‘You People’ addresses culture, relationships

‘You People’ addresses culture, relationships

Carley Nail, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Being in an interracial relationship already has its challenges, but having a different race and religion than your partner can make a relationship nearly impossible—especially when family gets involved.

Ezra is a Jewish white man who dreams of hosting a podcast with one of his best friends. Amira is a Muslim Black woman who works as a costume designer and stylist. He has an accidentally racist mom. She has an overly religious protective father. They may seem like an unlikely pair, but they understand each other in ways that no one else has.

While navigating through their differences and learning to love each other, Ezra and Amira’s family seem to be the only thing in this couple’s way. “You People” pushes the boundaries placed upon culture and acknowledges the tough issues that interracial couples face. The film accurately demonstrates different perspectives that people have based on different experiences but uses comedy as a common middle ground.

In other movies I’ve seen, making jokes referring to aspects of different cultures and races has seemed forced or almost offensive. What makes “You People” different is that it embraces the awkward conversations revolving around race. Instead of shying away from hard-to-discuss topics, it openly shows the disconnect between Black and white people. It makes room for open and honest discussions about race, while the comedic aspects make the film comforting and lighthearted.

“You People” has realistic characters that add authenticity to the plot. This movie includes many simple elements that add to the delivery of the story, such as the music and images used to break up scenes. Although there were many songs throughout the movie, they didn’t take away from the plot as a whole. Featuring 29 tracks in a movie could break up the overall flow but making “You People” music heavy worked out in its favor. The songs were used to add another layer of comparison and contrast between cultures.

“You People” is a well-made film that captivates with humor while recognizing important discussions within diverse relationships and diversity as a whole.