4/24/2023 0 Comments The best of enemies castThe N-word is used like it is everyday lingo in the heyday of 1971. Since it is a government-enforced decision, the people begin to understand each other and start looking out for the children first before themselves, not hiding the discomfort of either race, black or white. Riddick’s methods ask the community to find its own common ground, but tempers rise. The face-off is neutralized when a certain Bill Riddick, portrayed by Babou Ceesay, ice-skates his way into the town to begin his well-known charrettes- a method to bring communities together to reach a practical and mutually agreed-upon resolution to any issue that the town is facing, creating an everlasting permanent change within that community. The Best of Enemies begins on a cold note of dagger-bearing. The Stimulants/Influencers of Change – The Supporting Actors. This brings the immediate need for the children to be placed in a White school, namely the Durham Elementary school, submerging the town into complete chaos. The main one being that the East End elementary school, mainly a Black children’s community school, almost completely burns down. The Best of Enemies slowly introduces us to the characters’ worlds through many different incidents that take place. This mad hunger for power cannot be highlighted as strongly as the sign on C.P’s door saying – ‘This is KLAN COUNTRY.’ In this character’s mind, the essence of his race must not be threatened at any cost. He sports a belief system standing on solid ground that the White race must be “protected” from the Blacks, Jews, Communists, etc., and remain the only sacred race in American history. The film then moves to another character, who we understand as C.P.Ellis. But Ann’s anger stems from the deep distrust that she has developed during her time living there. The film opens with a small instance of Ann sitting with a certain city representative to fix a women’s water pipes and toilet conditions. However, the White Supremacists assumed power and held that position with the aid of C.P. It was very important for me to get it right because she has a whole community that loves her and lifts her up still.1971 witnessed desegregation as an existing and prevalent legal mandate in the state of North Carolina. Henson also commented on the family's acceptance of her role, telling the outlet, "The family said I was spot-on. Atwater's granddaughter Ann-Nakia Green attended the premiere and dubbed it "moving, funny, beautiful, and relevant" (per THR). Though Atwater died in 2016, Bissell and the rest of the crew on "The Best of Enemies" got approval from her family for both the movie and Henson's portrayal of her. Tambay Obenson of IndieWire explained why the white savior trope is hurtful: "Audiences are routinely fed a saccharine treatment of racial conflict in movies that center the transformations of white protagonists (whether real or concocted), in what ultimately becomes a sort of interracial buddy-comedy-drama, as is the case with films like 'The Best of Enemies' and 'Green Book.' These movies shield white audiences from the true horrors of the period, particularly the physical and psychological toll on many black people faced with intimidation and violence, by relegating them to supporting roles in their own fight for freedom and recognition."
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