This important and often inventive documentary lacks the focus to make it the stellar story it could be
Movie
United States of America
English
Documentary
2023
FEMALE DIRECTOR, LAGUERIA DAVIS
Gabourey Sidibe, Hayley Marie Norman, Misty Copeland
95 min
TLDR
In our consumerist world, I suppose it’s impossible to make a film about a branded toy without promoting the branded toy, regardless of intent.
What it's about
Tracks the history of the first Black Barbie, which is also a story of Black girlhood, businesses, and success.
The take
Black Barbie is at its best when director Lagueria Davis keeps the story as personal and political as possible. The first half of the documentary is a necessary history lesson about the impact toys have on our racial consciousness, which charmingly ties into Davis’ aunt’s own experience as one of the first Black staff members over at Mattel. Davis then intercuts colorfully set-up talking heads with equally charming scenes of stop-motion Barbies. But if only the entire documentary would just be as realized and focused as this half. The rest, unfortunately, are scattered pieces that never tie into a cohesive whole. At one point, the documentary morphs into a Mattel mouthpiece, and at another, it’s a straightforward roundtable analysis with little to no editing. The quirky flourishes and personal anecdotes that colored the early parts of the documentary are few and far at this point, making it feel ultimately half-baked.
What stands out
I love the staging of the dolls. It’s playful, inventive, and beautiful, much like the Barbies themselves.