Green Book
Watching this movie in 2025, as an aspiring actor, writer and director and writing a review on it is a not an easy task.
After some quick research on both the historical background portrayed in the film and the process of it’s conception, I was made aware of the details of the controversy surrounding it (I has aware that there was some, while unsure about the specifics of it). And although I won’t go into specifics, I’ll say that "Green Book" raises important questions surrounding the importance of historical accuracy vs storytelling and “ownership of authorship” or, in other words, who has the right to tell what stories and from what perspective. This knowledge challenges the audience member’s stance on whether one can separate the art from the artist, a topic which has only grown to become more poignant over time.
As a movie in itself, it’s incredibly enjoyable and remarkably well executed, technically speaking. The chemistry between Ali (Dr. Donald Shirley) and Mortensen (Tony Lip) is an acting masterclass on its own, the photography is beautiful and the soundtrack is just perfect. Yes, the heavy presence of the “white saviour trope” is easily noticeable, but it didn't feel like it took anything away from what was being done or aiming to achieve. Above all else, this movie depicts a story of two very different lived experiences at a tumultuous time in the United States and their unexpected connection and the path to mutual understanding for one another's backgrounds and realities in on a deeper, unspoken level.