See You Yesterday
In honor of black history month, I want to celebrate a film produced by one of our celebrated black producers, Spike Lee, and directed by another talented black creator Stefon Bristol. The movie See You Yesterday, is an afro-futuristic sci-fi film centered around two young Black — Yes, I'm going to keep saying Black — high school geniuses. CJ and Sebastian are on the brink of solving time travel but are sidetracked when CJ’s brother, Calvin, has a Life-threatening interaction with the NYPD in the streets of Brooklyn. The film was initially released on Netflix in May of 2019. Since its release, the film has won one award, was nominated for three other awards and has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 95%. From the accurate display and genuine appreciation of our culture to addressing real problems and struggles in the black community, there are so many reasons to rave about this film. If you haven’t seen it already here’s why you should:
Art
If you’re paying close attention you will find so many references to black art and artists throughout the film. I was gushing when I saw one of my personal favorites, Toni Morrision’s Kindred, being read by the teacher to a room full of brown faces. Another novel featured in the same scene is A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James. In addition to the novels, the soundtrack of the film is another area filled with black excellence. It is composed of mostly reggae, soca, and hip hop music. Scenes are paired perfectly with hits like Dawn Penn’s “You don’t love me” or “Hey up there,” Ty Dolla Sign.
Black Love
Love of self, love of family, and love of community are all spheres of love that are displayed in See You Tomorrow. If you’re looking for another film with a young black girl who is unsure of herself, this is not the film for you. CJ is a strong young woman who knows she is going places. She radiates with confidence and #Blackgirlmagic. CJ is also grounded by familial love which is what motivates her throughout the movie. Her overprotective brother and her mothers are her support systems and her backbone. Lastly, CJ and Sebastian, the neighborhood's favorite duo, are practically joined at the hip. Their love can be summed up by the scene where they make up from a fight and CJ says, “I love you, Black man,” to which Sebastian replies, “I love you too, Black woman.”
Black Culture
Spike and Stefon, both raised in Brooklyn, gave the most accurate depiction of universal black experiences, like being in church with your black pastor who doesn’t preach, but he SHOUTS in the name of the lord. On a more serious note, the film touches on problems that the black community faces that will have you thinking, where is the Justice? Police brutality is one of the major topics that is depicted in the film. It also slightly touches on how long it takes police to come into black communities when someone is crying for help.
Black Intellect
One of my favorite things about this film is how it paints our youth as talented intellectuals. CJ and Sebastian are selling refurbished computers and batteries that they created themselves! Not drugs. The film pictures our youth in the STEM field, a white-dominated field that normally lacks diversity. It’s also important to note that our geniuses stated they want to attend some of our most prestigious HBCU’s, once again promoting our black excellence.
If you haven’t seen this movie yet, grab a bowl of popcorn, your favorite bottle of wine and head to Netflix to check to watch this film.