I've seen plenty of people comparing writer/director Justin Simien's debut film Dear White People with John Singleton's 1995 campus drama Higher Learning.  I can definitely see the similarities but I also think that's something of a reductive comparison.  Higher Learning is also concerned, in part, with race relations but it's something of a broad-stroke drama with a fairly operatic conclusion.  Dear White People is much more specific, much warmer, and more focussed.  I recently sat down with stars Tessa Thompson and Teyonah Parris to talk about their roles in the film.  The two play ideological opposites in the movie and it was nice to hear them discuss those contrast in person.

Hit the jump for my Dear White People interview with Thompson and Parris (you can check out the trailer here). The film also stars Tyler James WilliamsBrandon P. BellKyle GallnerMalcolm BarrettBrittany CurranMarque Richardson, and Dennis Haysbert, and opens in theaters on Friday, October 17th.

For more on the film, be sure to visit their official websiteFacebook page, and following along with their Twitter account.

 

 

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