White Actress Playing An Ethiopian Muslim In New Refugee-Themed Film Has Twitter On 100
A new refugee-themed film titled Sweetness in the Belly, starring actress Dakota Fanning as an Ethiopian Muslim, has already amassed tons of criticism from social media ahead of its official release for being yet another African story centered around a White savior.
According to Deadline, Fanning plays Lilly Abdal in the film: a White African Muslim (of English parents) who was orphaned on the continent as a child and escaped to the United Kingdom as a refugee, fleeing the Civil War.
When she gets to London, she embraces the immigrant community — made fully of Black and Brown people, as seen in the clip — and tries to reunite these folks with their scattered families.
In addition to this base plot line, Fanning's character also falls in love with a man described as an "idealistic doctor" by the site.
It would be bad enough if the film were based on a true story Green Book-style, but it only makes matters worse that it's completely fictional. (It is, in fact, based on a novel by Camilla Gibb.)
Needless to say, Twitter has thoughts:
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Sweetness in the Belly, which also features Us star Yahya Abdul Mateen II, Kunal Nayyar and Peter Bankole, is set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7.
