The text that I chose to review for this assignment is Green Book by Peter Farrelly. In 1962, Tony “Tony Lip” Vallelonga, a tough bouncer, is looking for work when his nightclub is closed for renovations. The most promising offer turns out to be the driver for the African American classical pianist Don Shirley for a concert tour to the deep south states. Tony accepts the job and they begin their tour with the Green Book, a travel guide for safe travel through America’s racial segregation. As they witness and endure America’s injustices on the road, they find a respect for each other’s talent and finally become good friends.
Throughout the film, it’s not hard to find that Don is always treated as Other by different groups of people because of his different types of identities.Just like Marji in Persepolis, who feels this kind of ” Other-ness” due to her identities as both a foreigner to the Austrians and a woman, Don is also confused by his multiple identities and couldn’t find a sense of belonging to both sides-the White and the Black. Even though he is a talented, elegant and gentlemanly pianist whose music is praised by every audience, he still face racisms and discriminations due to his skin color. He is an outsider out of the stage, for example, he is not allowed to use the same bathroom as those white audiences and is not able to have dinner with white people in a restaurant. Meanwhile, due to his highly economic status and educated background, he is not accepted by his Black community as well. This way, he becomes someone in the middle, as he is not completely white or black.
What’s more, the film also depicts some systemic injustices as well. After a show, Don finds that Tony is gambling with other black drivers, and says ” they didn’t have a choice whether to be inside or out, but you did.” Despite the fact that Don is aiming to let Tony be a man with aspirant, he also points out an injustice in America which is the Black people are not granted the equal rights as white people. At that time in the south states, black people are born to be the slaves and become lower class, they don’t have a chance to get rid of the poverty at the beginning. But Tony, as a white man who is not born in a wealthy family, still has a chance to change his status through hard work. Don himself also suffers from the injustice brings by the power system. He tries his best to get into the upper class but is failed simply because his skin color.
Through this movie, the creator wants to say that people should not be confused with multiple identities, instead, they should mix the part that’s good for them to fit in and also remain the part who they actually are. And people should have the courage like Don to fight against racism and injustice.