American Fiction
Director: Cord Jefferson Run Time: 117 min. Release Year: 2023
Starring: Erika Alexander, Jeffrey Wright, Leslie Uggams, Sterling K. Brown, Tracee Ellis Ross
Thelonious “Monk” Ellison’s writing career has stalled because his work isn’t deemed “Black enough.” Monk, a writer and English professor, writes a satirical novel under a pseudonym, aiming to expose the publishing world’s hypocrisies. The book’s immediate success forces him to get deeper enmeshed in his assumed identity and challenges his closely-held worldviews.
“Smart, meaty, and funnier than expected for a film juggling weighty relationship drama with the philosophical conundrums running through Monk’s head, American Fiction is a dramedy with a refreshing point of view.” ~ Shirley Li, The Atlantic