You’ve probably heard of Boots Riley’s work – Sorry To Bother You starring LaKeith Stanfield was a surprise hit, and his series I’m A Virgo got picked up by Amazon Prime. But the Oakland-raised rapper-turned-director doesn’t just want you to leave the cinema having had a good time: he wants you to start a revolution.
His new film I Love Boosters – starring the incredibly charming Keke Palmer – is about three women who shoplift from high end boutiques, and sell the clothes at a cut price in the hood. But it wouldn’t be a Boots Riley film if it stopped there. What starts as a paean to shoplifters turns into a story of working class shop floor organisation – and international communist action.
Is all art propaganda? Is shoplifting a revolutionary act? What role does style play in the revolution? And what’s it like being the most high profile communist in Hollywood, in Trump’s America?
Spoilers Warning: Information about the plot is disclosed at 17:50 – 19:20, 26:40 – 27:50, and 54:10 – 54:50.
00:00 Introduction
00:53 What’s It Like Being a Communist in Hollywood?
02:24 The Contradictions of Having Radical Politics Under Capitalism
03:23 “Suits for Rage”: The Contradictions We All Embody
08:27 How Boots Riley Became Communist
09:03 Exposing Injustice Isn’t Enough: Action is Needed
11:24 What Actually Makes People Join Movements?
13:08 Hollywood’s Problem With Radical Politics
20:10 On Craft, Creativity and Alienation
23:08 Boots Riley’s Superhero Origin Story
31:00 General Strike Now!
35:02 Every Film Is Political
42:28 Is the Right Better at Propaganda?
48:05 How the Cops Manufactured a Shoplifting Panic
53:08 It’s All Propaganda
