A wonderful Film Guarenteed to Build Empathy

Rating: 9/10 (10 November 2018)

I just enjoyed a preview screening of "Green Book," a heartwarming family film scheduled to release over the Thanksgiving holiday. Green Book is based on a true story about a black concert pianist (played by Mahershala Ali) who tours the American Deep South in the early 1960's, and takes along a rough-and-tumble Italian bar bouncer as his driver/fixer (played by Viggo Mortensen). The driver begins the tour as a northern racist who takes the eight week assignment because he needs quick cash, while the pianist starts the tour as a lonely and pompous prick unable to fully navigate the white world where his music is highly valued, and equally uncomfortable in black-America. Through the film we see the two characters find each other and themselves as they subtly bond, and we feel the connection as a real friendship blossoms. The title of the film comes from a once essential tour book that listed hotels and other businesses willing to serve black customers, in an era when American blacks were legally equal to whites but discrimination remained grossly overt. I was fortunate to see Green Book at Dartmouth College in a packed 237 seat theater with an audience that responded well to the drama and humor, and to the empathy developing on-screen. Green Book is a well-crafted PG-13 film that pulled excellent reviews in festival showings, and tells an important story in a touching way. The film shines a light on an ugly part of American history, and offers hope that by connecting with diverse characters and lives we can overcome our divisions. It's a wonderful story that perfectly fits our present times, and it needs to be shared.