Having been in a movie black hole of sorts for the past few months, I was completely oblivious to what the movie Black Panther is, when my best friend suggested we go see it. The only thing I knew was that it would be a Marvel movie featuring a cast made up of a majority of African-Americans and Africans. This, of course, is rarer than a blue moon, and was enough to pique my interest. Fine by me. In fact, I would be most intrigued to watch a superhero film where the black guy isn't the sidekick or someone likely to get shot within the first 12 seconds.
When I stepped out of the theatre last week, I was hysterical over the movie in a way that I haven't been in a long time -- feeling that an unexplored part of my brain had just been unearthed. The lead, a young king of the imaginary African nation of Wakanda, was cool. The villain was cool. All the women were extremely cool too, be it the king's tough bodyguard or his scientific-genius younger sister. It was so refreshing to see wholesome black characters that move beyond stereotypes we usually see in Western media.
In Black Panther, the women are badass, and citizens laughingly sneer at guns as being "primitive" -- after all, they live in the most technologically advanced country in the world because they are situated on an extensive supply of vibranium, a rare and indestructible metal.
This paradoxical vision of an African country being extremely powerful, rich and packed with skyscrapers and flying spaceships is one of the delightful cores of the movie. It had never once crossed my mind, but now my mind deals with some of the hard questions that the movie sneaks in: What would Africa have been if it hadn't experienced slavery or colonisation? It's all fiction, but it will clearly open up more minds.
As of now, all the computerised beads, Kendrick Lamar soundtrack and Chadwick Boseman are definitely working their magic to rewire what my brain usually tends to associate with the continent.
But a dynamic cast is nothing without the right art direction, appropriate costumes, lofty visuals and engaging story. I am always looking forward to diversity in Hollywood, but never for its own sake. Throw all cultures and races in, but if there is no substance, significance or story, then it is all in vain. This movie, with its own universe that thoroughly explores social, political and economic issues, was well-crafted enough to not feel contrived.
The contender for Wakanda's throne wants Wakanda's technology to burn and reset the world for plausible reasons. Having grown up in a rough and underprivileged part of California, he no longer stands to witness fellow blacks continually abused. The viewing experience is all the while richer because you can understand the resentment and centuries of black oppression bubbling just under the veneer of this slick and well-executed film.
It takes one to know one, and there is no doubt that the creative crew being black themselves, having identity issues that have been plaguing them for centuries, is what allows for such successful portrayals.
Ryan Coogler is the very first African-American to helm a megabudget Marvel movie, and to Variety he expressed scepticism that a white director could have really made Black Panther. Yes, they could have, but it would have been from a different perspective, and it wouldn't be as nuanced, because they wouldn't have been on such intimate terms with the conflict, he said.
Seeing this story through a black lens makes all the difference, and it is the reason it's so important that artists of diverse backgrounds are given more opportunities to spearhead global-scale projects. New narratives and stories that ring true to a specific culture can only stem from people who know and appreciate them best.
It's part of a burgeoning renaissance for the world of film, and Black Panther is surely one to pave the way for other movies in moving towards embracing less conventional mores and casts. Now is a great time to be a moviegoer.
Also out this year is the highly anticipated, Asian all-star-studded Hollywood adaptation of the best-selling book Crazy Rich Asians.
Yes, the Asian cast is worth getting excited about, but its enticing hook is how the story follows the lives of insanely rich Chinese families across Asia. It's all based on the real-life experiences of the author, who comes from an elite Singapore family. More voices means more fascinating stories, so let's do what we can to keep the reels keep rolling this way.
Parisa Pichitmarn is the Muse editor for the Bangkok Post.