Tout simplement noir

I found this difficult to follow since the dialogue is unforgivingly French and thus the speed of it was not conducive for reading all the lines with subtitles. Would have been better for the English release if they dubbed the whole movie in English, like they did to reel us in with the English dubbed trailer.

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.

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.

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.

Sure would like to see this film, but it was only shown briefly on a French Film festival tour. It is now impossible to obtain with English subtitles.