One of the best movies of 2015, Straight Outta Compton, was nominated for only one Oscar for best screenplay by the Academy, and was sadly shutout of all the other categories.
This oversight plays into the #OscarsSoWhite controversy that has triggered boycotts by many actors of color. So what’s the best way to get Straight Outta Compton nominated for best picture? Well the folks over at Super Deluxe have a solution, turn Straight Outta Compton into a white savior film.
This well cut parody trailer taken from the movie, highlights the Academy’s love affair with the great white hope sent to help the poor, confused, people of color solve their problems. This narrative is repeated in dozens of films and many of them have been nominated for and won Oscars.
Movies like The Blind Side, The Help, Glory, Avatar, Dangerous Minds, Gran Torino and even Twelve Years a Slave, often tell the story from the perspective of the white protagonist who makes some grand sacrifice to rescue a destitute person of color.
Movies like these make white audiences feel good while watching, and casually ignores that the oppression faced by the person of color, was likely caused by various historical wrongs. The person of color in white savior films are often brave and strong, but ultimately will need to be taught, helped, or rescued by the white character who shows pity or mercy.
Watching these films over and over does get tiring and evokes many eye-rolls, but it does not make any of the movies I listed bad films or not entertaining. However, I believe it’s time to paint a more equitable perspective when casting a person of color as the protagonist, especially in biographical or historical films.