Blindspotting

For the television adaptation, see Blindspotting (TV series).

Blindspotting is a 2018 American comedy-drama film written and produced by Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal. The film is directed by Carlos López Estrada (in his feature directorial debut), and Diggs and Casal star alongside Janina Gavankar, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Ethan Embry, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Wayne Knight. The plot follows a parolee with three days left on his sentence, only to have him witness a police shooting that threatens to ruin a lifelong friendship.

Blindspotting
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Carlos López Estrada
Written by	Rafael Casal Daveed Diggs
Produced by	Keith Calder Jess Calder Rafael Casal Daveed Diggs
Starring	Daveed Diggs Rafael Casal Janina Gavankar Jasmine Cephas Jones Ethan Embry Tisha Campbell-Martin Utkarsh Ambudkar Wayne Knight
Cinematography	Robby Baumgartner
Edited by	Gabriel Fleming
Music by	Michael Yezerski
Production company	Snoot Entertainment
Distributed by	Lionsgate (under Summit Entertainment and Codeblack Films)
Release dates	January 18, 2018 (2018-01-18) (Sundance) July 20, 2018 (2018-07-20) (United States)
Running time	95 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$5 million

Diggs and Casal, childhood friends in real life, wrote the screenplay in the mid-2000s, initially to speak for the city of Oakland, which they felt was often misrepresented in film. After years of delays, the pair's schedules finally allowed them to make the film, with principal photography beginning in June 2017.

Blindspotting had its world premiere on January 18, 2018 in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and was released in the United States on July 20, 2018, by Lionsgate. The film received positive reviews from critics, and at the 34th Independent Spirit Awards, was nominated for Best Male Lead for Diggs' performance, while López Estrada earned a Directors Guild of America Award nomination for Outstanding Directing – First-Time Feature Film.

A spin-off sequel television series of same name, created and executive produced by Diggs and Casal and run by Casal, premiered in 2021. It focuses on Jones' character, Ashley, with Casal also part of the main cast and Diggs appearing as guest.

Plot

Collin Hoskins, an African-American convicted felon, is struggling to finish the last three days of his probation. Collin, along with his short-tempered white best friend, Miles Turner, works for a moving company located in Oakland, California. One night while waiting for a red light, Collin witnesses a white police officer fatally shoot a fleeing black man. As Collin is haunted by the incident, he begins to have nightmares and experiences hallucinations.

At the same time, Miles becomes distraught by the gentrification of Oakland and a resulting sense of loss of identity, home, and belonging. Miles purchases a handgun from a friend on the basis of self-protection, an action of which Collin strongly disapproves. Collin tries to reconnect with his ex-girlfriend Val; there is an awkward distance between them despite their feelings for each other. A witness recounts the fight which led to Collin's incarceration: Collin was working door at a local club when a drunk white customer stepped outside to show off a flaming drink. Collin informed him that this violated state liquor laws but the man verbally abused and shoved Collin, starting a fight which ended with the man beaten and set aflame; Val witnessed the end of this shocking scene.

As Miles continues to display erratic behavior, Val warns Collin of the dangers that may result from a continued friendship with Miles. On Collin's last evening of probation, Miles's young son Sean finds the gun and Collin narrowly averts a tragic accident. Horrified, Sean's mother Ashley forces Miles and Collin to take the gun and leave.

Miles and Collin go to a party at an upscale new house owned by an enthusiastic newcomer to Oakland. The "shoot a hipster" T-shirt that Sean gave Miles is misinterpreted as being an ironic self-effacing statement, and the only other African-American man at the party takes issue with Miles's persona, misinterpreting it as cultural appropriation. They get into a physical fight and Miles takes out his frustrations, beating the man. Ordered to leave, Miles terrorizes the host and his guests by firing his gun into the air while proclaiming his authenticity to the neighborhood.

Collin rushes Miles away before the police arrive and takes his gun. In an explosive argument, Collin criticizes Miles for his reckless behavior and the trouble it keeps causing him. Miles returns home and reconciles with Ashley while she treats his injuries, and he realizes that he doesn't face the same struggles as his loved ones. Collin phones Val and, referencing the face–vase illusion from her college studies, asks if she has a blind spot with him and whether she can see past her recollection of the fight.

With his probation completed, Collin continues to feel psychologically troubled by the police shooting he witnessed. As he and Miles are finishing a moving job, the house is revealed to be that of Officer Molina, the same police officer whom Collin witnessed killing a man days earlier. Collin holds the officer at gunpoint, and Miles watches as Collin launches into a freestyle rap, criticizing the relationship between the police and African Americans, as well as the gentrification in Oakland. He breaks some of the officer's property, but does not shoot the gun, leaving the distraught officer behind. Following a moment of solemnity, Collin and Miles repair their friendship as they drive to their next job.

Cast

• Daveed Diggs as Collin Hoskins, a former convicted felon on his last three days of probation. He is friendly and laid back.
• Rafael Casal as Miles Turner, Collin's short-tempered and reckless best friend. The two have been close since childhood.
• Janina Gavankar as Val, a desk secretary and Collin's love interest. According to Miles, she never visited him while in prison. She urges Collin to end his relationship with Miles because Miles could get Collin in trouble.
• Jasmine Cephas Jones as Ashley, Miles' partner and mother of Sean.
• Ethan Embry as Officer Molina
• Tisha Campbell-Martin as Mama Liz
• Utkarsh Ambudkar as Rin
• Wayne Knight as Patrick
• Justin Chu Cary as Tin
• Kevin Carroll as James
• Nyambi Nyambi as Yorkie
• Lance Cameron Holloway as Curtis 'Cuttie' Cuttworth
• Margo Hall as Nancy, Collin's mother
• Jon Chaffin as Dez
• Leland Orser as Judge
• Sarah Kay as Angela
• Travis Parker as Randall Marshall

Production

Background

The screenplay for Blindspotting was written by Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal over a period of nine years. Diggs, who grew up in Oakland, and Casal, who grew up in bordering Berkeley, California, felt that cinematic portrayals of the San Francisco Bay Area have constantly "missed something". They wanted to draw attention to the culture, community, and sense of "heightened reality" that shape life in Oakland. The film addresses issues of gentrification, police violence, and racism.

Music

The film's score was composed by Michael Yezerski, and the soundtrack includes dozens of licensed songs from Bay Area artists. To Diggs and Casal, it was important that the music used in the film be from the city. According to Diggs, "The sound of the city was as important as anything else. For us, maybe even more important because we have real input. We can make a music choice that we thought will add to the humanity of everything." Diggs and Casal even picked musicians from the area to perform on the score to find a sound that was specific to Oakland. Musicians, including drummer John Mader from Oakland (who also played drums for the Broadway musical Hamilton, starring Diggs), The Regiment Horns from Berkeley, and bassist Josh Hari from Oakland performed on the score.

Blindspotting additionally features several rap performances by Diggs and Casal. The freestyle at the film's climax was entirely written by Casal, and the word choice remained mostly unchanged for years.

Filming

Principal photography finally began in June 2017 and lasted for 22 days, filming around Oakland.

Soundtracks

In lieu of a soundtrack album, two EPs were released. The Collin EP and The Miles EP are meant to represent both characters' perspectives, with Casal saying "It really felt like a way for people to drop into the music environment of the film. ... The spirit of each project is driven by being in the head or environment of the character." The Collin EP is described as being "little more cerebral, it’s if Collin were to think out loud," while The Miles EP is "trappier, 808 kind of music that the Bay Area is also known for that I imagine is what Miles drives around listening to. I imagine he's a little stoned, it’s a little angrier, a little grittier." Much of the material on the EPs were not included in the film. Several of the tracks include features by notable Bay Area artists, including Too $hort and T-Pain, and much of Diggs' and Casals' lyrics come from spoken word pieces they have performed in the past.

The opening tracks on both EPs, "Commander Smiley" and "Commander Miles," were recorded for the film, but were ultimately cut. The only original tracks featured in the film are "In My City," "Running to the Sky," and "Not a Game," with the rest being exclusive to the soundtrack EPs. The several rap performances by Diggs and Casal featured in the movie are not included on the EPs.

A third project, The Town EP, had a planned August 10 release date (along with the original release date of The Miles EP), and was described as being "more anthemic in trying to represent a little more sense of the timeless sense of the town." The project was never released, however.

The track "Time & Distance" on The Miles EP was removed after release because of licensing issues.

Blindspotting: The Collin EP
Soundtrack album by Daveed Diggs
Released	July 13, 2018 (2018-07-13)
Genre	Hip hop
Length	24:43
Label	Republic Records
Producer	Tiffany Gouché Avereaux Jessie I. James David Stokes Matthew Furdge Samuel Kent Waldo Marc Bamuthi Joseph Jeffrey Baranowski
Singles from Blindspotting: The Collin EP
"Easy Come, Easy Go" Released: July 30, 2018

Blindspotting: The Collin EP track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Commander Smiley" (featuring Rafael Casal)	Rafael Casal Daveed Diggs		1:15
2.	"Easy Come, Easy Go" (Performed by Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal)	Casal Diggs	Tiffany Gouché Avereaux	3:22
3.	"In My City" (featuring Mistah F.A.B. and Rafael Casal)	Stanley P. Cox Casal Diggs	Jessie I. James David Stokes Matthew Furdge	3:40
4.	"Chopped" (featuring Rafael Casal)	Casal Diggs	Avereaux	4:32
5.	"Running to the Sky" (featuring Moe Green and Kiana Ledé)	Gregory Carter Diggs Kiana Ledé Romika Faniel	James Stokes Samuel Kent Waldo	3:33
6.	"Not a Game" (featuring E-40, Rafael Casal, and Moe Green)	Earl T. Stevens Casal Diggs Carter	James Stokes Furdge	3:24
7.	"Stories for Freedom" (Performed by Marc Bamuthi Joseph)	Marc Bamuthi Joseph	Marc Bamuthi Joseph	1:00
8.	"Something in the Water" (featuring Emmy Raver-Lampman)	Diggs	James Stokes Jeffrey Baranowski	3:57
Total length:				24:43

Blindspotting: The Miles EP
Soundtrack album by Rafael Casal
Released	November 23, 2018 (2018-11-23)
Genre	Hip hop
Length	26:52
Label	Republic Records
Producer	Jessie I. James David Stokes Rafael Casal Ruwanga Samath Avereaux DSEP

Blindspotting: The Miles EP track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Commander Miles" (featuring Daveed Diggs)	Rafael Casal Daveed Diggs		1:27
2.	"Dope" (featuring Daveed Diggs and Too $hort)	Casal Diggs Todd Shaw	Jessie I. James David Stokes	3:47
3.	"Thug Tho" (featuring Daveed Diggs)	Casal Diggs	James Stokes Casal	4:02
4.	"Drippin" (featuring Daveed Diggs and SOB x RBE)	Casal Diggs Ruwanga Samath Jabbar Kingston Brown Jr. Juwon Lee Wayman Barrow George Harris III	Ruwanga Samath	3:39
5.	"Regulators" (featuring Daveed Diggs and T-Pain)	Casal Diggs Faheem Rashad Najm	James Stoke	3:56
6.	"Time & Distance" (featuring Samaria)	Casal Samaria Boykin
7.	"Fresh Squeeze" (featuring Avereaux, DSEP, and P-Lo)	Casal Marco Di Marco Roland Vengo Daniel Bonifacio Paolo Rodriguez	Avereaux DSEP	3:27
8.	"Goals" (featuring Clyde Carson and Daveed Diggs)	Clyde Carson Casal Diggs	Casal	2:34
9.	"Soul Takers (2012)" (featuring Daveed Diggs)	Casal Diggs	Casal	4:00
Total length:				26:52

Notes

• "Time & Distance" was removed from the album after its release.

Release

Blindspotting premiered at Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2018. A few days later, Lionsgate, under its Codeblack Films and Summit Entertainment banners, acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film, beating bidders including CBS Films, Neon, MoviePass and The Orchard, the latter of which nearly acquired the film before Lionsgate raised their bid. The film was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on July 20, 2018, followed by a wide release date a week later.

Reception

Box office

Blindspotting grossed $332,500 in its opening weekend from 14 locations, including in Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Oakland, for a $23,750 average per theater. It expanded to 513 theaters in its second weekend and made $1.3 million.

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 94% based on 176 reviews, and an average rating of 8.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "As timely as it is overall impactful, Blindspotting blends buddy comedy with seething social commentary, and rises on the strength of Daveed Diggs' powerful performance." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 77 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Former United States President Barack Obama named Blindspotting among his favorite films of 2018, in his annual list of favorite films.

Television adaptation

Main article: Blindspotting (TV series)

In September 2020, Starz ordered a TV spinoff of Blindspotting, with Jasmine Cephas Jones set to reprise her role as Ashley. Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal act as writers and executive producers on the series, with Casal to serve as showrunner. The pair each also reprise their roles in the premiere episode. The series will focus on Ashley's point of view when Miles is imprisoned. Production began in December 2020.

See also

• List of hood films

External links

• Official website
• Blindspotting at IMDb