The New York Times, July 17, 2018: Review: ‘Blindspotting’ walks a tense line in a gentrifying Oakland
The opening credits of “Blindspotting” showcase the city of Oakland, Calif., in split-screen, offering two distinctive points of view. One side shows a vibrant multiracial culture living in a frequently beleaguered environment; the other a gentrifying city whose newest residents — young, white, start-up-happy, new-money types — seem eager to embrace the area’s “authenticity,” as long as their interactions with its longtime residents don’t involve any real discomfort.
Collin (Daveed Diggs), nearing the end of his probation for a felony we don’t learn much about until relatively late in the movie, initially confronts the “new” Oakland via a bottle of green juice now being sold at his regular bodega. It goes for 10 bucks a pop. Feeling flush on his way to his job at a moving company, he picks one up — partly to impress Val (Janina Gavankar), his ex-girlfriend, who works as the moving company’s receptionist and scheduler. “It’s part of my regimen now,” he tells her, unconvincingly. (He takes one sip and looks as if he’s about to be sick.)
Looking good to Val is one of Collin’s many concerns. Anticipating getting sprung from a halfway house, he’s maintaining regular work hours and keeping his nose clean. His friends aren’t, it seems, completely dedicated to his cause. Collin’s best buddy from childhood and partner at the moving company gig is Miles (Rafael Casal). He’s white, while Collin is black. They sometimes like to recap their days and evenings by concocting rhymes together; this element of their friendship comes into crucial play at the movie’s nerve-grinding climax.
