A great way to celebrate Black History Month is to watch films made by incredible Black filmmakers. Here’s a list of ten films you could watch this month.
“Moonlight” (2016)
This Academy Award winning film directed by Barry Jenkins explores three prominent chapters in the life of Chiron (portrayed by Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes), a queer Black man growing up in Miami. This movie is a masterpiece, from the gorgeous cinematography to the poignant screenplay and the stirring performances from the actors. The film explores finding one’s identity and learning to accept one’s authentic self. It’s available to watch with Cinemax and to rent on various movie rental sites, including Amazon Prime Video, Fandango at Home and Apple TV.
“She’s Gotta Have It” (1986)
In Spike Lee’s first feature-length film, Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) is pursued by three men who all want her for themselves, but she refuses to fully commit to any of them as she cherishes her personal freedom. The film is an exploration of female pleasure and sexual freedom and is a visually stunning, yet profound, film. It’s available to watch on Netflix.
“American Fiction” (2023)
In this comedy-drama film written and directed by Cord Jefferson, a writer and professor, Thelonious "Monk" Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) writes an outlandish book filled with offensive and overused stereotypes about Black people to prove that those are the only Black novels that will sell. While it started as a joke, the book does in fact prove his point after becoming extremely popular, and he must pretend to be the stereotypical Black writer of the book. While this movie is humorous, it brings to light the often-inauthentic representation of Black communities in media and the subsequent profits that are gained from the exploitation of these harmful stereotypes. The movie is available on MGM+.
“Zola” (2020)
This comedy crime film directed by Janicza Bravo follows Zola (Taylour Paige) as she gets seduced by Stefani (Riley Keough) to join her on a weekend trip to Florida to strip for quick cash. However, Zola ends up stuck in the middle of a messy conflict with Stefani’s pimp and boyfriend. The story is based off a viral 2015 Twitter thread and Rolling Stone article “Zola Tells All: The Real Story Behind the Greatest Stripper Saga Ever Tweeted.” The film is wild and comedic but also highlights the terror of being trapped in a dangerous situation. It’s available to rent on various movie rental sites, including Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies and YouTube.
“The Color Purple” (2023)
Directed by Blitz Bazawule, this adaptation of the stage musical of the same name — which was itself an adaptation of the 1982 novel of the same name written by Alice Walker — follows Celie (Fantasia Barrino) as she faces many hardships but finds strength in the bonds she forms with the women in her life. This powerful and vibrant film shows dark times faced by many Black women in the early 1900s but most of all exhibits the strength and resilience found by these women. The film is available to watch on Max.
“Fruitvale Station” (2013)
Ryan Coogler’s feature directorial debut, based on a true story, shows the last day of the life of Oscar Grant III (Michael B. Jordan), before he was fatally shot by BART police at Fruitvale station. This thriller beautifully paints a picture of who Oscar was and is a powerful reminder of the violence that still exists in our world today. The film is available to watch on Max.
“Us” (2019)
In this psychological thriller directed by Jordan Peele, Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong'o), joined by her family, returns to her childhood home, however the family soon gets attacked by a group of frightening doppelgängers. This is a terrifying and haunting film, with a phenomenal performance from Nyong'o. It is a classic horror movie on the exterior, but really explores themes of classism, marginalization and social separation. Peele’s other films “Get Out” and “Nope” are equally exceptional as this one and are also definitely worth checking out. “Us” is available to rent on various movie rental sites, including Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies and Apple TV.
“The Watermelon Woman” (1996)
In this romantic comedy written, directed and edited by Cheryl Dunye, aspiring filmmaker Cheryl (Cheryl Dunye) makes a film researching a Black actress from the 1930s who played “mammy” archetypes and was only referred to as the “Watermelon Woman.” The movie was inspired by, and made to honor, the many Black actresses who were sidelined and forgotten in history, such as Louise Beavers, Hattie McDaniel and Butterfly McQueen. Dunye was also the first Black lesbian to direct a feature film, so this movie was very monumental. It’s available to rent on various movie rental sites, including Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies and YouTube.
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018)
In this animated Spider-Man film directed by Peter Ramsey, Bob Persichetti and Rodney Rothman, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is bitten by a radioactive spider that turns him into his universe’s (second) Spider-Man. However, Spider-Men from different universes begin appearing in Miles’ universe and together they must take down Kingpin (Liev Schreiber) to get each Spider-Man back home. This film quickly became regarded as one of the best Spider-Man films of all time, with breathtaking animation, a funny, yet genuine screenplay, and memorable characters. It is also an impactful movie as it included the first Black Spider-Man on screens and made it clear that this Spider-Man was not just Peter Parker with a different race: he was Miles Morales. It was a significant moment for Marvel fans that further opened the door to a more inclusive Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film is available to rent on various movie rental sites, including Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies and YouTube.
“The Woman King” (2022)
In this action film set in the 1800s directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, a group of all-women soldiers protect the African kingdom of Dahomey from slave traders. The film is inspired by true events and is considered to be like “Braveheart” but with Black women. It is action-packed, memorable and puts women’s power on full display. The movie is available on Hulu.
