Colin in Black & White review: A well-intended Colin Kaepernick show but too overwhelming to create desirable impact

The docudrama show chronicles the journey of the American athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick. Packed with several examples of other black people, some prominent ones, who have faced discrimination, the show fails to create an impact that it could, had it been shot in the format of a film. The limited series seems to have diminished the effect the story could create.

A still from the docudrama Colin in Black & White

Colin in Black and White

Story:

The limited docudrama series on Netflix is about the young days of the athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick, chronicling his journey in sports up until he became the NFL player and got fired for protesting against police brutality and racial discrimination in the US. The drama is narrated by Colin Kaepernick himself and stars Jaden Michael, Nick Offerman and Mary-Louise Parker. The series is created by the winner of the Emmy, BAFTA and Peabody Awards, Academy Award nominee Ava DuVernay and Colin Kaepernick.

Review:

The docudrama show chronicles the journey of the American athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick. Colin was a National Football League player. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers until he got 'fired' for kneeling during the national anthem at one of the games in protest against police brutality and racial discrimination in the US. His protest invited the wrath of many politicians, including former US President Donald Trump and many white citizens. He has never been signed by any football associations ever since. 

The Netflix docudrama is narrated by Colin himself as takes us through his teenage and younger days as a sportsman. His younger self is played by Jaden Michael. The show has six episodes with each episode of about half an hour. The series offers great promise at the start as it also shares glimpses of some real-life news events covering the controversy of the player, building up the narrative and giving us reasons why the story is so important to be told.   

However, the limited series looks more like a promotional gig for Colin Kaepernick as it shows his journey in sports before he became the NFL player and got kicked out for protesting against police brutality and discrimination towards black people. But it is also packed with several other pieces of information about discrimination against black people in the country. It gives examples of racial inequality black people face in job markets, the fashion industry, hotel management and various other areas. Colin shines a light on how a black person has to work extra to earn a minimum wage and how they need to pay more interest if at all, a bank loan gets sanctioned, even though America talks about equal opportunities for all. These instances, though, look intentional. They look like they were added to shift the focus of people from Colin's story for a while so that it does not completely look like a promotion for Colin.   

It sure brings forth a much-needed discussion and a renewed attention of the public for the matter but it fails to create an impact that it could have, with overdramatic elements and tones in the series. The innovation and creativity in the show were well-intended but they diminish the seriousness of the issue and the impact of a story, giving the vibes of fantasy when the story is nothing about it. The format also seems to have affected the impact of the story. It would have suited better as a web film and could have created more impact. The pace of the series also gets slow, especially towards the end, making you feel exhausted to pay any attention when you binge-watch it. 

Colin Kaepernick narrates the story in his activist voice. Many a times, he appears like a teacher who is giving lessons on history, vocabulary, equality and human rights, while other times, he looks like a motivational speaker with some rhyming lines. The series does not talk about the controversy, why he decided to kneel during the national anthem or his life after the sport, which is quite disappointing.  

But the direction, plotline and performances, especially by Jaden Michael are commendable. Nick Offerman and Mary-Louise Parker, who play the roles of Colin's adoptive parents Rick and Teresa, are also quite convincing. The story also loosely shows their struggles bringing up a black kid and the stereotypes they face.    

Verdict:

The limited series makes for a decent watch but is not binge-watch worthy as you feel lethargic with all the overwhelming and dramatic motivational lessons from the activist. 

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