
In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, "Remember This House." The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and assassinations of three of his close friends: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. At the time of Baldwin's death in 1987, he left behind only 30 completed pages of this manuscript. Filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished.... (Full plot summary below)
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In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, "Remember This House." The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and assassinations of three of his close friends: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. At the time of Baldwin's death in 1987, he left behind only 30 completed pages of this manuscript. Filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished.
Leave your thoughts about I Am Not Your Negro.
| Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranWhat makes I Am Not Your Negro a mesmerizing cinematic experience, smart, thoughtful and disturbing, goes well beyond words. |
| ThrillistThrillist Entertainment StaffThis documentary, based on Baldwin's unfinished Remember This House manuscript, offers a view of the United States as disturbingly relevant today as it was in the late 1970s. |
| Seven DaysRick KisonakPeck's transfixing film offers a portrait of the artist as an unshockable man. |
| SF WeeklySherilyn ConnellyRaoul Peck's powerful documentary I Am Not Your Negro is not a straight-up biography of writer and civil rights icon James Baldwin, nor does it claim to be -- but that makes a certain omission no less frustrating. |
| New York TimesA.O. ScottThough its principal figure, the novelist, playwright and essayist James Baldwin, is a man who has been dead for nearly 30 years, you would be hard-pressed to find a movie that speaks to the present moment with greater clarity and force, insisting on uncomfortable truths and drawing stark lessons from the shadows of history. |
| Washington PostAnn HornadayA brilliant piece of filmic writing, one that bursts with fierce urgency, not just for the long-unresolved history it seeks to confront, but also in its attempt to understand what is happening here, right now. |
| Boston GlobeTy BurrHere are great swaths of Baldwin’s prose, read by Samuel L. Jackson in a vocal impersonation that is actually a rather brilliant piece of acting — he convinces you it’s the writer you’re hearing. |
| Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsThis movie isn't just a tribute to Baldwin. It's a warning bell regarding leaders who, in Baldwin's words, care only about "their safety and their profits." |
| Seattle TimesMoira MacDonaldIt’s not a biopic, but I Am Not Your Negro leaves you wanting to know and read more of Baldwin, to experience the language that pours from this film like a fiery balm. |
| Philadelphia InquirerTirdad DerakhshaniI’m Not Your Negro is an unforgettable work. Baldwin’s words – eloquently spoken by Samuel Jackson – will haunt you. |