The Color of Me is a 2018 Americanfamily dramafantasy film that is written and directed by Sreejith Nair.[1] It is about an adopted African American boy, Lewis Clark, who falls in love with a girl whose skin magically changes color every hour.[2][3] The film received critical acclaim and several accolades at its international festival run across the United States. It premiered at the Los Angeles CineFest with subsequent screenings at various film festivals.[4] The film was chosen as an official selection at the Amazon Prime Studios first All Voice Film Festival 2019.[5]
Plot
An adopted African American Lewis Clark, falls in love with a young woman, Lisa Adams, who is the victim of a magical curse. The curse causes Lisa to transform into 5 different races: Caucasian, Indian, Chinese, Hispanic, and African-American.[3]
The topic of racism and insecurity really came from the fact that I am Indian, but I am born and raised in America. Here in America, people look at me like I am a foreigner, but I don’t feel like one. In India, I don’t look like a foreigner, but I feel like one. Throughout my whole life, it seemed like I was a part of two worlds, but never completely belonged in either of them. Are there certain things I’m supposed to be doing just because I’m an Indian? I have often questioned, What if I was a black person or What if I was white?, would my life be so different?. Could I still be the same person if I wasn’t Indian? What if my skin could change color? So I wanted to write a story that asked, If I am a person of a different race or ethnicity, how much is my race supposed to define me? If I am a person of color, can I still have the freedom to be whoever I want without worrying about representing my ethnicity? I want this story to show that you can be anyone, no matter what color you are.[3][6]
Critical reception and reviews
"This unexpected, quirky tale explores what it means to love the skin you're in. It challenges us to explore how we alter our behavior based on the world's perceptions of us and what it would take for us to stop" as reviewed by Chimera Ensemble. Pallavi Kanmadikar of Dish Dash described the film as "a revelation, that will force you to rethink your own opinions about people" further adding "because no individual can be defined by what they look like".[7]
Roopa Modha of Urban Asian noted, "In the era of social media boom, the issue of self-acceptance is a big one and The Color of Me speaks volumes about how we see ourselves and what we are lead to believe are the acceptable norms of the society. The movie brings to light the issues of discrimination and privilege".[8]
Jharna Malaviya in her review for The Dish Dash said, "The Color of Me approaches the question of race in a way that has never been seen before".[3]
