In the wake of the life of George Floyd being unjustly taken in the USA, it is time to inform and educate. Though I’d planned on a week of documentaries anyway, I made the choice to watch as many relevant documentary films about the African American struggle as possible. I’ve since extended this idea now to watching as many movies with either black people as the main characters or with black directors at the helm as I possibly can.
Now is the time to not only push for change, but force change, both in the USA and in the rest of the world. The bigotry and judgemental nature of so many has come to the fore now more than ever, and it is up to you – especially if you’re not a person of colour – to learn the real issues at hand here. Now is not the time for ‘All Lives Matter’, or Pride Month, or sitting by an doing nothing. Now is the time to stand up, listen, learn, and educate.
At this point, I should also inform you that for the sake of variety, there won’t only be movies of such themes for the coming week, but the majority will be heavily influenced by African American culture and talent. So, without further ado, let’s move on to reviewing Michelle Obama‘s new documentary, Becoming.
Based on her book of the same name, Becoming follows Michelle Obama and her team on her book tour across America. I should probably disclose here that I have read the book in question, and it is a fabulous read. There’s no wonder that it was a best seller, as Obama is completely uncensored in the autobiography, telling us of where she came from, how she was raised, and how she adjusted to her life suddenly taking a left turn into the Whitehouse.
There are two emotions that come out of watching this documentary. The first: uplifted. I say uplifted because of the strength and hope that Michelle Obama is still bringing to the world. After watching this and seeing her at her most candid, you can feel the continued fight she intends on bringing to the world, and as a viewer, you’re left feeling comforted by the fact that her battle for the equality of African Americans is clearly not finished.
The second emotion: sadness. With everything going on in the world and particularly the USA today, it is sad to see what has happened since the Obama presidency. This documentary proves how much better life was in 2008 across party lines. Yes, I’m including life for Republicans in that statement too. Donald Tr*mp has been pretty consistent in his inability to lead the free world thus far, and the current protests have only exacerbated the feeling of inferiority he exudes. That’s not to say life was perfect for black people throughout Obama’s Whitehouse tenancy – far from it – but this documentary does well to make that point, and Michelle presents the awareness she has of this.
As a documentary, this is as wide-reaching as Michelle herself. It is not only about racial tensions in the US, but contains various themes close to her heart. Namely, she looks at today’s youth, women’s rights, the rights of immigrants… the list goes on. However, this never aims to lecture at any point, and the main focus is the former First Lady, and rightly so. If anything, this is a movie that was created so that the world could see the real Michelle, and that the possibilities of life are endless, no matter where you come from.
On the technical side of things, this was well made, powerful, and enthralling. I was not bored for a single second. I’ve actually seen quite a few reviews that claim this is ‘boring’, however, it’s interesting to note that almost all of those comments come from straight, white men. As she is fundamentally a black woman (although she never lets either of those things wholly define her), it’s possible that those people just don’t relate to Michelle or the struggles she has faced, but that’s no reason to call this boring – it’s far from it. It’s clear that this documentary will mean so much to women and people of colour, and especially young, black women. Just because this documentary is not for you, it doesn’t mean you have to negate it.
A lot of people (including the men folk at Empire) wanted Michelle to go into blasting Tr*mp in this, but I’m actually glad she didn’t. This documentary is all about her, and no one else, as I’ve already mentioned. Perhaps even more strikingly, this is not even about her husband; he does make an appearance, but it’s very clear that he’s depicted as a pillar of support for his wife, not the other way round. Becoming is about Michelle only, and how she has hope for the rest of the planet; particularly the youth of today. So, instead of making too much of Becoming about that Cheeto dude, she remains as classy and intelligent and positive as ever.
What did I do after watching this? Gave my girlfriend the biggest hug known to mankind. If anything, this made us love Michelle even more than we already did, and I’m certain that you’ll agree.
I do, however, recommend that you read the book first and use this as a sort of companion movie to the novel – it’s even better than this. You’ll only feel more part of the conversation if you do so.
You can donate to the Black Lives Matter fund by clicking HERE. (If you’re in the UK and would like to contribute to the UK fund, you can go HERE instead).
Becoming is available to stream on Netflix in the UK.
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