Movie Review : The Green Book

This past Thursday I had the pleasure of attending the movie premiere of the Oscar nominated movie The Green Book, courtesy of Sterkinekor. It was a great chilled evening which attracted movie critics, bloggers, influencers and local celebrities more specifically the ones in the Tv industry. I bumped into my friend and Actress Thandy Matlaila, Award winning Actress Sihle Ndaba and Actor Jesse and Actress Miranda .

I was so happy to be on time. I definitely was dressed up for the occasion, rocking my Mom’s vintage jacket which she doesn’t know I have repossessed and as always nothing gets an event stirred up like a red carpet moment. Kudos to the Sterkinekor and Ogilvy team the food ,drinks ,company and the overall experience was amazing. Thank you for my journal that I received as a gift at the end of the movie screening.

The movie is loaded with humour from the onset thanks to Viggo Mortensen’s character named “Tony”. We are introduced to him and his family right at the beginning of the movie. He is a loveable character. I could barely recognize him with the extra pounds he put on for the role. His character definitely made the movie and his acting skills blew me away.

Viggo Mortensen

The movie is about an unlikely friendship that is formed between two most unlikely men. One white and one black. The dynamics of their backgrounds , level of education and experience with different classes of people soon become exposed as the trip begins. Love, tolerance and more importantly the test of the human character is displayed. I was touched by the issue of sexual identity that was also brought up in the movie but not delved much into. Something I wish the writers had done.

Mahershala Ali plays Dr Don Shirley in this movie and is also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role. My goodness!! If I have ever fallen in love with a dark, chocolate black man the credit would go to this man. What a beautiful sight. The moment he came on screen the ladies in the cinema just screamed.

On the other hand you have a not so educated nor talented white Italian man who takes life with a carefree personality (unless you consider being a nightclub bouncer a skill). He has an insatiable appetite for food and just lives a normal if not mediocre life with his wife and kids in the Bronx and also possibly ignorant of the racism that was taking place in the greater parts of America at that time.

He filled me with such pride in how he delivered. I felt pain in the moments where racism was so visible and brutal especially for such a well achieved and celebrated man. It didn’t make sense. Pity in the moments where he seemed lost and didn’t recognise his greatness and probably almost questioned himself and lastly pride for his achievements and assertiveness. Nothing beats the sight of a man who owns his success. His character evoked so many emotions and one can only imagine how hard it was to be a black gay man living in America in the 60s.

Dr Shirley ‘s character touched me in ways I could not possibly manage to articulate in words especially considering how our society is still struggling with homosexuality and racism. A black successful and educated men who is not accepted in his black community and neither in the community of the very same white privileged folks who pretend to love and appreciate his music. It seemed no matter how successful he was he still was not good enough. He was a lonely man.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie . The cinema was filled with lots of laughter from the onset till the end of the movie, the feel good moments were endless, it was almost as if the producer and Director did that intentionally. It is worth every minute. Do go and watch it , pretty PLEASE!!