Why Can't We Be Magical?
- Jaemii Amor
- Apr 20, 2025
- 1 min read
Think of three famous Black films. I bet at least one (if not all) were created by the same person: Tyler Perry. And look, no shade. The man is talented and helped push Black storytelling into the mainstream post-Spike Lee. But lately? His work just isn’t hitting the mark. The stories feel recycled. The characters fall into tired tropes. And the way mental health, abuse, and relationships are portrayed? Harmful. Worse, it feels like that’s all we get: struggle stories, Christian redemption arcs, and the “good woman gets hurt by a bad man, then finds a good one” formula. And don’t even try suggesting fantasy or horror. Apparently that’s “demonic.” But why? Why can’t we be magical, surreal, futuristic, or messy in ways that don’t involve trauma? Why are we so rarely allowed to just…imagine?
You bring up such an important point, and it reminds me of Spike Lee’s See You Yesterday, which is a great example of Black futurism. Did you see it? The film blends sci-fi with a powerful social message, following two Black teens who invent time travel in order to prevent a police shooting. It’s a story that allows for Black brilliance and imagination to take center stage—without ignoring real-world issues, but also not being consumed by trauma.