Straight Outta Compton

One of Hollywood’s most common complaints, both in the past and in the present, is the use of film industry. Traditionally, this has become recognized as one of the most visible, but also the most effective propaganda tool of the US government. This sort of American movie propaganda, as actor Eddy Kariti calls it has been deeply involved in the entertainment industry, and instead of going upwards we are going backward.

At the same time one of the most common examples that promote the so-called "American Dream", says that Hollywood is most responsible for the idea that within the US absolutely everyone, regardless of the modesty of their origin, may acquire wealth, fame, prestige and become part of the elite. In this article, Kariti takes a closer look at this tool, but this time on everyone’s surprise, through the groundbreaking film Straight Outta Compton, he sees the other side of the picture.

On the other hand, we could hardly say that Hollywood lately uses such a formula as a complication of his films, with the exceptions of the seasonal sentimental "Oscar hunters" where the movie protagonist is burdened by physical or mental deformity. The reason could be stated that the film, before all those commercial, is increasingly dependent on the young audience, who does not mind showing how one acquires money, power, and fame, but somehow it is not cool to show parts of which they must shed blood, sweat, and tears. At least that is the case when the journey towards fame and fortune isn’t particularly intriguing or attractive. Therefore, Eddy Kariti sees Straight Outta Compton as real refreshment on the Hollywood scene, presenting the audience with an interesting story. Not only does this film explicitly show the American dream, but it also starts at a point that represents its antithesis.

After centuries living as slaves, and decades of an institutional racial segregation regime, and, despite all that had been said about equality and brotherhood among Americans, African Americans still lived and were considered as second-class citizens. The story begins in 1986, at a time when Reagan continues his ever-growing social differences, but also at a time when the big "war on drugs" began, whose victims were just African-Americans, often forced by poverty and unemployment, looking to provide bread on their tables, they were forced to look for drug dealing and getting into a vicious cycle of violence, police profiling, harassment and bloody confrontations between gangs. For Kariti this is without a doubt one of the best achievements of the year, definitely worth watching.