Higher Learning (1995)

Charming and brutal

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Hello. I am a fan of Gwyneth Paltrow. Looking at the cast, it seems the Gwyneth has a little part as student in this movie. But I am not able to find her in any scene. Can you please help me to identify her ? Thank You Very Much in advance. Bruno.

The excitement, of anticipation, is the boredom of the present. The present is the inability to expect. The inability to expect is the inability to know - the inability to know is the ability to not know.The ability to not know is boring. The ability to not know is not the same as not knowing - the ability to not know is an insincere type of ignorance.The experience of boredom is an insincere type of ignorance. An insincere ignorance is a sincere knowledge. A sincere knowledge is not sincerity or knowledge - a sincere knowledge is the same as an insincere sincerity. The experience of boredom, or, the experience of no importance is the same as an insincere sincerity - a dangerous honesty.Unimportance is a dangerous honesty - importance is an honesty that's not dangerous.Importance is an honesty that's acceptable. An acceptable honesty is not acceptable.Importance is not acceptable - unimportance is the only force of nature that can be acceptable.The only way for reality to be acceptable, is if reality is unimportant. The worthiness of reality is dependent on the unworthiness of reality: the ability of worthiness is predicated on worthiness hating itselfThe ability to destroy hatred has to be preceded by hatred having already been accepted; the ability to not hate must be preceded by the ability to hate

The movie title is an accurate definition because it gives a lesson worthy of an university (and that should be taught before too!) In other words: the wise one doesn't follow opinions but formulate them. Thanks to Jen, i'm happy to have discover this challenging movie because so far I only knew the later « American History X » to diagnostic radically the racial question in America. In France, the so-called cradle of human rights, we are so afraid of this thematic that we don't do movies about this or when they exist, they can't get screens ! Here, freedom of expression allows to hear all opinions, bad as good. Sure, all the characters are stereotypes and the story is easily guessed but at least we have something to ponder! The choice for a campus is intelligent as we can follow different characters in a same location and it's indeed a special place : faraway from our families, we are on our own and we must affirm ourselves to find a path. For those like me who miss those years, this movie is great, all the more than we can discover what UCLA looks like. At last, Singleton is a talented and inspired director because he gives vibes, rhythm and soul to his story when others one sinks into sleeping, tedious lesson (see « the butler »).

I won't argue with the fact that this is a great movie about racial tension, but I will argue with the fact that the Black Panthers are portrayed as better or more sympathetically than the Skinheads. Anyone that argues different is a victim of a false liberal bias. The fact is, for those of you who watch Higher Learning with an open mind to the facts of life, both sides of the conflict are portrayed as equally repugnant. Higher Learning makes a serious effort to take no sides in its portrayal of racism in America and it is an effort that pays off in spades. It is a solid piece of honest cinema and one with a valid point. Although, the film could have done without a half-hearted homage to the UT Austin tragedy. A movie of this caliber should have had a more original ending.