Image via Focus Features

By: Chelsea Frazilus and Amaiya Mills, Staff Writers 

“The Magical Society of Magical Negroes”, produced by Kobi Libii, is a satirical comedy addressing the cinematic trope of the ‘magical negro’ in conversation with the threat of white discomfort  on the livelihoods of Black Americans. The Maroon Tiger spoke with actor  Justice Smith and Libii on the interrelation of Smith and Eren’s life experiences as well as the intentional directorial choices within the creation of this film on Mar. 5. 

This film features Smith, who plays Eren and David Alan Grier, who plays Roger.

Eren is an aspiring Black artist navigating his career while struggling to find his agency within predominantly white spaces. After witnessing Eren’s mental and physical struggle, Roger recruits Eren to join The American Society of Magical Negroes.

This society is comprised of supernatural Black Americans who utilize their abilities to ensure that white Americans are operating in states of ease, in all facets of their lives, protecting the Black community from being subjected to the results, sometimes fatal, of white uncomfortability. 

Throughout Eren’s involvement in this organization, he delves into the existence of “surviving” rather than living, “Black Saviorism”, and the fact that it is not the obligation of the Black community to make white people comfortable. 

When first reading the script, Smith details that he saw a young version of himself within it. 

“I grew up in a very white community [in] Orange County, California. We are a red county and I internalized a lot of the messaging that I received from my white peers. I compromised myself and made myself small socially. It was a very dark time for me”, Smith said. 

He said it was only after he left this community that he was able to experience real liberation and empowerment, define Blackness for himself and truly heal. 

“I got that vicious cycle mentality of ‘I feel so uncomfortable in this environment, in this space, so I’m going to appease in order to feel less uncomfortable’, but then that gives them permission to further disrespect me which then makes me more uncomfortable. I understood that cycle. 

“So, I knew I could lend my personal experiences to this character and I have already met people who feel seen by this movie [and] feel a little less shameful for the ways they have compromised themselves and that’s exactly what I wanted from doing this film”, Smith said. 

Libii elaborated on the creative choices he implemented for the film, ensuring that both the storyline and overall aesthetics resonated with his artistic vision.

“I like the idea that there’s this character who is bursting with these gentle beautiful colors but they can’t really be expressed because of how colonized he is.

There’s a very subtle color journey that the film goes on in the same way that the main character is taking up more space and himself becoming more vibrant” Libii said.

Through watching this film, Black viewers who have experienced the subconscious act of becoming small in white spaces can see themselves through Eren’s character. 

With the proper lens and framework, this cinematic piece provides its consumers with self-awareness and a charge to begin the necessary process of delving into their unique personhood without the need to prove their worth and please white audiences.

Copy Edited by: Auzzy Byrdsell, Editor-in-Chief