Black Sheep (2018)

Each action has an equal and opposite reaction.  In this movie Cornelius Walker reflects on his impressionable teenage years as a young black boy living in a majority white neighborhood. His parents move their family from London to Essex after a young boy, much like Cornelius, was killed. His parents did what many would do, protect their children. Yet, Cornelius’s new life in Essex becomes an indirect consequence of the young boy’s death.
He feels trapped in the town. He meets kids who yell racial slurs at him, beat him up, and shun him. Inevitably, the physical and psychological torment weighs on him. To fulfill his need to be accepted and ease the pain he slowly erases himself. However, his blackness keeps him from fulfilling that desire. Ultimately, he decides to take radical measures to fit in. He bleaches his skin, wears blue contacts, and picks up the local accent.   
Later, he realizes that he “became friends with monsters.”   The diector uses vivid imagery that is consistently powerful, intentional, and emotional. Also, Cornelius’s storytelling is seamlessly interwoven with each scene. In one scene, Cornelius is trapped in a circle of white boys yelling names at him and threatening to hurt him. The visual contrast reflects his position as an outsider, a black sheep.  A short film that leaves you thinking about the stress of survival.