"BLKNWS: Terms & CONDITIONS" REVIEW

Published on 2/1/2026 

Written by: Braylon Mitchell 

Directed by: Kahil Joseph 

Cast: ... 

Plot: Adapted from the artist Kahlil Joseph's video exhibition that carried the same name.

REVIEW 

This film is an interesting, bold piece of filmmaking- and one that makes great effort to transcend the boundaries of simply being called "a documentary". Blending its essence as an investigative "report", a visual encyclopedia spanning hundreds of years of history, and intricately intertwined slices of narratively written film- this film refuses to fall into just one label, using the generality of filmmaking as a medium to convey and express African American culture in a visceral artistic way. Despite feeling quite staggering as an expression of culture across centuries, Joseph constructs the film to feel so intimate to his own experience- allowing for a really interesting combination of the filmmaker's personal sentiments and the width of what the film is able to successfully encapsulate. 

THREE BEST ELEMENTS

• Phenomenal editing. Molding all distinct facets of the film meticulously, and is especially impressive in it's utilization of archival footage, photographs, cinema, interviews, songs, and any other media you could imagine. 

• Loved the varied, wonderfully pulsating score. 

• As mentioned earlier, this film trancends expectation and boundaries - and as a filmlover I always find that exciting. 

WORST ELEMENT 

• It's pacing can slow down quite often, and not every swing that the film takes lands as well as others do. Many will loose interest in the film at certain points. 

RATING

7/10

You should watch it, buddy if it seems like something you'd like!