Written and directed by Tish Arana, who also stars in the film, when culture vultures apply for citizenship on a new planet founded by Black people three judges must decide how to handle folks who want everything but the burden. Starring: V. Vieux, Rashawn Nadine Scott, Samuel Ademola, Rajiv Shah, Christopher Benitez, Louise Houghton and Fay Kato.
Undoubtedly, there’s a lot of territory for satire in today’s landscape of cultural appropriation, racism and plain stupidity, The Burden takes advantage of that. Granted, a lot of it is very on the nose but that’s exactly the point when it’s perfectly reflective of everyday life. Tish Arana brings a great sense of humour to the table, it’s very familiar and relatable but also extremely relevant. It may be set in the future but every part of it is fitting to today’s society in a fun, punchy way. There’s a lot of personality at work and that’s certainly helped by some strong editing.
It does take its time to get going, the introduction is rocky, it can feel quite generic which isn’t a great representation of The Burden as a whole. Once it gets going, it has plenty to offer, the set design is strong, as well as the makeup and costumes, there’s a lot of little touches to add to its big personality. It also doesn’t lean too much on effects or any such tactics to try and boost its futuristic feel, while still making it very present. One of the main strengths is the tone because it’s so clearly having fun with this concept, with plenty of sarcasm and disdain but also a good amount of message about the long-term impact of racism.
Part of that entertaining drive is the performance, The Burden three leading judges, V. Vieux, Rashawn Nadine Scott and Samuel Ademola bring vibrant and wonderfully apathetic personalities. They also have a great chemistry between them, the feel that they’re perfectly on the same page and building upon each other’s banter. There’s also a really great ensemble who bring a lot of truly enjoyable and dislikable characters to the mix. Arana plays with stereotypes really well on that front.
The Burden is funny and creative but also has a great point about people being unlikely to change and lacking in empathy. It’s filled with personality, there’s a superb cast at work who all bring strong characters to the table. It may not start out on strong footing, but it builds momentum as it goes forward, creating something entertaining, relevant and well designed.
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