Nicole Bornales

“WHEN THEY SEE US” -A reaction paper The story of the movie revolves around five teenage boys namely Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey who was accused and put on trial for a heinous crime they did not commit. The scenes were thrilled with coerced confessions that didn’t carry truths about the crime and all of the after-effects as the minors (five teenage boys) are being harassed and terrorized by society while having the real criminal walk undisturbed in the area. A not loud pitch or volume piece of an old-school song played under the opening scene of the movie. The song used is harmless and innocent to be described as it was operated in a boastful vein. It was used in the part of the movie when Anton McCray hangs out with his dad as they eat fast food and talk at a small table. As the soundtrack of an American rapper namely Edward Archer, known as Special Ed flows on a scene, a negative vision appears on how he and other black people would be seen by the societal as “they” of the title. They were perceived by society as violent thugs, older-looking, and more powerful than their age would indicate. They were described as individuals with an Awkward and cultivated in appearance, manner, or behavior of being rude and lacking in polish and grace. There are parts in the miniseries of the film wherein they were labeled as beings wilding at will and deserving of less benefit of the doubt than their white counterparts. Each episode of the movie has its own valuable characters from the Central Park Five. Each episode centers its specific character as they dealt with the court and are convicted after an infuriating string of events. It used a four-episode Netflix miniseries format on showing the events and details of the story in a clear and effective way. The director was able to produce scenes that were able to greatly upset and Shock the viewers, acutely distressing and painful, upsetting and infuriating. One of the most painful moments shown in the movie is in the first part wherein an innocent child was forced by his father to lie and confess to a crime he didn’t commit due to his fears that his Child will be harmed at the police hands. The defendants became a series of opportunists. This is evident in the movie wherein the prosecutors became willing to bend the truth and reshape the details of the crime to make them fit their narratives. The transition from teenage to adult characters was done cleverly. And also how the movie depicted the unfortunate life a person can have by being a convicted felon. It is very observable that the movie always holds its statement that “Color of people are disadvantage in the Land of the living whites”. The movie cited events wherein the color of people, especially blacks, are presumed guilty at all times. Scenes in the movie were able to drive viewer’s emotions towards the characters and events. One of the many emphasized messages it carries is the Biased Legal System, which seemed to be the most unforgettable piece of the movie– on how the justice system and the press failed and continue to fail people of color.