Power and the People in Judas and the Black Messiah

After a little break, we are back with our fourth chapter: Biopics!!  We are certainly not easing into things with Shaka King’s powerfully revolutionary Judas and the Black Messiah. It is the newest film we have discussed on the podcast, and the first to have a simultaneous theater and steamer release, but it is also one of the most complexly historically rooted. In this episode, we dive into King’s stylized framing of Fred Hampton’s murder as a crime thriller, and most importantly, the way he demands an active viewer for both the duration of the film and beyond, as the racist American portrayed by King is still the America we know today. We hope that you watch and start conversations about the racist systemic and cultural core of the United States.