last year’s events. Streets will be closed in Charlottesville where gatherings are expected, and police are getting themselves ready in case violence breaks out again. Meanwhile, that Robert E. Lee statue still stands, which – by the way – was commissioned in 1917, a mere two years after the release of The Birth of a Nation. The cycle continues.