For my part I believe middle school youngsters would find “Whitewash” thought provoking
and engage in a lively discussion after viewing it. Some would relate to showing solidarity with Angel and writing her a letter to show support. Perhaps a few would remember incidents where they felt hurt and how loved ones and friends had welcomed them back to the warm embrace of healing.
In discussing the program with parents they could get into an argument where they ended up on opposite sides of the issue. Social conventions, such as “received wisdom” from society and respected authority figures, would start to be questioned including racism and nuances of prejudice. Questioning authority in some cases would enable early adolescents to identify with more than one of the characters in Whitewash's narrative. Both girls and perhaps a few boys might identify with the comforting reassuring presence of the grandmother (parental unconditional love). Boys could recall times when they were bullied and were confused about their emotions (did I do enough to help my sister?; did I fight back as much as I could to maintain my own dignity and respect?, etc.).
Despite my cynicism expressed right after the viewing I did gain some hope from watching the film. Art can make a difference in young people's lives. All forms of art, especially music, have pulled me through tough times. The screenplay/script was very well written. It sucker-punched me on three levels – body, mind and spirit. Unpacking this production with adults will make for fiery discourse and self-revealing statements. Assuming I was involved in facilitating a presentation with Whitewash as a jumping off point I could have a devil of a time in keeping my passionate opinions in check (it would be a good exercise in self-restraint!). David