‘American Fiction’: Jeffrey Wright, Sterling K. Brown, Erika Alexander chat with BNV about edgy racial satire

When it comes to making “award-worthy” art about Black life, there’s been a consistent focus on Black people affected by poverty, crime, and/or drugs. To put it bluntly, Black trauma is often used to make money and get accolades. The comedy/drama film “American Fiction” (released Dec. 15 in theaters by Amazon MGM Studios’ Orion Pictures) is an incisively sharp satire of how Black trauma is exploited for personal and professional gain.& Writer/director/producer Cord Jefferson (who won a screenwriting Emmy for HBO’s superhero miniseries “Watchmen”) makes his directorial debut with “American Fiction,” which is based on Percival Everett’s 2001 novel “Erasure.” “American Fiction” has been getting major recognition as an awards contender, including winning the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award, the festival’s top prize. The movie has several nominations for Golden Globe Awards and Critics Choice Awards. “American Fiction” is also expected to get multiple Oscar nominations. Jeffrey Wright stars as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (center), Sterling K. Brown stars as Cliff Ellison (left), and Erika Alexander as Coraline (right) in writer/director Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction,” an Orion Pictures release. Photo credit: Claire Folger, Orion Releasing LLC In “American Fiction,” Thelonius “Monk” Ellison (played by Jeffrey Wright) is a...