The filmmaker behind “The American Society of Magical Negroes” defended the film’s controversial theme in a recent interview after it bombed at the box office its opening weekend.
The satirical film tells the story of a young Black man who is recruited to be part of a magical “society” where Black wizards use their powers to appease White people so that they don’t hurt Black people.
The film attracted backlash ahead of its release when a trailer dropped in which a character calls White people “the most dangerous animal on the planet.”
In a new interview posted to YouTube on Thursday, director Kobi Libii explained how his own experience as a Black man in America and his frustrations with Hollywood’s presentation of Black people inspired him to come up with the initial story.
The film’s larger message was to expose the “comforting fantasy” White people live in, believing that Black people enjoy living under “systems of White power” in America, he argued.
“One of the things critics talk about is that the ‘magical negro’ trope is a ‘happy slave’ trope,” Libii told JoBlo Celebrity Interviews. “It imagines that Black people love fitting themselves into systems of White power. That we’re actually quite happy to do that, right? Which I think for a White majority is a really comforting fantasy.”
“It’s like, ‘Oh, OK, it’s all OK,’ like America didn’t do anything bad. ‘It’s all OK,’ right? That fantasy I think is really compelling for White people,” he continued.
In the same interview, the film’s protagonist, played by actor Justice Smith, revealed he also related to his character’s experience having to “make himself small” to make the White people around him “feel comfortable.”
“It’s a lot of people of color’s experience,” he said. Smith called exploring that dynamic on screen “cathartic.”
“Any piece about race is obviously going to be controversial, it’s going to be provocative,” he added. “And I like that. I like when people are not afraid to start conversation. I like when people say things plainly and I think that’s how we progress,” he continued.
Ahead of the movie’s premiere last week, Libii directly addressed the criticism he’s received from the right and left.
The filmmaker explained to The New York Times that he was more concerned with sending a message about race rather than trying not to offend Black or White audiences.
“To me, part of the political work I’m doing in this film is from the bottom of my heart, not thinking about how a White audience will react to it. But trying to express my particular experience being subjected to systemic racism,” he said.
The film did poorly with reviewers, earning just 30% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes as of Friday.
