DOPE Film Analysis

DOPE is a crime dramedy written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa about a black teenager named Malcolm living in Inglewood trying to get into law school. He and his two friends Diggy and Jib are then roped into a wild goose chase when Malcolm is given a large amount of drugs amidst an intense gang war. He struggles to maintain his chances of getting into Harvard while surviving this unfortunate situation.
DOPE grapples with several issues regarding race including issues with the school system and with depictions of African Americans in the media. The film parodies and challenges the common depiction of black communities in crime dramas. Ultimately, I would say the film succeeds in challenging these issues and providing a positive representation of African Americans. I would argue …show more content…
The vast majority of the cast is African-American, and they are represented in a variety of ways. The counselor in the school, the security officer, and the friendly bus driver are some of the roles of black people that are seen in a positive light other than the stereotypical “thug.” It depicts Inglewood as a community rather than a warzone. While the film also features several black criminals, the wider representation and visual style helps the film keep the reality of the problems of crime in black communities without depicting crime as the staple of a black community.
Another way that this film challenges hegemonic ideas of the black community is through character development. While the antagonists of the film are depicted as ruthless criminals at times, they are developed as multi-dimensional. There are scenes in the movie that show the criminals as having a sense of humor, a sense of reason, and empathy, including a short scene involving the criminals having a fairly civilized debate about foreign affairs. This kind of depiction shows that even the antagonists of the film are humans and that they are not just