Lee Daniels’ ‘The Deliverance’ Sparks Racial Backlash as Audience Questions Tokenistic Representation of White Grandmother
Award-winning filmmaker Lee Daniels is facing a social media firestorm following the release of his Netflix drama, ‘The Deliverance’. The horror film has drawn the ire of many, due to the tokenistic portrayal of a white grandmother (played by Glenn Close), who sews weaves and lives with her black daughter’s family.
D Daniels defended his casting choices, posting on X/Twitter ahead of the film’s release, "Every Black person knows an Alberta. She’s part of the fabric of our community, but we’ve never seen her on screen before. Thank you Glenn for bringing her magnificently to life."
However, many users disagreed, labelling Daniels’ assertion of a ‘common’ and ‘essential’ Alberta type as harmful. They felt that it minimizes the experiences and stories of Black women and that Close’s character’s existence perpetuated harmful stereotypes. Others have questioned why Daniels felt compelled to feature a white protagonist in a story inspired by a true crime narrative.
Additionally, social media users and critics pointed out that Alberta’s backstory in the movie was not representative of many Black people, especially Latoya Ammons, who was at the center of the terrifying true story behind the film.
Some responded with statements such as "Black people are obsessed with white women who act like stereotypical black women, but hate actual black women who act and sound like this. Lee Daniels isn’t exempt."
In another tweet, one user, Cierra (@CierraCierra25), sarcastically highlighted the absence of white audiences speaking about ‘The Deliverance’, emphasizing that if Alberta were only a product of black creative imagination, without a significant white face involved, that would likely go unnoticed, stating, "Here you go talmbout some ‘fabric of the community…’".
In stark contrast to Daniels’ perspective, another individual emphasized how the idea that ‘some’ of Black communities go unnoticed doesn’t accurately express the plight faced by communities of Black origin worldwide where the same, authentic culture is what remains largely understated despite societal impact to the mainstream’s norms
The star-studded Netflix film "The Deliverance" aims to inspire chills through the terror behind a story "Inspired by a terrifying true story, a mother fights for her life, her faith, and the souls of her children after discovering their new home is haunted by a demonic presence", also with Mo’Nique, Caleb McLaughlin, Tasha Smith, Omar Epps, Demi Singleton, and Miss Lawrence.
Can Hollywood accurately mirror the human experiences that cross racial divides and maintain truthfulness through story telling