The Ottery
“If an otter can’t have fun doing something, it just simply won’t do it.”

“Authenticity” at the Movies

October 3rd, 2006

While we on The Ottery have been discussing whether a documentary focusing on one Pentecostal kids’ camp in North Dakota can claim to authentically and accurately represent all of evangelical Christianity, other writers and bloggers have been raising important questions about “authenticity” as a criterion in films starring or made primarily by black artists.

The Cinematical blog where I first saw the discussion describes an article from The Guardian that raises questions of “why white, middle-class audiences only deem a Black Film “authentic” if it’s about gangs, drugs, and guns . . . and why every Black film is expected to be socially realist (with the authenticity of the film generally being determined by someone outside that cultural group), when every White film does not have to be socially realist.” The original Guardian article appeared on Sept. 29, and it shows that this double standard exists in the UK, too, not just in Hollywood.

I don’t really have much to add, since, if anyone has the authority to say what makes a black film “authentic,” it certainly isn’t me. I just wanted to call the post and the article to everyone’s attention. Plus, it connects to a discussion Mink and I were having recently, after watching Madea’s Family Reunion.

We both like Tyler Perry’s work (at least what we’ve seen of it, which doesn’t include his stage plays), but we admitted that we don’t judge it by the same standards that we might use for, say, an Oscar-baiting drama. If we were to judge by those standards, we might find Perry’s movies melodramatic, unbelievable, meandering. Instead, we agreed, we tend to view them as a genre unto themselves, with their own rules.

I find myself worrying, though, if by setting up these different standards, we’re being condescending. After all, romantic comedies have their own separate conventions, too, and this doesn’t make me like them (most of them, anyway) any better. Same goes for the frat-boy movie. And yet I feel perfectly comfortable judging them and confidently stating that they stink.

Is it the element of race-difference that makes me hesitant to view Perry’s movies critically? Maybe. It could also be that I’m sympathetic to his Christian messages of forgiveness and healing. It could also be that I find Madea hilarious. Honestly, it’s probably a little bit of all of these, but I think the biggest factor is that Perry’s movies are really allegories, in a way that no other contemporary movies are. As such, they almost have to be judged on their own. That’s my current theory, anyway. I’m looking forward to seeing some of the Madea plays on DVD, now that we can get them through Netflix.

Entry Filed under: Movies, Uncategorized