The Inkwell — A Look At Melanated Neurodivergence
Warning: Some spoilers ahead if you haven’t watched the film yet
There was a film from my young life that I often watched on HBO back in the day. Every blue moon, I may catch half or three-fourths, if not all, on BET or Bounce TV. I’m talking about The Inkwell, a 1994 movie starring that delectable piece of chocolate named Larenz Tate, and directed by filmmaker Matty Rich. You may recognize this actor from such films as Menace II Society, Dead Presidents, and Why Do Fools Fall In Love.
According to reviews and analyses of The Inkwell, Tate plays a socially awkward teenager named Drew who communicates with a doll given to him by his grandmother, and accidentally set his upstate New York home on fire from attempting to concoct some rocket fuel. Let me add that this is only just the beginning of this movie. After recently watching the film on BET a few weeks ago, there was one question that immediately came to mind that go-around: “Is Drew what they call neurodivergent?”
My autistic antennae went up at that moment. Here we have a shy teen who isn’t exactly all the way there upstairs. His parents are at odds with each other and don’t know what’s going on mentally with their only son. Their (idea of a) solution is for Drew’s mother, Brenda (played by the late Suzzanne…
