GONE TOO FAR

Destiny Ekaragha and Bola Agbaje have taken a successful comedic approach to explore black identity in Britain through the means of their film: Gone Too Far. The film's protagonist is a British-Nigerian teenager - Yemi (played by Malachi Kirby) whom is seen struggling with his identity following the arrival of his brother Ikuadyisi (played by OC Ukeje). The simple task of buying Okra from a local shop spirals out of control, without Ikuadyisi we may never have seen the effects of the devaluing of African identity within society on Yemi. Ikuadyisi is proud of his culture. however, his naivety, although providing slapstick humour, highlights the tensions within the black community and the views some have towards people whom are not originally from or don’t have a connection to the west indies. The fast-paced day Is set on the streets of Peckham and follows many characters whose narratives all intertwine, most obviously, the narrative is based on the desire to have Armani – a particularly self-centred, desirable diva.  However, when looking behind the over glorified love triangle that is the basis of many films, we can notice that even the most basic triangle explores the racial issues and the desirable identity that is believed by many and forces some into falsifying their own identity.  While offering an insight into the importance of one’s identity, Gone Too Far offers an educational and entertaining eye into the often ignored and misrepresented black community whilst maintaining the balance of humour – to ensure interest in the issues raised – and the educational aspect – by ensuring the comedy didn’t drown the meaning behind the words.

"This house believes that films featuring ethnic minorities should only be produced by those who have the ethnic identity being represented."

I don’t completely agree with the proposition. A main argument that I don’t agree with is that only allowing people of the ethnic minority being represented to produce the film will make the film industry more diverse. This is simply not true, we are aware that the film industry is a white male dominated business. As Unfortunately as it is – institutional racism is still prominent today – and the demand for more ‘niche’ films or ones that are based on ethnic minorities are not in demand and are not appealing to organisations simply because a profit cannot be guaranteed. The film industry is a business, profit always comes first which is why we see so many sequels and films based on similar narratives with the same staple actors. Also, compassion isn’t the same as complete understanding but a basic understanding can still be achieved which can be heighted and regulated by a person whose identity is being represented, misrepresentations are created by the lazy and those whom ‘aren’t completely bothered’ but not everyone is like that. Furthermore, a certain skin colour isn’t what makes a culture and I personally cannot stress enough how detrimental this is to society and individuals – people of any skin colour can be associated with a place or belief through anything from blood to education, simply suggesting that someone cannot make a film based on an identity that they seemingly don’t identify with due to stereotypes and ignorance, will only create issues and will further divide the film industry. Rather than the whole film being created by the people of ethnic minority being represented, there should be some in the roles whom are the most influential to the creation of the films i.e. scriptwriters, directors. However simply having people of the identity having an opinion and being able to ensure its validity and accuracy whilst keeping the people involved diverse will be more beneficial than excluding groups complete groups which contradicts the argument about making the industry more diverse.