Black. White. DVD Review

Not a lot of reality television is an actual representation of reality. Situations are forced, conversations are urged, but there can still be some interesting discussion amidst the mess. Black. White. Has moments of genius, but that comes from the intelligent conversation between members of the two families switching races. There are also some rather frustrating scenes because of the ignorance of the “average” white couple, who have never really had a lot of interaction with black people.

The makeup looks much more believable on the white family, who are turned black quite convincingly. The black family looks somewhat strange, except for the son. The difference in their makeup is apparent when each of the pairs of parents see each other for the first time. Bruno and Carmen (white) seem excited about how their spouse looks, to the point that it is even feels a bit voyeuristic watching them examine each other and kiss. Brian, on the other hand, can’t even convince his wife Renee to come near him much less kiss him.

What makes the show frustratingly difficult to watch isn’t the open discussion of race, but rather the closed minds for much of the show. When Carmen ignorantly, but seemingly innocently enough, makes inappropriate comments to try and act “black”, Renee is quick to read her actions as racist. This can be especially frustrating since Renee repeatedly makes reference to the fact that she knows how to act “white”. Brian and Bruno have the same sort of problems as well. Brian is convinced that every action towards him is racist. When Bruno takes Brian out as a white man to discuss race with people in the bar, everyone responds in a friendly way, so Brian is convinced that Bruno is the one who is racist for asking the questions. Bruno has his own issues, determined to prove that there is no racism and constantly using the worst word he could use. Each of the parents are stubbornly refusing to open up to the possibility that the other side might be somewhat right. Rose is the only one with an open mind from the first day, and she seems to get the most out of the experience. Brian and Renee’s son, Nick, chooses not to care about race at all, much to the frustration of his parents who would be happier if he were angry.

Because we are not given any footage of the same encounters in their natural colors, we have only their stories of how things usually are to compare. For a social experiment it lacks the other half, and suddenly some of the outcomes seem forced into certain areas of discovery. It is a frustrating show to watch, because points are attempted to be made, regardless of what needs to be found to prove it. In this way Bruno clutches to his ignorant theory that racism can be passed over without needing to think about it, and it will go away on its own. There is resistance on either side to truly understand each other, at least concerning all except the kids, and instead the experiment serves as a tool for each party to gather evidence to prove their own case about racial differences. Although the families they chose certainly have a great deal of entertainment value because of their views, it sets the entire show into a series of prejudices on both sides. In the end the thing that is most profound is the fact that the kids have a much easier time with adjusting with other races. This speaks well for our future generation, and maybe that is where the focus should be.

If there is any proof that some people never change, it’s in the commentary tracks of all six episodes. Bruno sticks to his original theory from episode one all the way through the production of the DVD release of the show. The special features also include a make-up application slide show, a featurette about Rose’s Slam Poetry, original casting videos, and a few music videos thanks to executive producer Ice Cube. There is also a DVD-ROM feature as well.