The movies you need to make time for this month.
MOONLIGHT
Directed by Barry Jenkins
This film is more than growing up poor, black, and gay. It is more than drug abuse, mass incarceration, and school violence. Moonlight is a personal film and a social document of the harsh Black American reality, masked by beautiful light, music and color.
13th
Directed by Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay’s storytelling and unflinching examination of the current day mass incarceration of Black Americans, makes this documentary an essential and thought-provoking exploration of the intersection of race and justice and how it ties back to the Thirteenth Amendment.
Manohla Dargis, from the New York Times, aptly describes it as a cinematic call to conscience, laying bare the soul of the nation and challenging viewers to reconsider their understanding of these deeply ingrained societal issues.
Get Out
Directed by Jordan Peele
“Get Out” is one of my favorite films that exposes the reality that Black Americans can never breathe easy—a political statement hidden in a survival thriller. Jordan Peele uses jump-scare tactics and satire to prove a new way that white people have found to keep the institution of slavery alive. It’s a thought-provoking thriller with lots to say, a classic.
Black Panther
Directed by Ryan Coogler
“Black Panther” holds immense cultural significance as one of the first black superheroes in a blockbuster film, breaking barriers for representation in one of the largest and highest-grossing franchises, Marvel. For non-white audiences, the struggle for representation is challenging, making this movie a pivotal moment in cinema. Beyond its superhero façade, “Black Panther” is a poignant exploration of the black experience in America, Africa, and the world, tackling modern-day issues that affect the black community. The film’s success, evident in its record-breaking box office numbers, goes beyond mere cinematic achievements. It catalyzed a dialogue on the lack of relatable characters for marginalized communities. It altered the perspective of future generations of black children, offering them a positive and empowering representation onscreen.
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