Black Women in Film: The Tropes of Dope

Dope, a film directed by Rick Famuyiwa, only passed one element of the Bechdel Test which was having women in the film. Unfortunately, the representation of women of color included two hypersexualized stereotypes: a light skinned lesbian character, and  a Jezebel who was addicted to drugs, as well as a one dimensional light-skinned damsel in distress.

I was disappointed in this independent film with formulaic Hollywood plot and a shiftless theme. Then I read the credits: Pharrell Williams was an executive producer.

“The New Black dreams and realizes that it’s not pigmentation: it’s a mentality, and it’s either going to work for you or it’s going to work against you. And you’ve got to pick the side you’re going to be on,” Pharrell said.

Pharrell ignores centuries of systemic racism resulting in police brutality, mass incarceration, economically segregated neighborhoods, discrimination in the workforce, etc.

He forgets that Black folks can’t find jobs, become addicted to drugs and sell drugs for money due to the oppressive circumstance of living in a poor Black neighborhood surrounded by institutionalized racism.

Pharrell forgets that Blackness is not only for Black men. Pharrell’s lyrics are loaded with misogynoir and the film he produced represents these same simplified, tired ideologies.

Malcolm, played by Shameik Moore, is the main character who is arrogant and opportunistic. Although, he distastefully lists what his peers label as “white people shit” such as punk rock music, he never mentions that the inventor of rock was a Black woman named Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The only reason why he selfishly participates in selling drugs is because he wants to attend Harvard even though these drugs have been destroying the Black community for decades. The songs his band sings are barely close to the punk rock sound and are even worse than Pharrell’s pathetic pop hits.

Incredibly important subjects are trite punch lines. What’s so funny about drug addiction? What’s so funny about Black on Black violence? What’s so funny about White people saying the n word?

Examples of misogynoir were sprinkled throughout the film. Lily, played by Chanel Iman, almost unconscious, drives a car in a drugged state that could have gotten her killed. Instead of helping Lily recover and not letting her drive, Malcolm continuously objectifies her and she eventually becomes an internet joke that is just as terrible as the character development of Lily. Diggy, played by Kiersey Clemons, was another trope. Diggy speaks mostly one liners revolving around pussy. She represents the stereotype that black lesbians care mostly about sex and not romantic relationships. Although, there is nothing wrong with wanting only sex, not love, Diggy’s character was still one dimensional and only served as a foil for Malcolm who sought a long term romance. And of course, Malcolm’s love interest was a light skinned Black woman instead of a dark-skinned Black woman which is a recurring filmmaking typecast. Zoe Kravitz plays Nakia, a woman who is trying to do better for herself by passing the GED and applying to college. Yet she can’t pass without the help of a man. She’s smart but not that smart. She’s also saved by Malcolm when an underground party turns violent. Damsel in distress much?

So all in all, I only aesthetically connected to the film. I loved the costume design, the soundtrack besides the original songs and the fact that I saw Black folks on film but that still didn’t make the film great. Even if Malcolm outwitted the non-black villain, even if he wrote a mediocre essay in which he slightly embraced his blackness, I still didn’t like him as a character. The ending made me wonder if the director recognized the trap within the Black community: that it is difficult to succeed within a oppressive, corrupt environment and drugs become the only solace. Or was that just another joke?