What does it take to stand up for your beliefs? “Colin in Black & White” looks at the decisions and motivations that led Colin Kaepernick to do just that. The activist and filmmaker Ava DuVernay craft a limited series that takes on the social issues that shaped his life long before NFL stardom. The show’s format allows for an innovative approach to the biographical genre. Kaepernick himself narrates the stories as he watches the selected sections playout for viewers. The film just premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this weekend, and if our review is anything to go by, it’s a big winner.
DuVernay recruited a set of talented directors to help shape this inventive series. Sheldon Candis, Robert Townsend, Angel Kristi Williams, and Kenny Leon all contribute to the project. It also relies on a creative visual style from cinematographer Matthew J. Lloyd.
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The project brings together a trio of talented actors. Jaden Michael stars as the young Kaepernick while Mary-Louise Parker and Nick Offerman play his adopted parents. This proves to be a breakout role for Michael, who was previously seen on “The Get Down.”
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The series’ official synopsis:
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From co-creators Ava DuVernay and Colin Kaepernick comes “Colin in Black & White,” a bold new limited series that chronicles Kaepernick’s coming of age story, tackling the obstacles of race, class, and culture as the Black adopted child of a white family. “Colin in Black & White” stars Jaden Michael as Young Colin before reaching the highest levels of American football as an NFL quarterback and becoming a cultural icon and activist; Nick Offerman and Mary-Louise Parker as his well-meaning parents Rick and Teresa; and Colin Kaepernick himself, who appears as the present-day narrator of his own story, guiding viewers through a robust and colorfully presented array of historical and contemporary contextual moments. You don’t know Kaepernick until you know Colin.
Ava DuVernay, Colin Kaepernick, Paul Garnes, Michael Starrbury, and Sarah Bremner are executive producers on “Colin In Black & White.” The 2021 TIFF selection premieres on October 29th on Netflix. Read our A-grade review here and get your first look at the trailer below.