More and more people are reaching agreement: Zwarte Piet belongs to the past. However, there are still places in the Netherlands where this racist caricature is hardly contested. In many municipalities, cities and villages, time seems to stand still, with Zwarte Piet still being tolerated or even celebrated. And that is why there is no better Sinterklaas film than Bamboozled. Blackface, a demeaning stereotyping of black people, has caused a social pain that Spike Lee makes immensely palpable in this biting satire film. 

Visually, the film is one of the most interesting of Lee’s career. He was one of the first major American directors to shoot a film almost entirely on digital video. Cameraman Ellen Kuras used cheap video cameras and captured scenes from all sorts of weird angles, which were then stitched together in a deliberately whimsical manner by editor Sam Pollard. The effect is often disorienting and strange. In short, a politically layered masterpiece and absolute must-see on December 5th!

-Hilde

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