Ovelha Negra

Startling narrative of a young man just wanting to fit in. A frank, brutal testimonial. Important to hear and understand. Nominated for an Oscar, I give this Documentary Short an 8 (important) out of 10. {Documentary}

It is not the testimony who you expect. It is not the story with moralistic end. It represents only a honest and not comfortable portrait of racism, care of a mother and the price, the real price of acceptance. And, more important, it is not the story of a black child told at older age but a portrait of early years in which the new home, after a tragedy near your family or the hostility of new neighbours is painful familiar for many. A not easy film, using, for a clear and direct message, the sacrifice of artistic virtues of documentary. The story of Cornelius Walker.

This film presents a stunningly powerful comment on what it's like to be a person of a different race, and what that does to a child's need to fit in with others. If you have a heart, a conscience, or an inkling of understanding of how tough it is to be a kid in this world, you will be depressed watching this film. It simply hurts to watch it.

But it needs to be watched. We must be reminded of what it's like to be a black person in a white world, what it's like for a child who feels compelled to do anything to be accepted, and what's it like to live with a father who is simply unable to solve the chaos in your life.

As another reviewer stated, this documentary does have several reenactments, and that's a bit controversial for the documentary "purists." But whether you think that somehow disqualifies the film from the Oscars (or whatever) really misses the point. The reenactments bring the narrator's harrowing story even more clearly to life. For example, it's one thing to hear someone describe being called the n-word, it's another to see the face and hear the words from a disgusting little racist brat.

I strongly recommend this film.