Introduction
It was Travon Free who pleaded to society “please don’t be indifferent to our pain”; yet as we observe the characters of the director’s film Two Distant Strangers and Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s short story The Finkelstein 5, it is clear that the black experience remains characterised by an inescapable oppression facilitated by society’s complicity. While Free focuses on the inevitability of oppression when justice is performative, Adjei-Brenyah considers the psychological effects of such a system. Together, through the use of literary and filmic devices, both texts critique contemporary society, ultimately offering the black community a way to resist racial oppression. This essay examines how these works expose the futility of justice for black communities, drawing on literary and filmic analysis to highlight societal complicity. By comparing their approaches, it argues that hierarchical structures perpetuate injustice, prompting reflection on broader implications for racial resistance.
Literary Devices and Societal Complicity in The Finkelstein 5
In Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s short story The Finkelstein 5, justice for black communities is portrayed as profoundly unattainable, with literary devices revealing society’s role in sustaining racial hierarchies. Adjei-Brenyah employs a parallel narrative structure to contrast the experiences of the white murderer, Stagg R. Leigh (referred to as Dunn in some interpretations, though the story uses Leigh), and the black protagonist, Emmanuel. This structure highlights differing diction: Leigh trivialises the murders of black children through colloquial onomatopoeia like “vroom vroom,” reducing their deaths to a casual game (Adjei-Brenyah, 2018). In contrast, Emmanuel internalises inferiority, lowering his “Blackness… down [to] a 1.5” during a job interview to appear polite, thereby elevating white norms as superior.
This depiction illustrates how both oppressors and the oppressed degrade the black experience, underscoring the intrinsic barriers to justice imposed by societal hierarchies. Adjei-Brenyah thus prompts readers to interrogate their own biases shaped by these structures, suggesting that complicity extends beyond overt racism to subconscious judgments. Arguably, this psychological internalisation exacerbates oppression, as it fosters a cycle where black individuals adapt to survive rather than challenge the system. Such analysis aligns with broader critiques of racial injustice in contemporary literature, where narratives expose the illusion of equality (Dawson, 2013).
Filmic Techniques and the Futility of Resistance in Two Distant Strangers
Similarly, Travon Free’s film Two Distant Strangers employs science fiction elements to underscore the inevitability of injustice for black individuals, despite efforts to combat it. The protagonist, Carter, is trapped in a time loop where he is repeatedly killed by police officer Merk due to racial bias. Free incorporates conventional time loop tropes, such as montage sequences and an upbeat non-diegetic soundtrack, to depict Carter’s attempts to escape (Free, 2020). The rapid editing and rhythmic score initially evoke hope, mirroring Carter’s determination and suggesting potential resolution.
However, the loop’s persistence symbolises the unchanging nature of the black experience under systemic racism. This synecdoche, juxtaposed with montage clichés that typically lead to triumph, highlights the futility of individual effort when justice systems remain complicit. Free’s use of the genre thus exposes performative justice, where societal indifference perpetuates cycles of violence. Indeed, this technique critiques real-world patterns of police brutality, encouraging viewers to recognise the need for collective resistance beyond personal resolve.
Comparative Analysis and Paths to Resistance
Comparing the texts, both Adjei-Brenyah and Free reveal justice as an illusion within complicit societies, though their mediums differ. The Finkelstein 5 uses introspective literary devices to explore psychological effects, while Two Distant Strangers leverages filmic repetition for visceral impact. Together, they critique hierarchies that render justice impossible, yet offer resistance through awareness: Adjei-Brenyah via vigilantism and Free through persistent hope. This synergy suggests that confronting complicity can empower black communities, though limitations persist in real-world application, as systemic change requires broader societal shifts (Dawson, 2013).
Conclusion
In summary, Two Distant Strangers and The Finkelstein 5 effectively critique racial oppression by exposing societal complicity and the unattainability of justice. Through literary and filmic devices, they highlight hierarchical barriers and psychological tolls, urging resistance. These works imply that indifference sustains injustice, calling for active societal engagement to dismantle oppressive structures. Ultimately, they contribute to ongoing discourses on racial equity, reminding us of the need for genuine, rather than performative, change.
References
- Adjei-Brenyah, N. K. (2018) Friday Black. Mariner Books.
- Dawson, P. (2013) The Return of the Omniscient Narrator: Authorship and Authority in Twenty-First Century Fiction. Ohio State University Press.
- Free, T. (Director). (2020) Two Distant Strangers [Film]. Netflix.
