In reply to Happy+n+Rich.

That’s not what she’s saying. The stories lived by our elders were much harsher and far, far more tragic than movies like this will lead you to believe if you don’t know the history. And Viola is saying that when we make movies like this, we always feel the need to downplay that in some areas and not be explicit about how it really was, in order to make it more digestible for white people and even to avoid offending them. And that compromises the story itself. So yes, white people did “get it”. But that’s her point. They were supposed to. Because movies like that cater to them. What she thinks needs to happen is that we need to tell our stories, with NO consideration about how white people will feel about it. How they’re gonna take it shouldn’t matter. Tell the truth, don’t sugar coat, or clean up anything. Don’t overemphasize white sympathizers and champion them as being courageous and heroic or perpetuate a white savior complex to make white viewers feel better (looking at you 12 years a slave). It’s okay to be very clear about what happened and who was to blame. Because it’s the TRUTH. Otherwise don’t even bother making the movie.