Why Donald Glover's Atlanta Feels So Weird
Вставка
- Опубліковано 27 бер 2022
- Watch all my videos ad-free and get exclusive content on Nebula: go.nebula.tv/thomasflight
(Signing up using my link supports my channel)
The world of Donald Glover's Atlanta feels... off. What's going on?
Citations:
Baraka, Amiri. “Henry Dumas: Afro-Surreal Expressionist” Black American Literature Forum, Vol. 22, No. 2, Henry Dumas Issue (Summer, 1988)
www.jstor.org/stable/2904491
Miller, D. Scot. “Call It Afro-Surreal.” San Francisco Bay Guardian, 19 May 2009, sfbgarchive.48hills.org/sfbga...
Mulkerrins, Jane. "Donald Glover on the Return of Atlanta: ‘I’m Not Making a TV show, I Am Making an Experience’." The Guardian, Jun 23, 2018, www.theguardian.com/tv-and-ra...
Bakare, Lanre. "From Beyoncé to Sorry to Bother You: The New Age of Afro-Surrealism." The Guardian, Dec 06, 2018,
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-ra...
Special thanks to D. Scot Miller for the interview.
// WATCH MORE THOMAS FLIGHT
-Ad-Free Videos and Exclusive Content on Nebula: go.nebula.tv/thomasflight
-My Podcast Cinema of Meaning:
Ad-Free and early on Nebula: Nebula: nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4n6zZZQ...
iTunes: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
-Rent or Buy My Experimental Documentary:
labyrinthion.com
-Read My Newsletter:
thomasflight.substack.com/
// SUPPORT MY WORK
-Support my Channel directly on Patreon: / thomasflight
Patrons get access to a discord community, monthly podcast reviews of everything I watch, and more!
-Sign up for Nebula using my Link: go.nebula.tv/thomasflight
Signing Up for Nebula using my link supports my channel financially.
// FOLLOW ME
-Twitter: / thomasflight
-Website: www.thomasflight.com
-Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/thomasflight/
-TikTok: / thomas.flight
// CONTACT ME
-sponsorship and Business inquiries: thomasflight@standard.tv
-Questions, feedback, other stuff: contact@thomasflight.com
(check out my FAQ as well: www.thomasflight.com/faq)
#ThomasFlight #VideoEssay
Select Images supplied by Getty Images - Фільми й анімація
Check out my thoughts on this years Oscars right now on Nebula: nebula.app/videos/thomasflight-why-are-the-oscars-like-that
If you don't have Nebula you can get it for free with the CuriosityStream + Nebula Bundle (Less than $15 a year): CuriosityStream.com/ThomasFlight
Wish I could have LIKED this twice... EXACTLY PIECE
damn
Atlanta makes fun of white people like you, lol.
look up the artist Umar Rashid
Atlanta is amazing but it’s just pushing super woke and victimhood whyte peeopo means waycist narratives. Outside of that bs it’s amazing and the acting is great
I told my friend a while ago that being black sometimes feels like being in an episode of the Twilight Zone then I watched Atlanta..He definitely captured what a lot of us feel.
Agreed I always tell my significant other like Atlanta I love the show so much
It’s so trippy to me like
it's a show for separatist and racists. the whole point is white people bad. its just more of this victim mentality and lack of accountability the show spends the whole time trying to blame white people for everything bad in the black community. its a show for people who refuse to be honest.
@@youtubebannedme4207I don’t give af about anything you just wrote man lol
@@Kayodoms LMFAO ❤ God bless u cuhz
@@poopyfartboi I’m atheist
Coming as a Hispanic dude. Atlanta really makes you understand what it’s like living in a racist society on a day to day basis without actually telling you.
I'm also black and my parents are from Nigeria. They came to this country with nothing and now make more money than the average white family and they did this within a single generation! It's not racism keeping people down. It's culture and the quicker people understand this, the better off we will be. The occurrence of individual racism does not mean we get to condemn the "society" that's ridiculous.
@@mike8595 they don’t see it that way, we come from the outside so we see things from a different perspective. They’re still slaves mentally. Sadly to say.
@@mike8595 So you're using your family's individual experience to say that widespread systemic racism doesn't exist, but then also telling off others to not use their "occurrence of individual racism" to "condemn the society"?
@@mike8595 There’s openly racist people explaining what they’re doing and why they are doing it, on the internet bro. Racism is real.
@@mike8595 you got the ones that want to participate & keep the current society alive vs. The ones waiting for the bullshit to burn
"What I take for granted as normal is creating an absurd reality for others..." Great quote.
Duh- first world mindset
@@SweetUareDesi if it was "duh" obvious, we wouldn't need whole shows to articulate it
and I am wondering was there another word/phrase articulated for this concept during colonial times?
I've met too many old ExPat Twats who couldn't hold a bar job in UK, France etc come to our third world countries and join the top 1% with no experience or qualifications. They see it as normal, take the privilege for granted while the locals ingest this absurd reality and never protest... until they come to UK/US and bam!! 💥they 'wake up' to the absurdness of their colonial reality back home.
@@SweetUareDesi no it isn't it stems from separation of classes in a diverse society
@@SweetUareDesi it really is. I don't exactly know how ppl just find more and more problems and the answer usually (and strangely) always goes to something like fuck the white people. Guess it's working though, recent interview with brits asked the question to multiple ppl on the street ''What are woman good for?'' which everyone without thought responded ''everything''. When the same question was asked about man though, nobody even answered? Conquer and divide
This series does a great job of the "Show not tell" aspect of a good story. Nobody is narrating for the camera, this world exists without there being a lens on it. It respects its own universe too much to care about coddling the viewer with obligatory narrative.
Bloddy hell that is quite a remarkable view. I think this is the answer to why it always felt weird or different when seeing it. Thank you.
Watched Atlanta as Moon Knight has been coming out and gotta say this is definitely true. Using Moon Knight as a comparison, they "tell" a lot and it actually annoyed me. Every time he's dealing with his split personality (between Marc and Steven), they will verbally say they're confused and shit, and talk to themselves for no reason other than to coddle the viewer with that. Sometimes it's necessary when he's talking to people, but most of the time it isn't. Atlanta just leaves everything you need to piece it together yourself without just telling you what it's trying to do
Best observation I've seen about this show! 🙌🏽
I love that last sentence. Atlanta truly does just present things “as is”. Even the characters… they’re so human; they make human, flawed, selfish and good decisions. The writers don’t tell you how to feel or how to judge a situation. They just present it.
And the thing about it…. We all live like Atlanta everyday because it captures all the the random things that happen within our days in a realistic way
Glad they included 'Sorry To Bother You' in the afro-surrealism mix. It's a brilliant, highly entertaining film with some very heavy points being made. My guy LaKeith Stanfield is amazing in it, as always.
Indeed, my friend and I watched it a couple years ago without knowing anything at all about it, and it was fantastic to say the least. I haven't started Atlanta yet but I plan on it this week
I still hate the ending 😂
@@Mvrko.J I watched that movie on mushrooms for the first time, I was surprised to say the very least 🤣🤣
@@DonnyFettucine facts ,i was smoking and that shit damn near blew me bro 😂
@@Mvrko.J that reveal was perfect though 😂😂 shit had me scared too lmfaoo
Its the humanity and nuance of its critique: it’s studied yet mildly passionate; it’s humour has a purpose; it recognises the absurd in reality, the real in the surreal. Its the best show for a while now; I just would like more of it.
and Donald glover confirms this? This isn't just being over thought?
@@revolbeef the level of detail is obviously intentional, its up to the viewer to interpret the meaning
Still think thisnwaybafter seein last episode where blk ppl became the wealthy ppl by repayin a small amount from slavery
@@cabasse_music this is exactly why modern filmmaking is pretentious as fuck. Like ‘The Power of the Dog’ nothing fucking happens the entire time, it goes beyond being “subtle” to being flat out “boring”. And yet the pretentious snobs on social media will make a 12 hour video essay about these droning films that have little to nothing to say about. Its cringeworthy.
@The One 1. yes because it premiered 4 yrs after the 2nd 2. It’s his opinion 3. Popular doesn’t equal great by any means.
If you’ve ever lived in Atlanta, you’d know something always feels “off” or “weird”. It’s a magical place.
I think I’ll have to go someday now
Huh?
@@antoniamilton8413 anything unclear?
No it’s just super gay
There are only three places in the U.S. that make me feel like I’ve stepped into an alternate reality
1. Atlanta
2. Louisiana (specifically New Orleans area, an unsettling but magical kind of weird)
3. St. Augustine (most of Florida in general tbh and it’s the bad kind of weird)
this could also go with the jordan peele films as well, and other creators, seems like this thing is its own genre, and its gaining more popularity, love seeing stuff like this being made
Most of the Kendrick Lamar music videos are too
race bait
Race bait
Even John singleton with one film he did. Tales from the Hood.
@@wanyekest6969 whats a race bait
5:58 "If you're dealing with absurd fiction everyday of your life, something you know isn't real, but you have to treat it as if its real... that's the thing putting us in jail... giving us unemployment... getting us killed." Wow. Perfectly summed it up. So glad I saw some exploratory videos like this one and moved beyond 'but its about African Americans, I'm a white Aussie girl' and watched it. Powerful show.
African American men, correction 👩🏽🏫
@@SweetUareDesi Nah, whilst it is predominately about the guys, the show takes a good amount of time to highlight the incredibly difficult plight of African American women, through Vanessa (e.g. what really struck me were the scenes with her and her old friend at that high-end restaurant, a friend who's sleeping with basketball players/living a fancy life but only really through rich men, it feels so disingenuous/precarious/non-independent, she judges & passively aggressively disapproves of V having a kid with Earn - its a really good episode, just shows you how impossibly hard it is for African American women to balance between reality and societies expectation of them, even within their own culture, e.g. "you're * just * someone's baby mommy" rhetoric, completely disempowering V's choice in all this).
That was the line.
@@SweetUareDesi primarily yes, but exploration with Van sometimes gets to it. Insecure often works more in line with Black women's Afrosurrealism but at times goes even more absurdist.
@@SweetUareDesi Its about African Americans period. Black women deal with the same crap FULL STOP. Dont go by what limited storytelling is shown on TV news and media. Black men do not equate Black People. We are in this BS together.
At one point in my life, the company I worked for fired everyone and closed down the building I was working in very suddenly an I lost access to health insurance and thus my medications I need to live. After some research, I discovered a place nearby that provided free health care and medications to people who were unemployed, which I had just become. I decided to sign up at this place for health care until I got a new job, because I needed my meds and couldn't live without them.
Anyway, this place was setup in a real bizarre manner. They only accept new patients on one night each week and you have to show up at around 4am and form a line and at 8am the doors open and the first 10 people in that line get added as new patients. So when I went to sign up there, I got there at 4am and was already 3rd in line.
Now this place was in a pretty shady area in the city and wasn't well lit, so it was already uncomfortable to know I had to stand there for 4 hours waiting for the doors to open. Not only that, but both of the people in front of me in line were homeless drug addicts. They were having conversations with each other, with me, and sometimes themselves, talking about all kinds of things. They believed all sorts of crazy things. I don't remember the specifics of what they talked about, but I do remember all of it sounded unhinged. They were like conspiracy nuts, the sort of people who believe there are listening devices all over, in common objects. The one guy made a comment that he had special equipment and detected 4 of them in the wall of the building we were standing in front of at some point. They also talked about how they came to be homeless. I never asked, but it felt almost like a compulsion on their part, like they just had to tell their story. It was deeply unsettling being next to these two individuals alone in this dark alley for hours in this shady part of town, and it was impossible to know how much of what they said was true, how much was an intentional lie, and how much was just crazy shit they believe is true but isn't.
I ultimately got inside, signed up, and was given my medication. Once you sign up, you can just show up at any time while they're open to pickup meds for a full year so I was already employed again and had health insurance and didn't have to go back. But that experience was very otherworldly to me. It felt almost like being in a dream because I was in a place I would never have gone to, surrounded by people i'd work hard to avoid being near, and so on.
When I watch shows like Atlanta, it reminds me of that experience. It was almost like being sucked into the twilight zone where all the rules to the world suddenly changed for a short time before going back to normal.
Thats how i feel everyday lol, i loved reading this really relatable
That's a great story, sorry you had to go through that though.
Agreed with Illuminati. That's how I feel everyday. Maybe detached
It's called complex trauma. Anyone whos experienced derealisation and dissociation knows these feelings well. You're technically in the world and you're expected to play by its rules, but you're having a very different internal experience than most people.
Bruh...
As a young black kid that loves this show it’s really cool to learn about afro-surrealism, also very eye opening creativity wise
As a black man and artist, nothing that was explained in this video was new to me lol
@@izzy.cooper just cause the news always announces if a man is black ... doesn't mean you should.
genuinely, it helped me provide a word for something i always was interested in.
. . . So surrealism then? It seems like adding Afro to surrealism is kinda pointless at best and pretentious at worst. What’s next Anglo-surrealism? Latin-surrealism? I mean the show is good and actually does surrealism very well but trying to add Afro to the concept of surrealism because it’s about African-American topical stuff is just sorta pointless. Or am I missing something? Then again unless in this context Afro mean African American then I guess it kinda helps refine the concept? Btw as a guy who works with people actually from Africa in a ngo about Africa I can say that while Pan-Africanism is a nice concept in the sense of a African EU like Qaddafi tried to make back in the day, but to see one of the most diverse, intricate ancient places on earth treated like it’s a monolith instead of what is actually is rather annoying, saying someone or something is “African” is like saying your “American” but even more vague and less informative. Sorry about the rant but I do hope Iam just missing something here and that this isn’t just some faux wokie bs Ive stumbled onto.
@@RomanvonUngernSternbergnrmfvus Sounds like you didn’t listen.
I wish something like this was around when I was a teenager. I was really into surrealism, absurdism, Avant-garde, experimental art, music, books, movies, television, etc. And unfortunately, as a black male, I was either unaware that this form of medium existed and was made by people of color or it just didn't. But I'm glad it's here now.
Check out the movie, "Brother from another planet". Surrealism in the '80s.
We would've had more, and earlier, but the white guys that kept the gates guarded underestimated the black intellect and everyone else's ability to be entertained regardless of the color of the artists... refused to bankroll the projects.
Spike would've been way more surreal had he been allowed. Chiraq was after it no longer mattered.
No more gatekeepers for the most part, we will see much more.
@@kfrancis1872 Oh I’ve seen Brother from another planet. It is an amazing film, one of Joe Morton earliest roles. It was celebrated in the art house community when it was released, and it was right up my alley. Also did you see Putney Swoop? Another avant-garde, surrealist movie that’s really funny!
@@jayceinfinitealgharhythmns9814 No I've never heard of it, I'll have to find it, thanks!!
first started watching atlanta at 16 when it first aired been on it ever since
It definitely was around
I’m 48 black male you just had to look or more importantly know where to look
I’m black and from the UK and a lot of these incidents stand out to me.
The sandwich reminds of the drug addict who’ll offer you something out of random and if you don’t accept act like you insulted them.
I remember one time my friend was just reciting a song(we have a lot of songs about violence) and my friends uncle (we were 14 at the time at his birthday party, now 25) started talking about what it’s like to stab a man in the chest and how it feels. Just because he thought it’d be a good warning to younger people.
And I don’t know if it’s just the black experience and not a working class experience. But, because therapy isn’t really a thing if you don’t have money or time, you get a lot of experiences around people who should have far more self awareness.
TL;DR I feel a lot of those experiences when watching Atlanta.
The ideology came from England back in the 15-1600s and was prevalent in the south.
@@felixfungle-bung4688 Afro surrealism came from England?
I do think the show is as much about class as it is about race.
Bruh stop
You don't feel any of this cuz yo British ass ain't from America.
As a white guy who did a video about the surrealism in Atlanta way back when, this is really awesome and important context about why it felt that way
I just watched your video. You did a great job
You both did great jobs in your individual approaches. This type of subject matter could spawn decades of material.
But but but ur types were the people originally called black...😏
You really don't have to specify your race colour
i'm too high fo this
as a latino man this show really hit home. personally i don’t speak spanish and for the most part i’ve made my own identity. but every hispanic i meet says i’m not mexican enough or how can you be mexican if you don’t speak the language. But whenever i’m around whites or hell any other race i can tell that they look at me weird and treat me differently to the point where everything they says seems fake almost.
I feel u man, same here
same
Facts.
Dude you hit the nail on the head.
I grew up in a dominantly Latin and Black neighborhood, in a not so great part of town. I have lighter skin than other Mexicans and Latin people, but I can still speak some spanish. When I do, white people and Mexicans alike always act surprised. I would always struggle with who I am because I don't look white, but I don't look "Mexican enough" to be included in being mexican. I always felt in between identities. Sort of floating and never being able to identify with a specific race. Almost like white people could tell I'm not white so I was treated differently, while other Mexicans felt I never belonged.
Similar, i have instances where it seems to take people more time to “accept” me I think? They can tell, but generally find “white” to be friendly more towards me. Though lately I think it may have more to do with dressing/styles, accent/language, mainstream culture/awareness.
Watching Atlanta just encapsulated what it felt like being black sometimes, the scene where Darius gets chased by the lady on the scooter was hilarious but actually resonated with me because sometimes you just exist or do what everyone else is doing but you get singled out for being black
As a Latino I can't tell you how many tines I've been asked to show my receipt when leaving a store. Like bro, I'm not gonna fucking risk jail time over some fucking fruits😂
First episode of this season was so important and a rollercoaster of emotions.
Why would you say it's important?
@@Nohandleisahandle I can’t speak for op but personally I think it’s because it’s based on real events
@@Nohandleisahandle based on real events, adopted black kids, took staged pictures for social media then drove off a cliff with all the kids in the car. Evil people. Rip to the kids
How the cuts between the guy on the boat, the boy, and then Ern happen, is so sharp. And it connects these 3 people through an universal experience, which is the core of the episode and the main theme of the show as a whole.
@@leem48 i didnt know it was based on real events. RIP to the kids. kinda reminds of Tarantino and how he likes to change real life tragedies to positive endings.
I've been experiencing derealization for the past 4 years of my life. Nonstop. And I've been black longer lol. It's interesting just how much Atlanta and Jordan peele movies really do somehow depict how I feel a lot of the time.
I’ve been struggling with that too. It’s so weird walking around and wondering what’s real even though it’s all happening right in front of you.
7 years here 😪
bruh 😩
I hope you get better I heard being black can really drop your quality of life if not treated quickly . . . I kid but on a real and less easily to be interpreted as racist note, I genuinely hope you get better and find what you need to make peace with your mind.
Wtf
Thanks man! As a latino living in Boston now, the subtleness of everything is what makes racism so weird and deeply rooted in others actions.
You know what the root of 'racism', ya'll act like assholes 24/7, then want some type of financial reimbursement for acting like an asshole and being racist yourself.
While each race suffers from its own varied American racism, it's a huge cringe each time Hispanics enter the black racism conversation. Why? Because historically racism against blacks is the most ubiquitous & gargantuan, never to be fully understood outside of being black.
Not looking for a debate. Just nodding a true fact that's painfully an inarguable true fact.
@@rheeryder2524that’s a terrible argument… you clearly have no clue
@@ivanmk8287with debating skills like yours might as well say nun uh
@@rheeryder2524Me being latino I agree with the statement that being latino and experiencing racism is different from what a black person would experience but we both experience the roots of systemic oppression in different areas. Being brown for me as a latino I experience the ignorance or the “white savior” complex some might call it but I won’t experience the feelings of being disconnected with your roots or your ancestors because tracking down great grandparents who were slaves in southern america and having your culture stripped from you is something specific to the black experience. We can both speak about it and personal experiences can’t be brought down to suffering contests. We both deal with shit and it sucks but people replying not seeing your point as I took it is probably not doing any justice. My family and friends treating my brother who was born white in a more favorable way and having my family want me to only pursue white women to what basically translates from spanish to “bettering our race” is something personal to me but that I understand won’t be understood by others. We all have our different struggles with how we are treated but we are united by a system that is designed to put both of us down.
Even though I have dealt with a lot of things that have occurred in Atlanta, a lot of Atlanta moments makes me feel things similar to cringe, because it feels both so real, but so awkward. I always end up pausing the show and doing something else because the show just makes me feel so weird.
Right. A lot of darkness resides in this show.
9:20 This kinda reminds me of the concept of double consciousness, that surrealism in afro surrealism is specifically the disconnect between personal identity, how you perform, and the way the world perceives you. And that make sense, identity is a huge theme in the show
Full…..Metal……Jacket
@@JEEDUHCHRI ok, wdym
@@sigh824 I think I was trying to suggest something about the duality of man, sir….The Jungian thing sir.
i’m so glad somebody else thought this-i was looking through the comments hoping that there would be a reference to web du bois somewhere because his conceptualization of “The Veil”; or like you said double-consciousness, is so relevant to the experience Atlanta was trying to capture
This video really helped me for my college sociology course. Just learned double consciousness and love Atlanta. Such a good day for my personal education growth.
I always found it crazy how America was basically two distinctly different worlds existing in one place.
It’s many worlds.
The Native world
The European world
The African world
The Chinese world
Etc etc etc.
Within in each of those monolithic groups are smaller fractalized worlds. Co-mingling, evolving, dying out, being born.
It’s a big cross roads.
It’s great isn’t it.
@@ladybug3380 nope
I would say it's way more than two. America was always intended to be one giant mixing pot and bc it hasn't been around very long doesn't have its own distinct identity for the most part.
@@zachjennings5320 honestly I still think it's two.. the over &the under
all those world's exist in the same space of organized poverty &oppression.. the disappearing native american girls disappearing black girls.. the staggering unsolved sex crime related murders on reservations.. the staggering amount of disappeared sex trafficked black girls whose existence aneriKKKa dgaf..
They all seem to coexist in the other/underworld of America
Some who temporarily existed in the under (Irish Asian immigrants etc) pulled themselves out of it either by direct eurocentric adjacency or overt assimilation submission
I think Missy Elliott videos from back in the day also have an aspect of Afro Surrealism in them. Was watching Work It and the scene where the slave turns the master into a slave by slapping him sticks out. Saw that and that and thought of this video. I think she definitely played with this concept as well.
10:10 That shot is incredible. What a unique way to make everything feel so uncomfortable.
It occurs to me that the genre works so well, when it does, not only as an explication of marginalized people's experience but also as something that everyone can relate to. That odd feeling that something's not right, that we're missing something. It's a universal human experience.
“Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself.[1] Its aim was, according to leader André Breton, to "resolve the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality into an absolute reality, a super-reality", or surreality.[2][3][4] It produced works of painting, writing, theatre, filmmaking, photography, and other media.”
Wikipedia:
We’re not connected to the source , which is partially true. We’ll always be connected to the source of our essence, this reality is so low vibrational we can’t sense it so we feel empty and alone. Just remember we are all ONE.
So you collectivize under a name like “POC”, become a hardcore socialist, and consistently hate the white race….it’s not others who are the problem, or this strange “odd” feeling. It’s your insistent need to reject your surroundings, to reject assimilation, and instead expect everyone else to conform to you.
You people are not complicated, nor does a corporate tv show need to make it complicated….when another tv exists called “white fragility” exists in the same timeline. It’s all motivated by opportunistic people, who have loads of money and power, and who need to narcissistically tell you their thoughts are better because of this money and power they possess.
@The One if you look at his skin you can see that he is black, you gotta look closely tho it’s hard to see
@The One he's a very marginalized person. Granted he's had a lot of success it doesn't take away from the fact that he's surely experienced countless weird moments. He doesn't quite fit in among Hollywood, the rap community, as a comedian, nowhere. He's had to fight to be respected for his crafts because his perspective is so unique
I completely agree. I feel oddly validated when I watch Atlanta. These are people in the same age group as me, same race as me, and having the exact same surrealistic experiences I've had most of my life...except, I'm in New York.
The show is just perfectly brilliant ❤️
Same!
I'm in France and Atlanta said it all for me.
@The One That's not what fragility means
As a young black woman growing up in the south it's very real lol, I feel like something will always feel weird if it isn't your reality. But that's also the beauty of television, you get to take a look into the worlds of those around you. It somewhat takes you into the life of weird or quirky African Americans in Atlanta if that makes sense.
I love that Donald hid his albums in the background of the show, it's super genius!
I like the idea of afro surrealism as a way to frame the black experience in a way that can resonate with anyone regardless of race, class, etc. That is what I enjoy most about the show. Also, I never thought about Atlanta in relation to Twin Peaks or from a surrealist perspective but the parallels are obvious when you point them out.
Thank you Thomas Flight. I can always count on your videos to show me new perspectives and add depth to so much I already love in film and television.
The use of surrealism to highlight the struggles of oppressed peoples & how there's often no clear reason & probably more "weird" situations than flat out aggressive/violent situiations is such a brilliant storytelling technique that I never actually considered until this video.
Jordan Peele has absolutely ventured into this territory with his movies & his & Key's work on Key & Peele - Lovecraft Country especially comes to mind.
Love seeing a video like this to deepen my appreciation of art!
You can still just call it surrealism. There is no need to add "afro" into it. The fact that it's about a specifically African American experience is obvious enough.
@@carltonbanks5470 Agreed - sticking afro makes puts into a race bucket - I think it is just surrealism from the perspective of those blacks of America who are struggling. But surrealism can come from many perspectives.
so it's just surrealism?
@@mikespike2099 The guy interviewed in the video said that the afro prefix doesn't make it about race, it's about any marginalized group. Afro surrealism is not the same as surrealism... it was explained in the video
You really need to dig into the Childish Gambino videos (not just "This Is America") to understand the surrealist groundwork Donald laid a decade before Atlanta.
Fr tho
That one with the beach and alien though
Absolutely. He told a grand story through the music videos of "Because the Internet"
@@chvisuals5303 I used to be a huge fan and knew every word of that album. That being said, the because the internet screenplay was not a good story. There really wasn’t one, he just threw a bunch of weird or similarly themed ideas together.
What is actually surreal is the fact that while we think everyone is looking at us and analyzing our every move, it’s just the exact opposite. Everyone is so self-absorbed to the extent that they wouldn’t notice if you wore the same outfit every day for a year.
Like American Psycho.
Nope you’re wrong I know the „spotlight thing“ is a thing but there are actually a lot of people out there who are more than aware of their surrounding and if people would really be too self absorbed as you have written there wouldn’t be so many people in the business of other people shit…
@@kjuniorify the only thing cultists care about is skin colour and sexuality. Normal people don't care. 99.99999% of my encounters with people are white noise. I cant even remember the face or clothes if a dude I almost beat up as he tried to very obviously cut in line in front of me with a #49 when it was #46 and i was #47.
It was very heated confrontation because he was a drug addict and made a complete dumbass out of himself.
If I wasn't super late, i woulda beat the shit out him. Yet, the moment I got home I couldn't even remember his face or clothes, my memory just making up shit trying to recount the experience.
And he even looked super weird, with a small ass cap on his head and some kind of massive earphones that looked more like hearing aid.
So Unless you stand out like a sore thumb, you will be in the minds of people around you for 5 seconds tops. Well if they actually managed to stop looking at their phone.
The only people that are "aware" are the violent cultists if you have a MAGA hat for example, or if you say something against the alphabet mafia etc... Aka politics. Other than that, normal people don't give a fuck.
most of my coworkers literally just wear their work uniform all of the time even when they're not working
True except there’s people like me out there so watch out. We’re too hyper attentive to our surrounding and our attention to detail is absurd so we notice everything.
I never connected Atlanta to Twin Peaks but now it makes so much sense. Absolutely love the series. Rewatching for the second time and it's such an experience.
We love Atlanta so much and these 1st 2 episodes of season 3 did not disappoint.
One of my favorite shows of all time, so, so good. You really nailed it about the
off-ness and other-ness the show paints.
Season 3 was dreadful
@@alecvogel3269 Dreadful? Well...... that's just your opinion, maaaan...
@@hermanpearl1430 cos I'm white
Atlanta is absolutely incredible. I adore all of Twin Peaks as well, and Atlanta is one of the only shows that can give me that similar experience, sometimes even better. What an amazing show.
This makes me want to watch Twin Peaks!
The use of surrealism to highlight the struggles of oppressed peoples & how there's often no clear reason & probably more "weird" situations than flat out aggressive/violent situiations is such a brilliant storytelling technique that I never actually considered until this video.
Jordan Peele has absolutely ventured into this territory with his movies & his & Key's work on Key & Peele - Lovecraft Country especially comes to mind.
Love seeing a video like this to deepen my appreciation of art!
this reminds me of silence of the lambs and the shots they used to be from clarice's perspective of being in a male dominated space and like i always thought those shots really did just look so *weird* and this is making me realize how it could just be afrosurrealism(ex. the shot of all the men staring at the camera, as in her perspective, silently for a few seconds, or the shot of her in the elevator with all the other men)
WOW! The way you broke down information was amazing! To grasp the concept of a show and feel it so in depth is one thing, but to put it into words is another. And you did it so well! Thank you!
Honestly never watched Atlanta from this lens before but now that you mention it it really hits home
How when it's blatant?
@@BDG96 not really it comes across as a comedy because the stuff that’s depicted is something that could happen and has happened to people.
I think magical realism is a thing going on with the show too. It's something that came to mind when I was watching Reservation Dogs, and it's really interesting to see a Native American experience on it as well. That show reminds me of Atlanta in a lot of ways, too
The magical realism aspect of it seems, to me, to be heavily inspired by the show Louie. Idk what we can extrapolate from that, but it's a feeling I've had since the very beginning of the show.
you’re so right! reservation dogs is a great show :)
This was a beautiful analysis. Thank you both for working together to produce this video.
This show made my jaw drop so many times. I was so excited every week to watch the new episodes. Hands down the best tv show I have ever seen. I wish more movies/tv was like this.
Amazing work. Thank you. I've always thought of Atlanta as a social satire first and foremost, the writers asking, "how can we make our audience uncomfortable with a truth we know" and like you said theres never an answer, as satire is never responsible for that. The surreal/absurdist moments that spring out of it are a delicious nuance, the writers way of physically showing these layers of society that are so embedded within they cant be confronted in any other sensible way.
Atlanta really shows the uncertainty of our time: there's no real meaning in what we do and we should not seek it, we're just here
Yep totally agree
i love you from just that sentence lol
"all you have to do is exist and youre in an absurd, surreal situation"
bruh i felt that
Ive watched this series since the premiere and you have brilliantly highlighted all of my favorite things about the series.
Thank you for this! I always thought of Atlanta as "Science Fiction." The scene with Darius discussing the simulation theory might be the most important scene in the series. Although this show is based in realism, it is heavily implied that the world and the characters that live in it is a simulation of the black experience. Some things that seem random at face value are actually riddled with symbolism, and some of the characters actions that seem irrational or just plain stupid is meant to teach them a lesson, like a cautionary tale. I encourage anyone to rewatch the series with this in mind
This is an awesome point of view. It feels right that Darius is the one to explain simulation theory, since from as early as episode one, Darius is the character who feels most connected with and aware of the absurdity of reality in Atlanta. He is often the one making those irrational decisions that you mentioned, such as staying at Teddy Perkins' house when he has a million reasons to leave. And his continual belief in "destiny" makes it seem almost as if he knows he's part of some story, or cautionary tale, as you said.
Science fiction concerns of envisioning a future based on how scientific innovation would shape it, or romantise/exaggerate the power of scientific invention.
Atlanta doesn't imagine a future or universe shaped by science nor emphasis certain technology. Therefore, it isn't sci-fi. It is more of a post-modernist series. It reinterprets modern black lives in the US society, and says that black Americans are not living in a place they thought is as normal or as sane as modern society.
This is probably the best video on Atlanta, period! Glad that you connected dots with 'Sopranos' and 'Twin Peaks', really like your video-essays, man. Cheers from India!!
The absolute turn of my expectations and idea of the plot changed drastically. I thought it was gonna be a normal show about people making their dreams and hard work come true but oh boy did Donald Glover blew my mind out of the water. I absolutely loved it.
I finally got around to watching it and finished it just two days ago and now it’s all I can think about.
I know this is a silly thing to say but the meme about Ohio is the best way to describe Atlanta with these abnormalities that happened in the show.
I'm always behind on good content, thanks for highlighting Atlanta! It looks really good!
The whole interview with D. Scot Miller raised so many facets that I've rarely heard or read. It'd be interesting, to have the interview uploaded as a whole.
Yes, I’d love to see the whole interview!
Second episode of the new season presents afro-surrealism so well through Earn and Alfred's story with a certain cultural Christmas practice... Even funnier how absurd they ended it too.
I had this weird sensation when I saw Atlanta for the first time and when I saw the Teddy Perkins episode, I swear, I said to myself "This is the most surreal episode from a series I'v ever seen". Now I know it is Afro - Surreal,
"It causes me to examine if what I take for granted as 'normal' is creating an absurd reality for others." Damn this is a great thought. Thanks for making this video.
"You're wasting time. The only people who got time, are dead and if you're dead, I'm taking them shoes."
I would appreciate a video about Better Call Saul before or during the upcoming final season.The show definiteIy deserves more attention. I was never this hyped for a final season and I think it's the best show on tv and one of the best shows ever
Keep up the good work
It may be cause I already watched Breaking Bad way too many times, but these days I definitely lean towards BCS being my favorite of the two.
These are older but check them out if you haven't: ua-cam.com/video/AwvJ-77O_uk/v-deo.html and ua-cam.com/video/EeOUVXXZX_M/v-deo.html
I might do another before the new season if I can find a fresh angle, but at this point since I've already covered the show twice I might just wait for the end and then do a post-mortem video!
@@ThomasFlight @Thomas Flight yeah I already watched them and I loved it. That's the reason why I want you to do more videos about the show because I really love your approach . I think there is a lot u could talk about. You could for example analyze the reverse engineering aspect of the incredible writing this show delivers or do a character analysis about some of the complex characters. I think there is plenty to talk about. But I don't mind if u would just make one video after it ends. Really appreciate your videos and your insights
Seriously incredibly work here dude! Watching this as I research my own Atlanta related video essay I have in the works and will be sure to drive people over here. This is so well researched and presented
Learned something new, thanks. Love the production and clarity!
I have no clue but I like it. That ep where the invisible car was real made no sense yet I had to watch the next one haha
This show has made me laugh in ways I didn't know I could. The invisible car was one of them. To me it made sense within the insanity the series is showing us. As in, so many absurd things happen, even more so to marginalized groups, that an invisible car suddenly doesn't seem as far-fetched as it should be.
They do a ton of stuff in Atlanta tha makes zero sense. I believe he is trying to capture that weirdness from the actual city without making people want to stop watching.
Perfect editing on the intro - I'm sure it works for people who haven't seen the show, but if you've seen it all, it's a total thematic recap. Really excellent video. Loved the scholarly discussion!
It’s awesome how everyone gets something different from this show. Sad it’s over, but looking forward to rewatching and seeing it from a new perspective.
Thanks for making... the videos I can't put into words.... I've just watched a few and each one has been more impressive than the last. Thank you.
oh man this was so cool, so glad people are taking a closer look at this really really interesting show
I rarely binge watch shows, but it was impossible not to watch most of season 2 in one sitting.
This was a great video. Awesome job. Loved the breakdown. Atlanta is one of my favorite shows for this very reason.
This was fantastically DONE!! Thank you, I have never hear of Afro-surreal and I loved hearing about it. Thank you!
Don’t Go Telling Your Momma is a fantastic example of Afro-Surrealism. I saw it on the Criterion Channel but I believe it’s free on UA-cam.
Watching just before ep 3. Great analysis, opens up the world of Atlanta even more.
It doesn’t feel weird AT ALL! AS an original ATLien, he gets it right. There are so many things that he is saying with and without saying in each episode. I love it!
Well said
Very well done! Everything makes so much sense now lol. This show gives me a feeling I can’t quite describe and this put everything into words. Appreciate the video 🙏🏾🙏🏾
The first episode of the new season was so good that shit blew me away. It’s definitely my second favorite episode of Atlanta so far. My number one favorite is Teddy Perkins of course
Glad to see you made a video on my favourite show of the past few years
such a masterfully curated video essay. well spoken piece and analysis
What a genius video idea. Been aware of this art form for a while but it was amazing to hear it all articulated. Bravo
The absolute best take I have ever seen on this amazing show. I never even heard the term "afro-surrealism" before your video but now it all makes sense and I'm so into it.
Really enjoyed this analysis! I've always compared Atlanta to David Lynch. The absurdity and strangeness of everyday life is very fascinating. I appreciate the surreal aspect of the show as presented through the black experience in America. So much of it is generally relatable to everyone. It is particularly enlightening to identify with the main cast while simultaneously seeing myself in the bizarre white characters throughout the show.
loved this. atlanta is my favorite show currently airing and this was a great breakdown of why I even feel that way about it.
I always noticed Atlanta, Get Out and Sorry To Bother You had their own style of surrealism. Atlanta itself is the most weird and unique show I have ever seen. This video is so interesting.
Thank you, I needed an excuse to watch Atlanta again, it's a perfect angle to do so.
Wow, that conclusion was really well-articulated. Great video!
Incredible video…I think I just landed on my next research focus. Immensely inspired 🙏🏾
Great job. It's awesome you took time listen to some one else's perspective on the subject matter and gave them your platform to share directly for themselves. You are attempting to be a good human being, that means a lot these days. Learned a lot.
Until I watched this video, I wasn't aware of Afro-Surrealism. To me, Atlanta has what I call 'existential humour', similar to what we see in the Coen Brothers movies, underlining how absurd, or indeed somewhat surrealist, Life is. I love it!
Great analysis! Loved the general tone and the music choices, Kudos!
Such an insightful and nuanced analysis. Your efforts are appreciated.
How might Atlanta be connected to magical-realism? I know that surrealism and magical-realism are mistaken for one another, but I was wondering if Atlanta could be understood as magical-realist rather than surrealist?
Afrosurrealist is the best label in my opinion, I think Afrosurrealism is a legitimate art movement that is distinct from both surrealism and magical realism. The "magical" elements of Atlanta and other afrosurrealist works are secondary to the surreal nature of the experience being depicted. The "magical" aspect of it is just a small part of what it represents.
I'd say it's a thin line. I doubt the writers of the show thought very hard about fitting into one label or the other.
I think the diference is extra hard to define in cinema,/tv. most cinema experts can't really pin down what makes a visual narative surrealist execept that the creators say they are surrealists.
Other movies/tv that have magical elements that are accepted and not discussed as unusal, like Synecdoche, New York, have also been debated as to whether they are Magical Realism or Surrealism.
I feel like the main diference is just how many deviations from standard reality there are and how logical the deviations are. If 60% of the things you see are abstract deviations from reality, then I'd say it would fit into surrealism.
@@orionh5535 I’ve always interpreted Atlanta as somewhat surrealist (although I had never heard the term ‘Afro surrealism’). It is my understanding that surrealism is defined by those deviations of reality, combining the conscious and subconscious to sort of materialize a dream, or to represent an idea, etc. It is my understanding that magical-realism is set in a realistic setting but incorporates the ‘non-real’ and otherworldly oddities, such as the sandwich man on the bus. Maybe I have too vague an understanding of each, but Thomas Flight seems to understand clearly. Anyway, I thought I’d uncover what others might think, to hear their interpretations.
In most cases of literature the context of magical surrealism is as a literary device. I would consider the show Afrosurrealist which utilities magical surrealism.
@@janrossner103 Doesn't that essentially make Afrosurrealism a kind of subgenre of Magical Realism ?
I hope you'll revisit Atlanta now that the show has run its course, especially given the nature of the final episode. Hell, even the final shot of Lakeith Stanfield could have been used for a segment in your latest video about subtle performances-so much communicated with so little.
I absolutely love this It always works my mind whenever you post a new video
Atlanta is very thought provoking and just smart. Your reflective commentary and take on it was done very well and also smart.
I just saw the first episode of the third season and I found myself asking 'What IS this show 'Atlanta'?' It's not quite the drama/comedy that I thought it would be, it's something more. This video helped me have a greater understanding of 'Atlant'. Thank you.
Love this show , I’m a big David Lynch fan , sometimes when watching Atlanta I get that same feeling that something is right . The difference is that Atlanta seems to based very much in a real world where reality is stranger than fiction
This is a amazing video exploring afro-surrealism, thanks for sharing your thoughts and deep diving into the topic.
Great analysis. I love how the show says a lot visually rather than by words. Every episode is makes you think. However, it only makes sense if you understand the visual nuggets spread throughout.
This reminds me of the Incongruity Theory of Laughter or Comedy - that we laugh at times when we find something is absurd or amiss. It amuses me in the context of afro-surrealism because i’ve always heard some variation of “we have to laugh to keep from crying” from family members or other black people in general. Its also somewhat commonly speculated that humor became & remains so important in our community as a coping mechanism or reaction to our wider struggles and experiences (which could be described as incongruous, or more simply, fucked up) as a community. Atlanta perfectly synthesizes those specific cultural & political incongruities into something beyond everyone’s reality.
I see the strangest things happen when I'm on acid. Atlanta gives me that feeling when i see weird shit happen and the characters acknowledge it. Like a scared, creeped out feeling. Like something isn't right...
This is excellent. You explained what I felt, but couldn't articulate, while watching Atlanta.
11:00 - 11:50 Wow, I wasn’t expecting that, I agree that’s really how it is. I appreciate your willingness to share your perspective on it and the video. Afro-Surrealism is one of my favorite genres and I didn’t even know until watching this.
Since I've watched atlanfa its become one of my favorite shows. I donf watch a ton of TV shows but seeing this series is like looking into a demented mirror that reflects back at you things you dont acknowledge about yourself and the world around you. Things you're trained to downplay and ignore.
Like that commercial with the 99 cent drink that costs $1.29. You are conditioned not to think twice about it, but it's so absurd when you really think about it....
Amazing show.
before I watch this video, I absolutely love the timing, comedy, camera work and general "feel" of Atlanta. I perceive my own reality in this way, and that is why I find so much fun, joy and pain in it.
Seeing it develop on screen Im looking FOR things, not at them
edit...Both Atlanta and Sopranos are shows that you have to LOOK at them to understand. You can't have the show on in the room and look at your phone at the same time. there are expressions on the characters' faces, scenes, etc that you have to see to understand
Honestly didn't know that Atlanta S3 was finally out, thank you for the reminder
My brain...this is amazing. Thank you for your reflections and unique contributions.