If You Don't Evolve, You Will Get Freezer Burn

Neptune Frost is an Africanfuturist film that features anti-colonial views about gender, religion, technology, and criminal justice.

 It's a bit problematic to have Ezra Miller as a producer. I wonder if that’s a turn-off to potential viewers. Ezra Miller’s list of alleged criminal activity, including the abusive encounters with women, is so long that it would make the Nile River look short. Could that hinder the beauty and success of this film? Anyway, they couldn’t find any Black producers?

 Is technology going to be our liberator? The film shows how technology can be useful to social movements. So many times, we see how modern technological advances have been proven to be anti-Black or work against people of marginalized groups. I immediately think about face recognition software with its overrepresentation of mugshot data from Black people.

 It’s such a beautiful film filled with vibrant colors that reflect Burundi's cultural and aesthetical vibrancy and all of East Africa.

 When I think of criminal justice in the Western world, specifically the United States, I think of how it heavily relies on imprisonment for those who cause harm.

 This film has allowed an intersex protagonist to shine without creating drama about the identity. There is no judgment for the main character, Neptune, wearing heels even though they are perceived as masculine. Gender is irrelevant in this Africanfuturistic society, and the obsession with gender identity clearly has no place here because they get along fine without it. Let’s face it: there’s no intellectual reason why another person’s gender expression (a concept that is completely made up) should boil your nerves the way they do. Grow up and read some books or articles with proof of intellectual rigor written by vetted authors with a certified scholarly background.

 I’m tired of reading your views on gender that are only informed by videos on social media and a manly figure from your childhood who used to punch you in the chest when you were caught listening to Destiny’s Child.

 I noticed that hip-hop was one of the main types of music used in the film. Early hip-hop artists used music to draw attention to the social ills happening in inner city neighborhoods, especially neighborhoods in New York City. I’m not sure why hip-hop is used versus some East African style of music. Perhaps the film is making a claim that hip-hop is a universal language of all Black people due to its foundational element of social protest.

 My one complaint is that the message of the film doesn’t feel accessible to the sort of audience who could benefit from seeing it. In an interview, the producers, Anisia Uzeyman and Saul Williams, expressed that they want this film to inspire social change in the world. As powerful and thoughtful as the film is, I’m afraid that the creativity will shroud the message of social change that the film intends to convey. The intersex identity and overall revolutionary views on gender and society should’ve been more evident. Also, being more forthright about why the audience should care about these topics would make the film more accessible to those who need to see it the most. This movie is great for film buffs and academics who are used to critically analyzing film.

 I can’t imagine how a teenager who already has homophobic, misogynistic, and/ or sexist views could view this film and begin to experience a new sense of social awareness that they can use to become better humans.