The depiction of racial issues in American cinema has grown to illuminate not just the struggles but also the resilience, triumphs, and humanity of African Americans throughout history. Films like Green Book, Hidden Figures, and The Help delve deeply into systemic segregation, social injustice, and the enduring pursuit of equality, capturing the racial and political landscapes of their times. Through humor, drama, and raw biographical storytelling, these films offer distinct perspectives on the challenges faced by African Americans while highlighting pivotal milestones in the fight for civil rights and the profound personal sacrifices made along the way.
Green Book (2018)
This comedy drama follows the true story of the 1962 tour of the Deep South by African American musical Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) and his Italian American driver and bodyguard Tony Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen). The story follows the two men as they begin to drive down to the Deep South from New York City to go on a musical tour and the racial and political challenges they face the deeper into the south they go.
The green book is a lighthearted, feel-good biographical comedy, while at the same time also being a very serious, goal-centered, and heartbreaking picture. The dark premise of the movie evolves around the green book, an actual handbook called The Negro Motorist Green Book, which was a handbook designed for African-Aermcian travelers in the south to let them know what facilities would be open to accepting and serving them in the segregated south. The situation that movie creates with a white driver being on the payroll of a black musician, creates ironic circumstances that are heartbreaking at the same time, for example in the movie the deeper into the south they go, they cannot even stay in the same hotel and the facilities that accept Shirly become shadier and more unreliable the deeper into the south they go, but at the same time he is allowed to perform for rich white audience in great theaters that don’t even accept him as an equal. The dark comedy is a true visualization of what life in the deep south would have looked like as an African-American.
IMDB: 8.2/10
Hidden Figures (2016)
This 2016 American historical drama was based on the book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win The Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly. The story follows the real-life story of three African-American mathematicians named Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson who worked at NASA in the early 60’s. Despite the major racial segregation still in progress at the time, It was with their dedication that the NASA space program was successful in their early space flights against the USSR.
The movie is very powerful in converting the true sense of being an African-American in the 60’s with the extreme segregation still in progress. The movie shows the almost impossible journey of success for African-Americans and the extreme systematic racism placed towards their community. The movie also dives into the role of women in the 60’s, specially in male-dominated industries such as NASA. The movie shows the struggle of being an independent and, more importantly, smart woman in the workforce even if they were white as they were constantly being treated poorly, looked down upon, and were imposed more extreme working conditions such as a more strict dress code. Overall, the movie does a great job of inspiring the new generation while educating them about the social and political state of the country barely 60 years ago and how some people such as Katherine Johnson managed to rise above all even though everything seemed to be working against them. Katherine Johsnon later became NASA’s first female African-American engineer and in 2015, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
IMDB: 7.8/10
The Help (2011)
The Help is a drama based on the novel by the same name by Kathryn Stockett. The story follows Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan (Emma Stone), a young white girl living in Jackson, Mississippi who aspires to be a journalist. The story follows her relationship with two black maids Aibileen (Viola Davis) and Minny (Octavia Spencer) during the Civil Rights Movement in 1963. To become a legitimate journalist, Skeeter decides to write a book from the point of view of the black maids and expose the racism they face while working for white families.
One of my all time favorites, The Help is a fascinating and captivating storyline with powerful characters that goes into detail of the racism African-Aemricans, and specifically the black domestic workers faces in their workplace. While raising their children, providing them food, cleaning, and doing most of the shopping, these maids were segregated in almost every aspect of their work and often were not even allowed to use the bathrooms in the house. The movie shows just how much the society and norms were different not half a century ago and the milestones people had to go to change them.
IMDB: 8.1/10
Malcolm X (1992)
This 1992 biography is about the story of African-American and Muslim activist Malcom X during the Civil Rights movement. The story follows Malcolm (Denzel Washington) through different stages of his life, starting during his early adulthood and vigilante lifestyle that ends him up in prison, his growing interest in the Islamic religion, and his later activism and resentment towards white people for mistreating his race.
Malcolm X is a powerful and epic movie that depicts the life of a great American Activist. Washington’s performance brings depth and complexity to the character that was a pivotal figure in American history. The movie also powerfully captures his transformation and his great impact on the civil rights movement at the time before his assassination in 1965.
IMDB: 7.7/10
To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
Based on the book by the same name by Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird is a courtroom drama that follows a lawyer named Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) in Alabama during the Great Depression as he is defending a black man against charges of raping a white girl, while educating his children about against prejudice.
This fantastic movie is a beautiful representation of a southern community and how racism and prejudice root in that community. Most of the movie is through the point of view of the lawyer’s young daughter Scout who is starting to learn how the world around her works and her father is making it a mission to educate her about right and wrong and the prejudices in the judicial system. The book was considered to be a sensation with its themes regarding racial inequality, class difference, and southern life. The book was loosely based on Lee’s own observation and events that occurred in her hometown in Alabama and eventually got her 1960’s Pulitzer Prize.
IMDB: 8.3/10
The Best of Enemies (2019)
This American drama is a powerful true story following the unlikely friendship of Civil Rights Activist Ann Atwater (Taraji P. Henson) and KKK leader C.P. Ellis (Sam Rockwell) in North Carolina, 1971.
The Best of Enemies follows the dispute between the two rival forces in Durham, New Carolina, the Civil Rights Activists and the white supremacists. Ann is attempting to get better housing conditions for black people from the all-white council. As Ann’s children’s school gets caught on fire, she and Ellis along with their choice of representatives have to start meetings to debate segregation and whether the black children will be able to attend a white school. Though they are polar opposites, eventually the two characters start to influence each other, changing the hatred in each other into love. The real life Ann and C.P. stayed friends, went to different cities making speeches, and Ann eventually gave a Eulogy at C.P.’s funeral.
IMDB: 7.3/10
The Long Walk Home (1990)
The Long Walk Home is a historical drama starring Whoopi Goldberg as Odessa Cotter, an African-American maid living in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955 working for a white woman named Mirian (Sissy Spacek). When Odessa joins in on the Montgomery Bus Boycott movement, it causes her hardship as she has to walk a long distance to work and back, while her employer Miriam is drawn into supporting the cause despite societal pressure.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a civil rights movement caused by the arrest of Rosa Parks when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white man. The movie effectively captures the spirit of the movement at the time along with hardships, complexities of race and social status, andallyships during a turbulent time through the relationship of Odessa and Miriam and overall, The Long Walk Home allows viewers to witness the emotional and moral struggles that accompany social change, making the Civil Rights Movement feel immediate and relatable.
IMDB: 7.3/10
Harriet (2019)
This biographical drama follows the story of Harriet Tubman (Cynthia Erivo), American abolitionist who after escaping slavery, made 13 missions to return and reduce other slaves including her friends and family using her network of activists, safe houses, and underground railroad.
The film highlights Tubman’s intense personal transformation from enslaved woman to freedom fighter and leader. It also emphasizes the psychological toll and sacrifices she endured, underscoring her determination in the face of unimaginable danger. The movie ultimately serves as both an inspiring tribute to Tubman and a call to remember and honor the strength of those who fought for freedom.
IMDB: 6.7/10
The Hate U Give (2018)
This coming-of-age teen drama focuses on the fallout after a high school student witnesses a police brutality shooting. Starr (Amandla Stenberg) is an African-American teenager living in a predominantly black neighborhood while attending a mostly white private high school, ultimately living a double life. After she witnesses her friend Khalil get killed by a police officer after being pulled over late at night after a party, the story becomes national news and her life is turned upside down.
The Hate U Give is a powerful social commentary and one of the best movies about Black Lives Matter movement that accurately captures the real fear of police brutality, and identity crisis faced by black youth in America. The movie also criticizes social structure and systematic racism that leads to the high prevalence of crime and drugs in predominantly black neighborhoods and overall serves as a call for empathy and allyship.
IMDB: 7.5/10
Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner (1967)
This classic romantic comedy is a golden contribution to the civil rights movement. The movie follows the young interracial couple, Joanna Drayton (Katherine Houghton) and Dr. John Prentice (Sidney Poitier), as they travel to San Francisco to announce their engagement to Joanna’s parents in their home.
The movie, while being hilarious and lighthearted, shines light on important issues at those times. The film was shot and released just before the anti-miscegenation laws were struck down by the supreme court in Loving v. Virginia, which ended the illegality of interracial marriage in the remaining 17 states. The movie also raises the issue of tolerance on both sides, focusing on Joanna’s liberal parents who are still shocked and a little scared of their daughter getting married to a black man, and John’s parents as they disapprove of him marrying a white woman and not keeping the bloodline within his race. The movie showcases how divided America was at the end of the 60’s and how it would take generations to rebuild the trust and friendship between the two races, but it could finally start at that point.
IMDB: 7.8/10
