Short Film 'Due estranei' Confronts Racism Through Time Loop Narrative on Netflix

The short film 'Due estranei,' written by Treavor Free in 2020 and directed by Martin Desmon Roe, premiered on Netflix recently. Set in New York, the narrative follows Carter James, a young Black graphic designer, who becomes trapped in a temporal loop where he repeatedly dies at the hands of Officer Merk, a white NYPD officer. Each cycle begins with Carter being unjustly stopped and accused, culminating in his death with the phrase 'I can't breathe,' echoing real-world incidents like those of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and Eric Garner on July 17, 2014. The film, which has won an Emmy and is Oscar-nominated, explores themes of racism, empathy, and systemic violence through its half-hour runtime. It connects to the Black Lives Matter movement and urges viewers to remember victims by name. The story's loop structure offers multiple interpretations: as a metaphor for persistent racial violence or as a hopeful possibility for dialogue and change. Vanessa Romani authored the article for ArtSpecialDay, which analyzes the film's philosophical dimensions and societal implications without providing resolution to its central question about overcoming racism.