One of my most-anticipated movies out of major Fall film festivals this year has got to be AMERICAN FICTION, which happens to be a directorial debut from writer/director Cord Jefferson. Based on the novel Erasure by Percival Everett, it’s essentially about the consequences of turning one’s art into a simple commodity.

Jeffrey Wright stars as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.

I love Jeffrey Wright… he’s such a versatile actor and I’m thrilled to see him in a satire that makes the most of his comedic as well as dramatic side. The clip of him conversing with his publisher (John Ortiz) is a hoot… his curmudgeon attitude and expression of loathing had me cackling! I still can’t believe he has never been nominated for an Oscar, well perhaps he might nab one out of this performance!!

“The dumber I behave, the richer I get…”

The media and people in general can be so utterly myopic and they tend to put certain people of color in a box instead of letting writers and artists set their own narratives. The story confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes and setting it as a comedy seems to be the right way to do it. This review from Deadline says “… This film challenges viewers to reflect, question, and possibly reevaluate their perceptions of Blackness.” while a reviewer on RogerEbert.com calls it a ‘whip-smart, nimble satire.’

The film won TIFF’s People’s Choice Award, quite a feat considering it’s Jefferson’s first feature. But hey, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised as he has written for major TV shows, the likes of Watchmen, Succession, The Good Place, Master of None, and has won an Emmy and two Writers Guild of America Awards. The fantastic cast includes Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, and Sterling K. Brown.

I’m thrilled that this film is part of Twin Cities Film Fest’s lineup this year!! It screens on TCFF’s closing night, Saturday, October 28 at 5:30pm. American Fiction is slated to be released in select theaters on December 15th and will expand on December 22nd.

What do you think of the American Fiction trailer?

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