BLACK MOVIE: BOOK REVIEW
TW: police brutality
A finalist and recipient of numerous literary awards, Smith is a modern prodigy that our generation is fortunate enough to witness. Their work, Black Movie, digs deep into the core of Black misrepresentation in the media. They discuss police brutality and the visual exploitation of Black people in its many forms. However, Smith also rewrites the script because this movie is not what it should be.
The poet teeters between realism and fantasy, exposing readers to the harsh actualities that Black individuals face while also tearing apart this isolation piece by piece, reimagining it. For instance, Smith draws from The Lion King, ascribing the cast list to lived realities, ones that are entirely candid. This extended metaphor details the targeted violence Black people face. In other moments, it reshapes reality to fit an entirely new narrative, one that entirely demolishes violence and celebrates life. Metaphors and analogies populate the pages. Smith’s literary style is unmatched, connecting childhood fantasies to real experiences that you wouldn’t see in a Disney movie.
Readers are driven by Smith’s soul-stirring imagery and unique parallels. Their juxtaposition between experience and dreams, beauty and terror, are placed side-by-side. For once, these Disney themes aren’t what we all desire. But they are true experiences, and Smith crafts their words so carefully to display the injustices Black people face, emboldening the truth. With such limited subjects to work with— Disney, the Lion King— they display common narratives of injustice that Black people face, all while questioning the blissful realities that non-Black people live.
Not only should Smith be praised for their literary craft but also the assemblage of their words. “Auto-play” displays a variety of messages, layered one over the other regarding police violence, reflecting on the individuals who are singled down to their names. He crafts messages that undo this simplification. Their elegies and odes are carefully crafted, heartfelt. Smith questions contemporary and historical thought by analyzing the way humanity has valued certain lives over others. They draw from past literary traditions to scrutinize what reality is. They even dissect the elegy as a tool itself. Never have I witnessed an author crafting such emotional yet analytical work without undermining one another. In fact, these elements strengthen Smith’s narrative and observations.
Smith’s creation is not just a mere reflection of what they experience— it is their life sprawled out in front of you. As I read their work, I felt goosebumps rise. We often celebrate poets' vulnerable works, but I don’t think Smith’s work is to be celebrated. I don’t think that’s what they want anyway. It is an invocation for dreams — one that is to be read and shared with the rest of the world.
