Sunday, May 15, 2016

Documentary: Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, White Mask

Frants Fanon: Black Skin, White Mask, Isaac Julien. California Newsreel, 1996. Kanopy Streaming. Web. Accessed May 15, 2016.

This is an excellent look into Frantz Fanon's work as a clinician in France, then Algeria, where he ran a ward in a hospital for mental rehabilitation. One of his first acts was to begin removing the restraints from his clients and engaging with them. Through the help of the nurses on the ward, they created a life within the walls of the hospital that was more normalized for the clients. According to the documentary, the absence of an ethnocentric viewpoint was part of his strategy and success.

Interviewees, including his brother and some of his mentees, dot the amazingly concise but densely-packed documentary. It also features an actor who plays Fanon in some of the recreated monologues, as well as a partial retelling of his turn toward armed struggle and the end of his life.

For those who have struggled through some of his material, this documentary is a superb complement. It not only offers insight into his work, but also a background for understanding it.

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