5 Important (and recent) Movies About the Black Experience

There are some blockbusters on the horizon this summer, including a few with a Black focus. It’s been refreshing to see a shift in the industry to highlight more Black stories and create opportunities for Black creatives. Those interested in the latest Black movies should get along with Creed III, but if you’re late to the part it may be [err, is] a good idea to delve into some black cinema from recent years.   

Just Mercy (2019) 

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Just Mercy is a biographical legal drama released in 2019 to positive critical reviews. The story centers on a Harvard law graduate who travels to Alabama to defend poor people without representation. The graduate unravels injustice in the case of a man sitting on Death Row.  Poignant and emotive, Just Mercy spotlights prejudice within the legal system, as well as a good deal of injustice. Set in the late 80s, this skillfully told biopic reminds us there is still plenty of work to be done in the area of legal representation and non-discrimination in the legal system.    

Queen and Slim (2019) 

Queen and Slim is a romantic road crime drama that deals with the themes of police brutality in the black community, discrimination, racism, and romantic love. After losing a client to Death Row in Florida, Queen, a Florida attorney, goes on a Tinder date to meet Slim for the first time.  It’s fair to say the date doesn’t go well, but not because the pair don’t get along. After an altercation with a white police officer on the roadside, Queen and Slim go on the run and have an adventure. This movie is worth your time; it’s entertaining and deals with modern themes.   

Waves (2019) 

If you are more in the mood for reflective drama, the movie Waves from 2019 might be one to consider. The story initially follows the fortunes of a maverick high school wrestler going through a torrid time of stilted ambition and romantic upheaval that eventually lands him in prison for life.  If you thought that was all there was to the plot, you would have missed the underlying themes of forgiveness, understanding, reconciliation, and loss. Like God’s Country Song, Waves tunes into existential themes as well; you can stream God's Country Song here for some comparison. 

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (2019) 

Few Black voices are quite as powerful as the literary icon Toni Morrison. Morrison was an American novelist from Ohio and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her modern classic Beloved (1987). In 1993, she became the first black woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am is a documentary film that traces the life and work of the famous author. The movie zeroes in on her work and contemporary themes. Overall, this movie received excellent reviews and comprises an important element of the world’s black history.   

Black Panther (2018)  

On the surface, Black Panther is a typical action-packed Marvel movie with a predictable plot, but beneath that shiny superhero surface is a much deeper film that speaks to multiple facets of the Black experience. Not to mention it’s the first blockbuster superhero movie with an almost entirely black cast — save for Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis —  making it a unique and pivotal movie. It may be easy to cheer on the protagonist along the way, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself reflecting on the perspective of the well developed antagonist by the time you get to the post-credits cutscene.