‘Dear White People’ Trailer: Netflix Taps A Comedic Powder Keg of Racial Unrest in Justin Simien’s Excellent Adaptation
“Dear White People” is an equal opportunity informer. The provocative title makes it clear that Justin Simien’s new Netflix series — adapted from his 2014 Sundance film of the same name — has a distinct black perspective, but the first trailer for the 10-episode first season makes it clear that no one person, class, or ethnicity will be able to ignore the cultural turmoil at Winchester University.
This voice will be heard, and what a voice it is.
Starring Logan Browning as talk radio host Samantha White, “Dear White People” chronicles racial unrest at a (fictional) Ivy League university. Dealing with social issues big and small, Simien’s series could have easily been (yet another) hour-long drama meant to educate via harsh truths. But the original series followed in the footsteps of the film that inspired it by utilizing a strong satiric voice, and the trailer below showcases just how sharply funny “Dear White People” can be.
IndieWire reviewed the first two episodes when they premiered at SXSW in March, calling them “an expansive look at the complexities of modern-day race relations, societal pressures, and personal responsibility.”
Here’s the official synopsis:
Set against the backdrop of a predominantly white Ivy League university where racial tensions bubble just below the surface, Dear White People is an hilarious send-up of “post-racial” America that weaves together the universal story of finding one’s own identity and forging a wholly unique path. The satirical series — which picks up where the acclaimed 2014 film by the same name left off – follows a group of Winchester University’s students of color as they navigate a diverse landscape of social injustice, cultural bias, political correctness (or lack thereof) and sometimes misguided activism in the millennial age. Through an absurdist lens, Dear White People utilizes biting irony, self-deprecation and sometimes brutal honesty to hold up a mirror to the issues plaguing society today, all the while leading with laughter.
“Dear White People” debuts its first season April 28, exclusively on Netflix. Watch the trailer below.
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