What do I think? “Two Distant Strangers” Review
I was casually scrolling through Twitter when I saw a rather annoying tweet. It was about a short film that had just won an Oscar. I was extremely disappointed that something like this was even made into a film, and even more disappointed when I discovered that one of the films directors was Black. I knew I had to watch it for myself, even though I knew I would probably hate it.
The film I’m talking about is called Two Distant Strangers, directed by Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe. This 30ish minute film is about a Black man who wakes up from a one-night stand and as he is trying to make it back home to his dog, is killed by a police officer—only this happens 100 times; thus, the film was dubbed the Black Groundhog Day. The film includes unfortunate but familiar cases of police brutality, in which our protagonist, Carter, is first profiled and killed by the same officer, Merk. Carter is shot, caught in a house raid and even choked to death over and over again. These scenes are disturbing, anger inducing and old. We’ve all seen this movie before in real life. Police brutality, profiling and the unjust murder of Black men, women and children at the hands of police all happen on a daily basis in this country.
Towards the end of the film, Carter attempts to talk with the officer and explain the time loop they seem to be stuck in. Officer Merk is confused and offers to give Carter a ride home. On the way home the two try to connect through conversation and break the barrier of coldness that exists between Black people and the police. They talk about why Merk became a cop, in which he confesses he was bullied and wanted to put bad guys or the “bullies” away. They also discuss the relationship between police and Black communities—they agree to disagree. Once Merk drops off Carter at his house, they say goodbye and it seems like the audience will get some sort of “good” ending. Instead, Officer Merk starts to clap and reveals that he knew about the time loop all along. He tells Carter that this day has been the most exciting and finally tells Carter that he’ll see him the next day—Carter is shot and killed for the 100th time so far in the loop. The film ends with Carter determined to live through the day and the end credits are started off with the names of those victim to police brutality.
I was right. I hated this short film, and although it was short, it felt like I was watching a full-length film. I’m not a fan of seeing Black trauma and hardship in entertainment. Don’t get me wrong, there are tons of films focused on Black issues that are powerful, engaging and necessary; however, this film presented nothing new, nothing interesting—just the same situation from the same perspective. In some points of the film, it even felt too dramatized and had almost a mocking tone. I found myself wondering who the audience was during the whole film. The audience can’t be Black because they know all of this happens. They live this nightmare; thus, the film gives them nothing new. Even other races experience profiling and police brutality so it can’t be for them either. The only other option that would make sense is that the audience is White. That would explain why the content feels watered down, as it’s displayed in a way that particular audience could digest it and accept it.
All in all, this film was missing something genuine. It may have just been lost but I feel if the directors put more time and thought into it, it could’ve been one of those films that are powerful in message. I just wish we had more movies and shows that focused on Black characters without the pain and suffering. If you want to watch for yourself, I suggest you do it—but if you rather not, that’s okay too.
I give it a 4/10.
