Einfach Schwarz

Portraying himself as a bumbling activist who keeps rubbing people the wrong way, Jean-Pascal has created a goofy yet poignant mockumentary exploring the complexities and difficulties of being black and French. Lovers of french cinema will also be rewarded with many surprise appearances of celebrities who, like this film, poke fun at themselves but over a compelling subtext. One negative is that this film doesn't pass the Bechdel test. While there is a very humorous scene in which Jean-Pascal the character is confronted with this for his activism, I would've liked if Jean-Pascal the director could have rectified it for his film. Overall though this is a must-watch which will make you laugh a lot and pause to reflect a bit too.

Jean-Pascal Zadi has that thing to make you cringe-laugh with how close he hits home. This comedy is important for addressing identity introspection, which is understandably a huge topic in France, even more so if you were raised in an immigrant family. Regarding the story itself, I found it lacked proper development. I couldn't see a clear arc and the plot progressed without a snatch, so no tension comedy-wise or other. By the end of the movie, I felt we were still midway.

Political, neat, edgy, stirring and incredibly funny, "Tout Simplement Noir" transcends its nature as a sketch film to offer a fascinating portrait of a France in the midst of identity introspection.

Very powerful message delivered in a very natural manner.

Alot of the content out there shoves the theme/issue in your face to the point that it gets annoying to watch it.

However, Zadi does it with so much humanity that it resonates with you. This is something that'll stay with me.

100% recommend to anyone, irrespective of skin color, to give this a go.

This movie aims high with a satyrical discourse take on the various, complex forms of French identity, history of racism and people who feel like a failure in spite of their efforts. The main character is a failed comedian who stumbles into human rights activism on his quest for success in French showbusiness. Soon he finds out he's way over his head in uncharted waters that don't have a lot to do with human rights, but publicity, appropriation and money. The movie demasks activism as something exclusive instead of inclusive and a battlefield of minorities for center stage in social media and politics. Reducing a greater cause as means to an end that only benefits the main protagonists, it's simultaneously entertaining and saddening. Because JP wants to play a game he's completely unfamiliar with and soon finds himself in a crossfire between hooligans, racism, activism and showbusiness that uses humanitarian causes as merely another form of PR. JP turns out to be completely illiterate in terms of social intelligence. You almost feel sorry for him but then again, he just wanted to succeed in showbusiness. The humiliating encounter with the comedienne in her backstage room was painful to watch, but it's a great depiction of the precarious reality of profession.