This lyrical, unsettling film conveys the experience of children of mixed racial heritage. Suffering the aggression of racial harassment, a young girl and her brother attempt to wash their skin white with scouring powder. Starkly emotional and visually compelling, this semi-autobiographical testimony to the profound internalized effects of racism and the struggle for self-definition and pride is a powerful catalyst for discussion.
“Raw and raptly personal, an elegiac exploration of Black childhood’s enforced pains.” John Lyttle Philadelphia City Limits
“Onwurah’s award-winning first film is a terrifying heartbreaker.” Ellen Cohn Village Voice
Citation
Main credits
Onwurah, Ngozi A. (film director)
Onwurah, Ngozi A. (film producer)
Onwurah, Ngozi A. (editor of moving image work)
Onwurah, Ngozi A. (screenwriter)
Onwurah, Simon K. (film producer)
Onwurah, Simon K. (photographer)
McKay, Annette (actor)
McKay, Haley (actor)
McKay, Michael (actor)
Onwurah, Madge (actor)
Other credits
Cameras, Michael Lunig, Simon K. Onwurah; sound, Richard Gray.