‘Barry’ trailer shows Obama finding his way, long before the White House
While the nation prepares for the transition of power between President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump in the near future, Netflix is looking to Obama’s past.
The new trailer for “Barry” reveals a young Obama as he struggles to find his place in college and society. As a biracial American “from Honolulu, mostly,” Obama is still trying to figure out his scene.
“You know I’m the only black person in four of my five classes,” Obama explains to his white classmate in a scene in the trailer.
“You’re half white, too. You can fit in anywhere,” responds the classmate.
“I fit in nowhere,” Obama says.
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Starring Devon Terrell, “Barry” is set in the fall of 1981 when Obama, known to his friends as Barry, moves to New York to start his junior year at Columbia University. The film, directed by Vikram Gandhi, was screened at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival before being acquired by Netflix.
The trailer reveals the racial tensions of the time and shows how Obama, whose mother was white and father was black, is pulled between various spheres. The tension and the issues addressed in the film are still relevant today, as highlighted in a scene where Obama is singled out and stopped by police on campus one night.
“I’m a student here,” says Obama. “I don’t see you I.D.-ing them. What’s so special about me, huh?”
The “Barry” cast includes Terrell, Ashley Judd, Jenna Elfman, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jason Mitchell, Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood) and Avi Nash.
The film hits Netflix Dec. 16.
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