Sundance Review: BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions is a Poetic Tribute to the Historical, Current, and Future Aspects of Black Culture

      Kahlil Joseph’s BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions celebrates and condenses centuries of Black history, a task that would require multiple lifetimes for any scholar to fully comprehend. Instead of relying on dry academic ethnographic methods, it offers a vibrant and engaging journey. Using Henry Louis Gates and Anthony Appiah’s W. E. B. Du Bois-inspired “Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience” as its foundation—an edition that spans nearly 4,000 pages—with page numbers included throughout its many references, the viewing experience is less intimidating than one might expect the filmmaking process to be. By merging and juxtaposing countless pieces of media, the film is a directorial debut that is both fast-paced and an open invitation to delve deeper into the extensive threads of Black history that span the past, present, and future.

      Building upon Joseph's 2019 two-channel art installation, BLKNWS initially takes the structure of a news channel, featuring anchors, tickers, breaking news alerts, and commercials presented through bold title cards. However, with its exceptional soundtrack and immersive sound design, it resembles a compilation album—like the motif of a spinning record—where the next track is always unpredictably surprising.

      As it navigates the vast African diaspora, Joseph aligns with curator Funmilayo Akechukwu’s ongoing project The Resonance Field, which is creatively depicted in the film by cinematographer Bradford Young. This narrative follows a journalist exploring a futuristic vessel called the Nautica to document the Transatlantic Biennale, an exhibit set in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean that symbolizes reclaiming a passage historically used for both the abduction of slaves and the theft of Black art. Similar to the previous year’s Dahomey, the restoration of “artifacts that were long ago taken from the communities they were meant to serve” is a poignant theme throughout BLKNWS. Joseph emphasizes feeling over contextual information, often introducing new ideas in medias res before revisiting them with more detail if he chooses. The result is a captivating sense of disorientation, as the continuous flow of ideas—including personal family history, the pain inflicted by religious institutions, and the ways modern culture is viewed through the lens of a crowded webpage—proves consistently engaging.

      Joseph is perhaps best recognized for his contributions to Beyoncé’s acclaimed Lemonade and for directing music videos for artists like Kendrick Lamar, FKA Twigs, and Flying Lotus. He also played a role behind the scenes on To the Wonder and subsequent works by Terrence Malick. The influence of Malick’s poetic cinematic style permeates BLKNWS, evident not only in the recurring use of John Tavener’s “Funeral Canticle” but also in the fluidity and lyricism of the imagery presented. Following Malick's instruction for The Tree of Life, that the film should flow like a river—blending disparate imagery to wash over the viewer in lyrical power—this ethos is also embraced by Joseph as we are immersed in snapshots of both well-known and lesser-known aspects of Black culture.

      The film offers glimpses of figures such as James Baldwin, Nikki Giovanni, Whitney Houston, Marcus Garvey, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Larry Levan, Willie Mays, Audre Lorde, the Black Star Line, Hurricane Katrina, and the Million Man March—many appearing within just the initial minutes of the first montage. Highlighting the extensive range of archival material Joseph incorporates would require a detailed compendium from the director, yet the playful editing approach stands out. For instance, the Xenomorph from Alien is suggested to be inspired by early African art, subtitles in Vivre sa vie are humorously replaced by someone requesting Wu-Tang albums, and pioneering Nigerian curator Okwui Enwezor discusses the significance of the gap between art and the audience—juxtaposed with Eric André lampooning the modern art scene by smashing exhibitions. While BLKNWS reflects on the joy and suffering of Black history, consciously distancing itself from depictions of violence against Black individuals, it simultaneously seeks to dismantle outdated concepts of art and presentation in order to forge new pathways moving forward.

      In an invigorating meta narrative, BLKNWS also documents its own creation, revealing how Joseph first conceived this idea after attending a talk by Fred Moten and Saidiya Hartman in 2017, showcasing its initial iteration developed at Los Angeles’ Underground Museum. As Black art and culture evolve, it seems likely that this feature film will not be the final chapter in Joseph’s ambitious project. The film embodies a thrilling sense of ongoing reinvention, which refutes the commercial paradigm that confines and commodifies all art into easily marketable content.

      “What is bad for cinema is categories,” observes Agnès Varda in a featured clip. BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions defies classification in the most stimulating manner, presenting itself as a dense, endlessly creative, and, above all, entertaining exploration of both personal and collective history