They never say anything.
While watching this emotionally attractive and captivating movie I kept wondering what was wrong with it. After some pondering and reflection I can now tell you.
People don't talk to each other. They never say anything. There is no discourse. They do not give the slightest indication that they are thinking. Maybe these characters are meant to never think.
When they do speak, they speak in a primitive, emotionally inclined language. They do not argue or reason. In scenes where this would be expected or where they seem to start a discussion or an argument, they immediately stop. They absolutely never discuss anything in any rational, logical terms.
The heroes of the story could be totally stupid, almost like animals. But this is very unrealistic. In reality people without the ability to think and express nontrivial thoughts cannot possibly become music stars or politicians. Both professions require a considerable level of intelligence.
Now I am wondering why this is so. A few hypotheses are:
* The story writer and perhaps also the director are themselves very emotionally inclined people who do not think or do not reveal that they think, so for them this behavior devoid of any non-trivial language is normal. (Unlikely for successful film makers, but I cannot rule it out.)
* The story writer and perhaps also the director aimed for a stupid audience that could be put off by any trace of intelligent discourse.
* Since both heroes are black, the suspicion of racism arises. The movie could imply that black people are like that and perhaps the movie aims for an imagined black audience for whom this is normal.
Any other ideas about this phenomenon? To be honest, I do not want to see such movies. Fortunately they are rare or generally so bad that they don't normally cross my way.
Hans