We’ve seen a reversal of racial roles in films like White Man’s Burden and Watermelon Man, and of course, it’s a rich vein for broad comedies like Soul Man. Racial swapping, where a Black person is suddenly seen as White, has been thoroughly played for laughs in films like White Chicks by the Wayans brothers and True Identity with the brilliant Lenny Henry. Sci-Fi on Television has brought us full body swaps with Altered Carbon in which the character becomes a completely different person. Black characters becoming White is easier to manage, whereas White characters suddenly being Black could be seen as a form of blackface. Brown handles it adroitly in Melanin and walks the line carefully.
The actors do what they can with these largely stereotypical characters. A stand-out performance is delivered by Mari G. as Black Mike. His take on the situation lends authenticity to the character. Marcus Woods’ Black lawyer seeking unlikely justice is also a strong turn. Robert Francis as White Mike is little more than a prop to get us to Black Mike. The White characters are too broad, played without nuance as one-dimensional antagonistic elements.
“…what it would be like to live as someone with different physical traits from an unfamiliar culture is a healthy curiosity…”
Questioning what it would be like to live as someone with different physical traits from an unfamiliar culture is a healthy curiosity that scratches a particular itch. While narrative explorations of living as “other” in whatever form must be handled delicately, they are a good exercise for walking in someone’s shoes to engender compassion. That natural curiosity can lead to a better understanding of different lives than your own.
Melanin asks much of the viewer. Several opportunities are missed to make various points it could have, and it switches gears too fast and hard for an audience to keep up with. There’s also a serious strain on suspension of disbelief as none of the characters are shocked that a person can take a drug and become physically completely different. In the real world, if a drug could make a man younger, better looking, smoother, more confident with women, and a better dresser, there would be riots at the lab. It would make Ozempic look like Kool-Aid. People would freak out. While this idea isn’t fully fleshed out, Brown demonstrates varsity-level filmmaking skill and potential. His next film is likely to take us somewhere even more entertaining and thought-provoking.
"…Brown demonstrates varsity-level filmmaking skill and potential..."
