MLK/FBI (2020 | United States |104 minutes | Samuel D. Pollard)

There’s a sense of ownership, of unrestricted access, an unearned right to know the intimate details of those in the public eye. Whether you came by fame entertaining the world on the big screen or by fighting for a righteous cause, you seemingly give up your right to a personal life. While this is a common occurrence in our everyday lives now, the public was shocked to learn that Martin Luther King Jr. had been violated in this way, unknowingly, by the FBI for ages leading up to the date of his death. Using a combination of found footage and interviews by experts, MLK/FBI discusses the inner-workings, justifications, and ultimately the callous disregard for his life by J. Edgar Hoover and his G-men. It also speculates what we will find when the fruits of Hoover’s labor are released in 2027.

The film rehashes the state of the world at the time leading up to King’s death, why Hoover had it out for him (he really did), and what justifications the head of the FBI gave for such scrutiny. There were times where the film itself seemed to veer onto the side of the FBI, as if to say they had a right to do whatever they wanted. Perhaps it was the director’s way of offering both viewpoints, perhaps not, but the idea that those tapes will be released at all is a painful reminder that we, as the general public, think we have a right to know whatever we want.

Yes, it will offer a deeper view into who MLK was as a man. Yes, it will show us that we are all human and hopefully help us realize a common love for both the good and bad in us all. But it will also cross the line of privacy simply for the sake of voyeurism. What’s the point of knowing what is on those tapes? It will do nothing to improve our future nor will it teach much of anything about the past. When does it stop? Will black bodies, and in turn their minds, ever stop being property?

_____________________________________________________

Available now on VOD, Amazon Prime and Apple TV