Lee Daniels is no stranger to controversy. The director has built his career on making bold onscreen choices, and defending them regardless of the pushback. The Deliverance, Daniels' first foray into the horror genre, is a prime example. A character by the name of Alberta, played by Glenn Close, has been diving fans and critics. That said, Lee Daniels' comments about Alberta, proved even more polarizing on Twitter.
The director claimed that Alberta was a type of person who is present in the lives of every African American. "Every Black person knows an Alberta," Daniels asserted. "She's part of the fabric of our community, but we've never seen her onscreen before." The director then praised Oscar nominee Close for her fearless portrayal of the character. "Thank you Glenn for bringing her magnificently to life." The Deliverance has been critically panned on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 30% score, but it was Lee Daniels' broad comments that rubbed fans the wrong way.
Fans Call Out Lee Daniels' Creative Liberties
Many Twitter users felt that Daniels was generalizing the African American experience. Others felt that the director was speaking for them with an authority that he does not have. "There is literally no scenario ever where a non-black person is the actual fabric of a black community," one incensed user wrote. Lee Daniels' use of the phrase "fabric of the black community" seemed to be the breaking point. A second user was less irate, but still noted that the director was exaggerated. "The fabric of our community is doing a lot," they asserted. "I've never seen or met anyone like [Alberta] in my life."
The criticism snowballed when fans did research into the real family that inspired The Deliverance. Glenn Close's Alberta is obviously white, but the real grandmother she's based on was African American. This did not sit well with viewers. The grandma is black," one baffled user tweeted. "Lee Daniels is the actual villain." The general consensus is that Daniels' framing of Alberta as being an authentic depiction, while actual being an instance of whitewashing, is not worth praising. Plain and simple, regardless of what the director says.
