I keep seeing bad reviews for this documentary and I wondered why until I realized that most people who leave film reviews are middle-aged white men. Don't listen to them.
Homecoming is inspiring, entertaining, joyful and most of all, honest. Not only do we get the chance to see a high quality video of Beyoncé's Coachella performance, we get to see all the hard work her cast and crew put into the production. We learn that it took 8 months of meetings, vocal practices, dance rehearsals, and plain old perseverance for it to come to fruition. And it shows.
I cried a few times watching this documentary because Beyoncé's performance was so much more than just a concert, it was history. Beyoncé is the first African American woman to headline Coachella and she states that what was most important to her was bringing culture to the festival. Because of this, she hired a predominantly black cast and emphasized the importance of historically black universities. The film quotes DuBois who states that, "Education must not simply teach work, it must teach life."
I hope that people give themselves the chance to broaden their perspective and see this documentary for more than what it seems. It isn't simply a behind-the-scenes look at a Coachella performance, it's an ode to all the young black men and women out there persevering and following their dreams. That alone deserves more than just a 1 star rating.
