Nova Frontier Film Festival Presents NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN Review — Black is Beautiful

Posted on by Connor Grehan

Click here to read more Picture This Post Nova Frontier Film Festival stories.

A woman with a dark skin complexion looks into the mirror. Slowly, her face becomes blurry, as the camera hones in on the Just Like Me skin whitening spray sitting on her shelf. We are privy to her internal dialogue, revealing her musings on the value of her skin as she decides whether or not to bleach it.

In NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN, we follow this woman through five minutes of dancing, fashion, and voiceover monologues, as she comes to understand the value and beauty of her Black skin. We see the woman confidently strut down the street wearing a trimmed white outfit reminiscent of cut up paper. Later, we witness her dancing in a sun-kissed alleyway. Eventually, she thinks to herself, “Until it fell upon this body, black and ordinary, the sun never knew how beautiful it could be.”

For some such as this writer, this film’s spotlight on skin bleaching might be a distressing reminder that such practices and reverence for whiter skin is still an issue in our world. Even so, the film’s positivity and its reminder to love the bodies we were born with makes it a great watch for all audiences.

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View Never Look at the Sun.

Length: 5 minutes

Creative Team:

Baloji (director)

Cast:
Chris Badzoukoula
Raphael Say
Vanessa Kouassi
Madeleine Marena
Dorrie Wilson
Berangere McNeese

For more information on the Nova Frontier Film Festival where this film was featured visit the Nova Frontier Film Festival website.

Click here to read more Picture This Post Review of Top Pick Documentaries and watch this video --

Picture This Post Documentary Reviews RoundUp --Our Top Picks

Images courtesy of Nova Frontier Film Festival

Connor Grehan
Connor Grehan

About the Author: Connor Grehan

Connor Grehan is a History and Film student at Vassar College. A longtime music student, he plays the French Horn, participating in the school orchestra and even a whistling a capella group. He likes to read books and play video games in his spare time, organizing tournaments and other events at school.

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