Justin Afifi - Do the Right Thing

Directed by: Spike Lee

Do the Right Thing is a film following several characters on the hottest day of the year in Bedstuy where tension is ripe to boil over.

I chose Do the Right Thing because it is one of the most revered films relating to race relations in the history of cinema. The film follows several citizens of the neighborhood from all different racial backgrounds. The racial tension is always at the forefront but it's in the finale, after a steady building of tension and unrest, that the film explodes into a riot. Normally a film in this genre and with a title like Do the Right Thing you would think that the characters would all come together and realize their mistakes, instead no one does the right thing and we're left with two very different ideas of peace, one from the nonviolence preaching Martin Luther King Jr. and the other from by any means necessary promoting Malcolm X.

Spike Lee has always been outspoken about race, but this film incorporates every one of his thoughts with a rapid fire dialogue delivery. No punches are pulled as every racial slur directed towards every ethnicity is explored and done so without batting an eyelash. This leaves no room for the audience to avoid the issue and the audience has to come to realize how idiotic some people can be when they don't do the right thing.