Driving While Black (film)

Driving While Black is a 2015 American black comedy film directed by Paul Sapiano, starring Dominique Purdy.[1] Inspired by the real life experiences of Purdy, who co-wrote the screenplay with Sapiano, the film tells the story of a black man who has to deal with racial profiling in Los Angeles, California.[1] It was released in the United States on February 1, 2018.[1]

Driving While Black
Directed byPaul Sapiano
Written by
Produced byDjay Brawner
StarringDominique Purdy
CinematographyBryant Jansen
Edited byEnrique Aguirre
Release dates
  • June 13, 2015 (2015-06-13) (San Francisco Black Film Festival)
  • February 1, 2018 (2018-02-01) (United States)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

A young, aspiring artist named Dimitri lives in Los Angeles, California. He pays rent by delivering pizza. He enjoys listening to music and smoking weed with his friends. Because of the color of his skin, he has been often stopped by police officers while driving.

Cast

Release

The film had its world premiere at the San Francisco Black Film Festival on June 13, 2015.[2] It was released in the United States on February 1, 2018.[1]

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 63% based on 8 reviews, with a weighted average rating of 6.8/10.[3]

B. Alan Orange of MovieWeb described the film as "half comedy of errors and half hard-bitten realism, tucked into a sly treatise on 21st-century over-policing."[4] Dante James of Film Threat gave the film a 7 out of 10, writing, "it's ultimately about how policing in Black communities need to change, but there is also a strong message for all of us that we need to be better about protecting ourselves when we find a cop at our car windows."[5] Aimee Murillo of OC Weekly called the film "relevant, hilarious, well-acted and totally engaging."[6] John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter commented that "Though some will take offense, those ready for a quick time out from fight-the-power indignation may well roll with the picture, which relies on the charms of Purdy, an off-screen musician known as Koreatown Oddity."[7] Katie Walsh of Los Angeles Times wrote, "The film coasts on Purdy's laid-back stoner charm, and though the film itself is a bit too slack, it's a fine showcase for his voice, which delivers some pointed social commentary despite the chill vibes."[8] Scott Tobias of Variety stated that "Few will likely pull over for this micro-indie, but Purdy's effortless charisma in the lead role deserves a citation."[9]

The film won the Audience Award for Narrative Feature at the 2015 New Orleans Film Festival.[10]

References
  1. Mack, Andrew (January 18, 2018). "Driving While Black: Watch This Exclusive Clip From Award Winning Film". Screen Anarchy. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  2. "Full Schedule (Text)". San Francisco Black Film Festival. 2015. Archived from the original on October 4, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  3. "Driving While Black (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  4. Orange, B. Alan (December 29, 2017). "Driving While Black Trailer Mixes Comedy with Biting Commentary". MovieWeb. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  5. James, Dante (February 1, 2018). "Driving While Black". Film Threat. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  6. Murillo, Aimee (February 15, 2019). "Sweet Streams: Driving While Black". OC Weekly. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  7. DeFore, John (February 8, 2018). "'Driving While Black': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  8. Walsh, Katie (February 1, 2018). "Review: 'Driving While Black' delivers pointed commentary with a laid-back L.A. vibe". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  9. Tobias, Scott (January 30, 2018). "Film Review: 'Driving While Black'". Variety. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  10. Shoukri, Tarek (October 28, 2015). "'Room,' 'Driving While Black' Among New Orleans Film Festival Audience Award Winners". IndieWire. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
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