Introduction
The issues concerning ethnicity and race have been complexifying public life for centuries. Every sphere of life is touched by inequality, unfairness, and varying attitudes towards different groups of people based on their race, ethnic identity, or any other feature. However, the questions regarding the absence of racial equality have been causing more discussions and provoking more emotional responses than other issues in the field concerning the history of the United States of America. Therefore, creative industries have always sought to reflect this topic in their pieces of art, and the mood and sense of it changed depending on the period and prevalent opinion.
The desire of people working in creative spheres to talk about racial inequality is impressive, especially considering that government and society have not always been as loyal to it as they are now. Generally, the present state of society, regarding the spreading of loyalty to people who differ from the majority, owes its appearance to those who were brave enough. These creative industries have drastically contributed to the swift in people’s attitude toward different races and the acceptance of the equality-based principles of social interactions. They are, in particular, film directors, actors, producers, and other staff that works n the creation of films. This paper reviews the film Space is the Place’ and reflects on its effect on spreading equality idea to the audience. Moreover, this paper concerns the review of Ewa Drygalska on the film’s content and its influence on the perception of the Afro-American culture and the nation in general.
Drygalska Reflecting the Race and Ethnicity Aspects of the Film
The author’s main idea regarding race-connected issues in the article is that ‘Space is the Place’ has become a unique example of a combination of African American culture and cinema. Drygalska (2019) claims that the film has contributed to developing a new genre or direction of cinematography, Afrofuturism. Peculiarities of the genre, such as a strong connection with the imaginable technology of the future and fantasizing about the challenges that the future can bring, seem suitable for people in general. However, they have found their place in films that reflect the history of the black, inequality, and suffering (Drygalska, 2019). The main aim of Afrofuturism is to address the problems that African Americans face via the image of the probable future and technology.
The discussed film, ‘Space is the Place’, is connected to the filmography related to the topic that was created before. More particularly, the films contain references that link the film with the older ones (Drygalska, 2019). This proves that the history of the genre and the reflection of African Americans’ problems in general traces from long ago and is based on fundamental ideas, such as example, unacceptance of slavery. At the same time, the film is unique because it differs drastically from the previous films on the topic and outstands the period when it was created (Drygalska, 2019). Thus, it can be referred to as an image of the change in the tradition of films that reflected African Americans’ issues using fantasy environments as coverage for them.
In addition, ‘Space is the Place’ and other Afrofuturism-related films are another essential purpose that can influence the global perception of African Americans and social inequality in general. This goal is related to the desire of all races to have access to every sphere of public life, including art and creative industries (Drygalska, 2019). Therefore, the reviewed film portrays an example of the devotedness of a team of people whose aim was to create films themselves and spread their ideas. This reflects the power of art and inconsistencies of the commonly assumed point of view with the actual condition of the society. For instance, although particular races or ethnicities, such as African Americans, could be prohibited from getting access to creative industries due to the propaganda-related power of these industries, they still sought the opportunities. Hence, the perception of race and ethnicity issues was mainly affected by the devoted people, including African Americans and those concerned about their social attitude toward them.
Considering the audience’s views of the time on movies related to racial and ethnic issues, it was not positive or negative, as well as they could not be characterized as homogenous. Drygalska (2019) suggests that the importance of ‘Space is the Place’ is considerably dependent on the fact that there was no canon in the genre when it was filmed. In other words, no film was accepted as the best film in the category of science fiction films with African Americans. Therefore, although at the beginning, the film was not reviewed positively and, in contrast, was assumed to be a bad example of blaxploitation films, it has later become an icon (Drygalska, 2019). Hence, the film has proved that there are always pieces of art that outpace the time and the opinions common in society, implying that they can be more suitable and beneficial for future generations. This case also creates an interesting connection between the futuristic direction of the film’s genre and the fact that the film could only be perceived objectively after time had passed.
The characters reflect one more aspect of the film’s connection to race and ethnicity issues. They portray particular features of African American nation, reveal their weaknesses and strengths, and in a disguised way, speak of what worries them the most (Drygalska, 2019). For example, Drygalska (2019) claims that the film addresses the idea of humanism n the conditions of alienation of society’s members and the familiar strangeness of people. Therefore, the film reflects all the critical issues that were relevant for African Americans at the time. Moreover, the film creates a foundation for developing a new type of utopia (Drygalska, 2019). This happens because ‘Space is the Place’ changed the goal of science fiction, even though it does not have a significant effect due to the limitedness of the audience. The film suggests a concept of an apocalypse as a positive phenomenon because it provides a metaphorical opportunity to be saved.
The Critical Review of the Film
My opinion on ‘Space is the Place’ does not differ from the one expressed by Ewa Drygalska as I agree that the film is iconic for the genre of Afrofuturism. Moreover, the film differs from the others that were reflecting on the same issue of social inequality based on differences in ethnicity and race. This film is more complex and profoundly structured; it is not just a copy of Hollywood science fiction films like some Afrofuturism-related movies filmed before. It imposes a different message compared to the – ‘Space is the Place’ which tells a story about hopelessness, which substitutes for the desire to live with a positive perception of the void. Through the alienation of the society members from each other that the film presents via the concepts of space and aliens, the film addresses people’s indifference to each other. This indifference serves as the cause for all the inequality, unfairness, and different perceptions of people who look, think or behave differently. Therefore, the movie reveals the main problem of racial and social problems in society and reflects them artistically.
However, there is an issue that the author misses, which, in my opinion, is vital for the profound perception of the discussed film. The political aspect is essential for understanding the complex field of problems that African American nation has faced. However, there are no apparent references to the political sphere, which means that it would be more complicated to explain the political details.
Conclusion
To conclude, race and ethnicity are topics that have been considered irrelevant to be reflected in art for a long time. However, devoted people who worked in creative industries have made it possible for African Americans to express their point of view on crucial issues. Moreover, they were given a chance to instill the idea of the normality of equality among all members of society. The reviewed film is a vivid example of an Afrofuturism-related film that spreads the significance of humanistic ideas. In addition to contributing to the African American cinematography at the time, the film has changed the whole science fiction genre and altered the perception of a traditional utopia concept. Furthermore, it reflects the long duration of the African Americans’ fight for artistic freedom.
Reference
Drygalska, E. (2019). Space is the place: Black cinema in search of speculative fictions. The Journal of Popular Culture, 52(4), 910-931.