First Thursdays Film Series: Americanese

First and foremost a love story, Americanese reveals the heartbreaking fissures caused by prejudice within an interracial family, and the discord it causes in an interracial romance, with a tenor or realism and subtlety that can only be realized when people fo color tell their own stories. Without sensationalism or hyperbole, the film’s social commentary is implied in the small triumphs and tender missteps of people coping with indirect forms of racism too often ignored today. By embracing complexities and avoiding clichés, “Americanese” announces a new chapter in American cinema, where race consciousness and race issues are secondary to the poetry and humanity of the lives we truly live. Screenplay co-written by filmmaker Eric Byler and Shawn Wong, author of the novel American Knees (see May 2 listing) from which the film is adapted