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Mixed-race Couple's Neighbour From Hell
Samuel L Jackson plays racist cop in Lakeview Terrace.
Mixed-race couples often face racism from both sides of their racial backgrounds and whilst there are numerous films about the problems they face from the white community there are very few that highlight the problems couples face from their none-white neighbours. All that is about to change as Samuel L Jackson plays the neighbour from hell in Lakeview Terrace.
Jackson stars as Abel Turner, a single parent police officer who resents the mixed-race couple who move next door to him. He resents that Chris Mattson (Patrick Wilson) is white, while his wife, Lisa (Kerry Washington), is black. He resents that they appear to be privileged rich kids handed a standard of living they didn't necessarily earn and he resents that they are disrespectful neighbours who give no thought to the effect their careless actions will have on him and his two young children.
The fact that Abel Turner is a police officer is supposed to make the story even more horrific but in reality most mixed-race couples would not feel confident in their police to go to them with this sort of problem. In the end you're on your own and if your relationship is strong and luck is on your side you might live through it.
Jackson believes that the race element is an important factor in Lakeview Terrace "Race is an issue that everybody thinks about but you avoid talking about." Said Jackson And in Lakeview Terrace Abel Turner is a racist but he is also a man with some genuine grievances. "I think a lot of people will watch this movie and agree with his point of view and see where he's coming from," said Jackson.
When a secret is revealed late in the film about how Turner became a single dad, it becomes more understandable why Turner feels so hostile about mixed-race couples. That doesn't make racism excusable but it does give us a starting point for discussion and hopefully Lakeview Terrace will the public some understanding of the obstacles mixed-race couples face everyday.
Lakeview Terrace is released in the US September 19.
Click here to view the trailer for Lakeview Terrace:
Source:latimes.com
