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<p>In this image released by Roadside Attractions, Tyler James Williams appears in a scene from "Dear White People." (AP Photo/Roadside Attractions, Ashley Nguyen)</p>

In this image released by Roadside Attractions, Tyler James Williams appears in a scene from "Dear White People." (AP Photo/Roadside Attractions, Ashley Nguyen)

Writer and director Justin Simien’s new film, “Dear White People,” is a hilarious satire of racial politics and a welcome breath of fresh air. While the movie has its flaws, it is funny, pointed, honest and something we haven’t seen in recent modern films.

The movie follows the lives of four black Ivy League students at the fictional Winchester University. The main character, Samantha White, played by Tessa Thompson, has a radio show called “Dear White People,” where she calls out white people for actions she sees as racist. Samantha receives opposition from other students of all races: Some of the students feel that she takes things too far in claiming racial divides.

During the movie’s climax, there’s a party at Winchester: a blackface party that proves Samantha’s point that racism still exists. UF is even featured during the closing credits, with a photo from the 2012 blackface incident at an off-campus party that threw frat boys into national news.  

Simien’s screenplay is a parody that makes the viewer laugh and, more importantly, think. Part of what makes this movie so refreshing is that the characters feel like real people and not caricatures or stereotypes. At one point, Samantha laments the “homogenization of black people” in movies and television. Coincidentally, the characters in “Dear White People” are nuanced and have distinct personalities. In other words, the people populating Simien’s film are the opposite of the portrayals Samantha complains about.  

The interesting thing about this movie is that it doesn’t offer a tidy solution for ending racism, nor does it provide a clear definition of what racism actually is. Several of the characters think Samantha’s radio show is racist toward white people, though the film clearly depicts the opposite regarding incidents at Winchester.  

The movie stumbles briefly, only to come back for a thoroughly satisfying conclusion that redeems any faults the film has. There are a few gags that don’t land, and the opening 10 minutes is a barrage of jokes, exposition and title cards that are initially disorienting. But once the movie settles in — which it quickly does — it’s actually a really good time. It may make you squirm a little or feel a sense of guilt, but this is definitely a movie worth your time. 

[A version of this story ran on page 10 on 10/23/2014]

In this image released by Roadside Attractions, Tyler James Williams appears in a scene from "Dear White People." (AP Photo/Roadside Attractions, Ashley Nguyen)

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