Stars: Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Leslie Uggams, Sterling K. Brown, John Ortiz, Adam Brody, Keith David, Issa Rae, Myra Lucretia Taylor | Written and Directed by Cord Jefferson

Having worked on TV shows like Watchmen and The Good Place, Cord Jefferson makes his directorial debut with this feature adaption of Percival Everett’s 2001 novel, Erasure. American Fiction follows Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright), a writer who is irritated at how the publishing world rejected his latest work for not being “black enough.” Monk pours those frustrations into a novel satirising the tropes that black writers are expected to adhere to, although he is surprised at how well-received the book becomes.

What Jefferson has crafted is a witty piece of social commentary that approaches the treatment of black stories in ways that are thoughtful and entertaining. The frustration is felt at how the stories most valued are the ones pandering to tired stereotypes,...