Blindspotting (2018) is an electrifying serio-comic excursion into the lives of two longtime Oakland-based friends, Collin (Daveed Diggs) and Miles (Rafael Casal).
As the story begins, Collin finds himself within the final days of supervised probation after spending time in prison for aggravated assault, and is dead-set on remaining out of trouble with the law. Yet for Collin, his biggest challenge is his allegiance with Miles, a fun-loving yet often volatile hothead prone to outlandish behavior and willful lawlessness—to which Collin steadfastly objects despite their long-standing camaraderie.
While driving a moving truck one evening in Oakland, Miles witnesses the shooting of an unarmed black man by a white police officer, and is subsequently haunted by the incident—besieged by nightmares and lurid hallucinations of the atrocity he witnessed. Perilous excursions with Miles only exacerbate his anxiety, culminating in a frenzied confrontation with the murderous police officer—a moment of profound and dramatic tension conveyed in the furious spoken word form that Diggs honed so deftly in his Tony Award-winning performance in Broadway’s “Hamilton”.
Directed by Carlos López Estrada and written by both Diggs and Casal, Blindspotting is a wonderfully alive and urgent escapade, chock full of humor and tension, sure to raise your eyebrows and heartbeat in equal measure. A highly notable sleeper film that very much deserves to be experienced first-hand.
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