Link to watch film on Netflix (TW: police brutality)
Film synopsis: “In this Oscar-winning short film, man trying to get home to his dog becomes stuck in a time-loop that forces him to relive a deadly run-in with a cop.”
The film was also credits Diddy as Executive Producer
Beep.
"Hello, this is, uh, day two of my journey, if you will.. Last time I sat down and recorded one on one of these things, I was just.. kind of explaining my life and where I am at this point in time. Today's been the day where I started what I wanted to do. I talked with Isabella, I'm not sure if I mentioned her name before, she's the one who suggested this idea to me. She said she's going to a farmer's market this weekend and would love for me to come. I turned her down, but in hindsight I should've really, uh, accepted... See I haven't wanted to go out as much. It's not that I don't want to, I just need time to make peace with myself and my actions before I go out again. I wanted to take Kari to the pier nearby, but I don't want her to see my temper flare up and for me to do something that she'll think is right to do. Last time I went to that spot, I insulted somebody I think couldn't be more than, uh, fourteen years old, and I.... yelled at them and kicked away their little autograph book...… I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't stop myself from doing that.. Exhale. I'll go back to that pier this week with her and hopefully she can see why it's not good to follow who I was. It's been difficult to get that through to her, but I'm positive that one day she'll understand my perspective."
Beep.
I get it. The fact that he’s still stuck in the loop is a metaphor for police violence against African Americans. That there’s no end to it now but maybe there will be someday. I got it.
But from purely a story-lovers standpoint, I need answers. Is the cop the devil? Is he just a normal dude enjoying his ability to murder black youths free of punishment? IS HIS MOM REALLY CALLING HIM?
All jokes aside, I really did think it was a good, powerful (though too short) film. Even the title was clever. Both characters are “distant strangers” at first, and after their discussion in the car the title almost becomes ironic. They’re not strangers anymore, just enemies.
And of course the title is a reference to the Tupac song, Changes:
>We’ve got to start making changes, learn to see me as a brother instead of two distant strangers
AND both Changes and the song Tupac sampled for it, The Way it Is (also the song that plays throughout the film on his headphones), are about racial inequality and how unfair the world can be when your skin is a different color than everyone else’s.
Did anyone else hope for more or is it just me?
A film can be subtle when conveying a message, even when tension is high on the topic.
The message this short film propaganda seemed to be sending was "There are white cops that are inherently bad, they want to kill you and there is nothing a black person could do to change that, maybe it's your astrological sign. Did someone say violence?"
Another one is "black people steal because they are born in poor neighborhoods and there is no other option." - there is no other option, really? not a single one? if so, please explain to me how justifying poor black people stealing is helping people in poor neighborhoods.
There is also a scene he makes implicit the use of violence when listing all the things we tried and there is nothing left to try.. "Maybe violence?" is left for the viewers to suggest.
Can someone explain why complying was never an option? I mean, if a policeman asks to check your belongings or search you, do you have a right to deny? When did running from or fighting with cops became a good idea? How many deaths does it take to say "ok, here is my bag" without irony, sarcasm? Or is saying no to obligatory cop searches a right they are pushing?
And God, tell me why does it need 30 minutes to tell this message? I hate when filmmakers stretch a film so they can fit a category, such a waste of everybody's time.
Am I the only one who notice these things?
TL;DL: Isn't the message supposed to be "black people are people too"? Because the name, and the whole film, show separation at its best with its name being "Two Distant Strangers", and not "Two Humans" or something. The film results in pure hopelessness, leaving in the air the need for violence.
Title says it all. Would love to listen to it outside of the film as I really enjoyed the track. :)
Sorry if this has been posted before, but does anyone know where to watch these two? Can’t find streams or links anywhere.
Jesse is one of the Exec Producers of the film that’s on the short list to be nominated for an Oscar.
It’s a powerful & honest look at the realities of being black in America.
Congrats to Jesse Williams
Found it to be a great educational tool.
Whether you are a teacher, community leader, or someone who just needing a talking point for helping anyone open their eyes to why people are upset about police brutality.
This leads to what we are currently living through: restricting voter rights.
Netflix programming is doing an amazing job at teaching critical thinking via cinema.
Netflix short film written and co-directed by a filmmaker named Travon Free. The 32-minute film, which stars Joey Bada$$ as the character caught in the time loop, won an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film.
Independent and foreign film distribution is the simplest way of sharing the values of other cultures that would otherwise be underrepresented, if at all.
Aside from food. In which case, anything Jon Favreau on Netflix: Chef and Chef’s Table w Roy Choi (Kogi Truck fame).
The beauty of “Two Distant Strangers” is that it is a topic already covered by Cynthia Kao, who earlier released a completely different version: “Groundhog Day for a Black Man.” Yet, it dealt with the same subject matter.
Even the writer of Groundhog Day was pleased to see that his timeline created for Bill Murray was put into motion with regards to aspects of the police that become an ugly blight on society.
What Two Distant Strangers and Groundhog Day for a Black Man do share is an unabashed debt to Groundhog Day.
Danny Rubin, the writer of that 1993 film, said he was unaware of this recent controversy, and hadn’t seen either short. But he said he was “delighted by all of the permutations” of his film’s concept.
“I don’t know who saw what first or who knew what when, but Groundhog Day has obviously arisen as a popular reference point wherever someone encounters a frustrating repetition, so it wouldn’t surprise me that more than one person would have arrived at a Groundhog Day approach to exploring America’s relationship with Black men,” Rubin wrote in an email.
“To the maker of the first film, it most certainly would feel like being ripped off; however, two filmmakers independently coming up with this seems a more likely choice to me than stealing.”
“I think Groundhog Day showed a lot of people how repetition of days can be used as a powerful dramatic tool because, even though the premise is magical, it still somehow resonates deeply with our actual lives,” Rubin added.
“It certainly would have the potential to shed light on serious topics.
Of course, it is still up to the skill of t
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I watched a clip of this movie and the first few lines of the song that played in the ride along near the end spoke to me. I need to know that song. If anyone knows plz tell me
As of late, it has come to my attention that the entertainment industry has become overwhelmed with the suffering of Black people. Films such as Jordan Peele’s Get Out and shows like Amazon’s Them, HBO’s Lovecraft Country, and even the most recent season of Umbrella Academy all center around past and present instances of segregation, racism, and police brutality. It seems the new norm of focus in Black entertainment is Black oppression.
Two Distant Strangers tells its story through a similar lens, this time in the form of an endless loop of racial profiling and police brutality. The film follows Carter James (played by rapper Joey Bada$$) as he constantly is harassed by a police officer (Andrew Howard), ultimately resulting in his death; he then wakes up on the morning of his murder and proceeds to repeat the day over and over with no resolution in sight (regardless of what different choices he makes).
Feeling hesitant to watch the film on my own, I chose to join my former college roommate for our first viewing. When the credits hit, we both sat in confusion at the film’s conclusion with the same question etched across our faces: who is the film actually for?
In an interview with Complex Magazine, one of the film’s writer/directors Travon Free stated:
>“Even though the story itself is a work of fiction, it’s based on the lives or group of people,” he continued. “So that was important to me that it’d be representative of reality because I wanted people to be like, ‘This really happens?’ If you’ve somehow managed to miss what’s been happening, I want people to see this and go, ‘Well, the police wouldn’t like breaking your door and have the wrong house.’ Oh yeah, they’ve done it multiple times. They do it a lot. And have killed people in many of those instances.”
Though his point is valid, I have to question why he felt as though this was the most effective route to go. I completely understand the intent of this film, and it is slightly successful at shedding light on the chess match of police brutality, but to what avail?
I would argue (and believe that many Black people would agree) that Two Distant Strangers doesn’t do much for the current circumstances African Americans face. The film simply simulates circumstances that have actually happened (or could happen) to any Black person–but that’s it. It does nothing to change a narrative that we already know to be true.
The simple fact is, WE know what’s going on with our peo
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