Netflix's The Lovebirds and #LivingWhileBlack

Netflix's original movie, The Lovebirds, comes at a time when several instances of racial profiling have gained national attention and spurred protests, both on and off line, against injustice. Ahmaud Arbery was gunned down by a former police officer while going for a jog. Breonna Taylor, an EMT, was shot eight times in her home. George Floyd was pinned down by an officer as he pleaded that he could not breathe.

The vast majority of police officers are public servants who are dedicated to protecting and serving our country and the citizens in it, however, there are too many cases in which innocent lives have been lost at the hands of the people meant to be defending them.

Many police forces require officers to wear body cams while on duty, but is this technology sufficient when the cop who killed George Floyd was wearing one? Three police officers watched George Floyd die while being detained for questioning about a non-violent crime. Police brutality has been an ongoing civil rights issue that has yet to be treated as the crisis that it is. In 2017, the Department of Justice scaled back a program designed to aid in the reform of police departments. The program, implemented by the Obama administration, performed audits and provided resources to improve police-community relations.

The country has been demanding answers and an end to this senseless violence, and yet, as crowds gather to protest this very violence, they are met with teargas, rubber bullets, and still more violence. At a protest in Louisville, KY, seven protesters were shot by fellow civilians. Concern has been raised regarding both sides of the protests as they spread across the country, both peaceful and chaotic. Some protesters kneeled and chanted Floyd’s final words, “I can’t breathe,” others lit cars on fire and threw rocks at police officers. The Minneapolis Police Station was burned to the ground as riots grew increasingly volatile. President Donald Trump responded by calling protesters “thugs,” and later tweeting, “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Twitter blocked the tweet, citing a violation of its rule against glorifying violence.

The Lovebirds was released on Netflix on May 22, three days before George Floyd was killed and the country erupted in outrage. A romantic comedy about an interracial couple fleeing from the police might come off as insensitive and untimely given the current climate. It is also undeniably reminiscent, even parallel, to 2019’s critically acclaimed film, Queen & Slim, in which a black couple goes on the run after killing a police officer who used excessive force. The Lovebirds’ scenario is much more comical- Jibran and Leilani are arguing as they drive to a dinner party, and accidentally hit a bicyclist, who immediately gets back on his bike and vanishes. A man claiming to be an undercover police officer jacks their car and takes Jibran and Leilani along for a high-speed chase after the bicyclist, who he proceeds to run over, repeatedly, before disappearing, leaving Jibran and Leilani baffled at the scene of the crime.

Queen and Slim’s destinies are decided the moment Queen shoots the police officer, and the somberness that preluded the death only expands, propelling the protagonists on their journey for a freedom that both they and the audience understand is fleeting and futile. Jibran and Leilani’s fates, however, are uncertain. The crime is as bizarre as it is random. We join in Jibran and Leilani’s wide-eyed disbelief and immediate dread at the sight of two hipsters approaching from the end of the alleyway.

The young woman, wearing a fedora and leather dress, panics on the phone with the police, describing the suspects, nervously explaining that Leilani “just happens to be African American" and Jibran “just happens to be a person of color as well, but I don’t, like, think they’re murderers because they’re minorities...”

The wariness to come across as racist and ignorant illustrates two ends of a spectrum: those who recognize and oppose the oppression of underrepresented people, and those who do not.

The hipster's 911 call is the opposite of the recent, notorious incident in Central Park, when Amy Cooper frantically called 911 on a bird watcher. The man was Christian Cooper, who asked Ms. Cooper (of no relation) to comply with the park’s rules and leash her dog. These are the moments that are caught on smart phones, and do not account for the countless daily occasions of racism, inequality, and bigotry that are not recorded.

In Mr. Cooper’s video, Ms. Cooper says, “I’m going to tell them there’s an African-American man threatening my life.” Her specificity is no accident. It is difficult, and quite frankly impossible, not to draw parallels between this incident in Central Park and the 1989 accusations against Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Korey Wise, Antron McCray, and Yusef Salaam, the innocent young men more commonly known as the Central Park Five. Ms. Cooper seems to recognize the power she has to use Mr. Cooper’s race as leverage.

Chris Cooper knew what was at stake for him as a black man being accused of something by a white woman. If he had not had the forethought to take a video, things could have turned out far worse. His recording sheds light on the oft acknowledged yet still unsolved inequity of white privilege that allows the promulgation of needless oppression of people who are not white.

In both The Lovebirds and Queen & Slim, the protagonists know exactly what they will face if they are caught by the police. While Queen and Slim embark on a journey with a predetermined and devastating conclusion, Jibran and Leilani cavort across New Orleans, hilariously evading the cops by any means necessary while trying desperately to solve the crime and prove their innocence.

Jibran and Leilani receive a notification on the dead bicyclist’s phone and meet-up with a woman named Edie who kidnaps them and accuses them of blackmailing her. They manage to escape, and after breaking into the phone, learn that the bicyclist was part of a scheme to blackmail members of a secret society known as “Secrarium.”

The circumstances around the whole “Secrarium” situation are a bit muddled and mostly inspired by Eyes Wide Shut. We know that at least one member is a senator, another is his wife, Edie. We can assume the entire cult is comprised of similar public figures whose reputations are on the line. It's not entirely clear how the bicyclist and Edie’s meeting was arranged, or why we should care about a group of sex-crazed elitists.

However, these details can be brushed aside to make way for the crux of the film, which is a story of two people who are scared to death that their lives are in danger because of the color of their skin. It’s understood that this movie would not be the same with two white protagonists. In that version of the film, maybe they could have turned themselves into the police, told their story from the get-go, and been believed, despite the ridiculous nature of the crime. Jibran and Leilani know instinctively that they aren’t allowed such equity.

In the hopes of clearing their names, Jibran and Leilani sneak into a meeting of the secret society, a black-tie event where all attendees are required to wear beaked masks. It quickly devolves into an orgy, during which Jibran and Leilani observe in utter disbelief, until the room is raided by police.

At least it was fun while it lasted, right? As Jibran and Leilani sit in the interrogation room, awaiting their fate, they talk about their relationship that they ended only hours earlier. There is some comfort in the idea that even though they are absolutely screwed, at least they have each other.

Enter the detective, who promptly tears down the anxiety: Jibran and Leilani are key witnesses to a homicide- the suspect is still on the loose, and the cops had been trying to track the pair down all night to ensure they were safe. Traffic cameras caught the entire pursuit. When Jibran and Leilani sputter with disbelief, the detective says, “Why would two civilians violently murder a man they’ve never even met?” All three of them laugh.

This resolution could not be further from the end of Queen & Slim, which is as heartbreaking as it is sickening. Queen and Slim reach the end of their journey, and before they can board the plane destined to take them to freedom, cops shoot Queen, and then shoot Slim as he carries her dead body in his arms.

The Lovebirds, on the other hand, concludes with Jibran and Leilani competing in The Amazing Race.

Some will roll their eyes or even vehemently scorn a movie as optimistic and feathery as The Lovebirds. People will disregard it as too starry-eyed, unrealistic, or even naive. However, in a time when police brutality is ongoing, when justice is doled out based on the color of your skin, when innocent people are judged and punished for their race, isn’t a movie like The Lovebirds a welcome relief? It’s not escapism, and it’s not fantasy.

The #BlackLivesMatter movement came as a response to George Zimmerman’s acquittal for the killing of Trayvon Martin in 2013. In 2018, a new hashtag surfaced and has since gained significant traction. #LivingWhileBlack highlights the flagrant prejudice that people of color face every day. CNN compiled a list of routine activities for which black people have been reported to the police.

One notable incident occurred in Oakland, CA, when a woman nicknamed “Barbecue Becky” called 911 on two black men barbecuing with charcoal (grilling in the park is allowed, however charcoal is not). When the dispatcher asked Becky to describe her appearance so the cops would be able to find her (and, ostensibly, come to her aid), she responded, “My race doesn’t matter.” If her race does not matter, why should theirs?

While the country is grappling with reopening and returning to a “new normal” in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, now is the time to reconsider what a new normal really means. If normal is police brutality, irrational prejudice, unjustifiable punishment, senseless violence, and the promulgation of racism, we should not stand for that idea of normalcy. The new normal should be a country where all citizens are protected by cops like Chris Swanson, who walk with, not against protesters. The new normal should look more like the end of The Lovebirds, when Jibran and Leilani sit in an interrogation room, talking a mile a minute, trying to defend themselves even though they know it is useless, only to have the police pause, laugh, and say of course they are innocent.

I think it’s not too much to ask for a feel-good movie that will make you laugh and give some sense of hope during these “uncertain times.” If anything, watch it for Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani, who are outstanding on their own, and an absolute pleasure together. It is a joy to watch them navigate certain doom, and even better to see them reach a happy ending.