Zebrahead

Racial conflict in a Detroit high school is the subject of filmmaker Anthony Drazan's outstanding teen drama Zebrahead, a genuine sleeper which was "discovered" by Oliver Stone's production company Ixtlan. Michael Rapaport stars as Zack (the metaphorical "zebrahead"), a white student who listens to black music, mimics black speech, and has a black best friend named Dee (DeShonn Castle). When Zack begins dating Dee's cousin Nikki (N'Bushe Wright), the interracial couple receive flak from both sides: Zack's friends tease him about dating a black girl, while Nikki's friends bug her about the white boy who tries to act black. Into this already volatile mix walks Nut, a black gang member who thinks Nikki belongs with her own race, and more specifically, himself. An exceptionally well-written and naturally acted adolescent drama that successfully avoids stereotypes and shorthand to deliver a rich and unflinchingly honest portrait of race relations in an inner city school, Zebrahead was one of 1992's best films. Although the disc lists a total of eight "special features," it actually has none, as most of us understand the term ("widescreen presentation," "scene selections," "interactive menus," etc.). Still, the DVD transfer is sharp, and the Dolby Digital stereo soundtrack is solid. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)