Movie: Higher Learning
Writer/Director: John Singleton
Genre: Drama
Starring: Omar Epps, Tyra Banks, Ice Cube, Laurence
Fishburne, Kristy Swanson, Jennifer Connelly, Cole Hauser, Jay R. Ferguson, and
Michael Rappaport
Looking for a great college movie focused on the lives of
partying and studying college students? Higher
Learning does just that and much more. It’s an emotional ride through the
college life of certain characters struggling to make ends meet. In this movie you have the stereotypical college girls, the
typical frat boys, the social reformers, the lesbians, the racists and the kids
that are just trying to get by. As they all come together, one messed up
college campus is formed where tragedies happen to everyone: even the nice
people who are standing on the outside.
This drama illustrates the perplexity of social, political
and racial standards on a diverse college campus. Track star Malik struggles with his academic career while at the same time is dealing with the
racial segregation from his classmates as well as the campus police. Right from
the beginning we see his frustration as a young girl holds onto her purse
tightly as she enters the elevator with him. Throughout the entire movie Malik has difficulty finding himself in a town where people set him up to fail. The
character of Kristen becomes the victim of date rape after having too much to drink
one night. She then struggles with her sexuality and tries to create a better
campus for all her fellow classmates. The character of Remy is approached by a
racist group, shaves his head, and commits crimes affecting the lives of
innocent by standards.
As you can see, this movie is filled with personal and
social conflicts, and something intense is happening in every scene. This movie
was released in theaters in 1995 and was rated R for the graphic scenes and
fowl language. The final scene is where most audience members feel like this
movie moves away from being considered a college movie and turns more towards a
movie focused around racial problems. The gruesome scene of a campus shooting
leaves some in tears and others in pure shock.
Director John Singleton was the first African American and
the youngest person to be nominated for best director at the Academy Awards. He
is director of many other movies including Rosewood
and 2 Fast 2 Furious. Here he created
an entertaining, shocking movie that revealed a lot about the college life of
that time period. He turns a great college movie into a drama that makes people
realize the vices of human beings, and hopefully show them the tragedies that they
can lead to.
If you’re looking for an emotional, moving drama
about the lives of college students, then Higher Learning is perfect for you!
