The African American Place Holder in Film

Following the movies we have seen, the stories we have analyzed, and the journey of the African American in film that we have studied, I would like to shed light on the thematics of using African American characters as place holders in film for whichever side we see fit. To elaborate on this, I mean the way we can see them as either enemy or friend, killer or protector, hero or villain, and this is all done through schematics by those producing the film. However, it is often a double edged sword, where depending on which way we look at the film or which way we view it, we may see the same person under both lights. Take Candyman for example, a movie where a Black man begins to haunt those around him after dying at the hands of white people. The film also goes on to detail inequality in our society by looking at housing projects as well as surveying police brutality on specific demographics. Yet this double backs to that double edged sword because throughout the film, Candyman is killing people and at first glance we would assume, that is the enemy. However, in hindsight, Candyman is also protecting his own, killing those that play his game, those that doubt his existence. He protects his being and legacy, living up to his name when conjured. Yet, to view the film in this way all depends on what mindset we are going in with it. It is very easy to be one sided and to see the film in only a specific way. That if we see him as just a killer, that’s all he will be. But with careful analysis, he is much more than that and truthfully a much more complex character and being in which the film flourishes off of. This is often the case in many of the films we have seen that depict inequality and racism alongside the capitalism and social standing that exists in our society. We see pressure put on African Americans to do the right thing, but we can question: what is that right thing? Is it killing or protecting? Is killing protecting? I think we are able to use the implementation of race in these films to also understand contradictions. We can also use contradictions to dive into a deeper meaning of who we are as people and understanding; where when we think one thing about someone, someone else may view it differently. But in hindsight it is this exact thinking that makes the world go round and allows for conversations and debates to be had.