Obvious White Director Syndrome
Yesterday, I tagged a photoset from Bernard Roseâs original âCandymanâ film as having âobvious white director syndromeâ. This is a term I coined in writing my theatre capstone one-act to describe movies the revolve around Black people or Black issues, but have a lot of clues that tell you - as the viewer - that theyâre definitely made by a white eye. This idea is one that, once you see it, itâs almost impossible to unsee.
In the original âCandymanâ, the main giveaway that the filmâs director - who is also the screenwriter - is white is the plot itself. A Black man is murdered. By who? The wealthy white people. But who does he haunt when he comes back? His own community. That there tells the viewer everything they need to know about who made this movie.
Now, Iâm not saying that âCandymanâ is a bad film. Not at all. But I think itâs important for all people, especially non-white people, as consumers of media to realize that this idea exists. The signs of a film with âobvious white director syndromeâ are pretty easy to spot. Like in âCandymanâ, the ghost/monster will usually attack itâs own community; they will prey on the white woman who is - of course - at the center of the story; if they are not the ghost/monster, they will die to defend the white people at the center of the plot even if they arenât meant to, like in Stanley Kubrickâs âThe Shiningâ.
Those are some of the basic signs of âobvious white director syndromeâ, and Iâm sure there are many more that Iâve missed. What are yours?
