In the wake of the George Floyd murder, the Black Lives Matter movement and racial inequality has surged to the forefront of our social consciousness in a way that hasn’t happened since at least the Rodney King riots, and arguably since the late 1960s. Educating ourselves, and learning and unlearning, has been the process that most of this country is undergoing.
Movies, for better or for worse, have been part of shaping the worldview on race from the beginning of film history until now. Black filmmakers don’t have a very long history, but their impact on the landscape of cinema has been indelible. Now is as great a time as any to explore some black films or racial justice related movies – there’s no shortage of lists out there for recommendations for movies or documentaries. There are more black movies streaming for free than ever (even the Criterion Channel has gotten in on it), and they are easier to find and watch than ever.
All that said, it can be a little hard to know where to start, so here is a list of black movies (5 documentaries and 5 narrative films) that you can currently watch for free:
DOCUMENTARIES
13th (2016)
If you only have time to watch one documentary on racial injustice and the black lives matter movement in America, this is it. Ava DuVernay’s acclaimed documentary focuses on mass incarceration but it takes a hard look at slavery, racism, the history of black protests and leadership, recent prison population increases, changes in law and sentencing, the current system of lobbyists and corporations that profit from the prison system, and police brutality and the birth of the black lives matter movement, which all buttress a pretty compelling argument that the carveout in the 13th amendment is a modern form of legal slavery. (Available on Netflix)
Hoop Dreams (1994)
This is my favorite documentary of all time, and it’s not really close. Roger Ebert also listed this as his favorite film of the 1990s. This intensely personal story follows two black teenagers over the course of their four years in high school who are born and bred in the projects of Chicago as they get a basketball scholarship to a cushy white private school. Chasing athletic dreams is often seen as one of the few ways out of intergenerational poverty in black America, and through the lens of the young teenagers we see the stark hardships of the world around them in the form of crime, drugs, poverty, as well as the little joys in life as they cling ever more resiliently and desperately. (Available on HBO Max)
I am Not Your Negro (2016)
A video essay of famed writer James Baldwin, based primarily on Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript and narrated by Samuel L Jackson, this is an extremely well-made and edited film. It does a wonderful job accenting the natural poetry and gravity of Baldwin’s words – personal, moving, passionate, thoughtful, philosophical yet grounded. Baldwin sheds light on any topic he touches: society, the perception of race, his personal relationships with Malcom X and MLK. All of his words are maddeningly prescient and relevant. It is a unique film experience. (Available on Prime, Netflix, and Hulu)
True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality (2019)
This documentary makes the same claim that 13th does – mass incarceration is not just a major problem in modern day America, it’s an evolved form of slavery. It makes this case, however, in a somewhat different and much more personal way. Using the words of renowned civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson and his experiences with over 30 years of representing death row inmates, this film shrewdly utilizes Stevenson’s charm and inspiring personality to drive home the consequences of injustice – we see what happens when Stevenson loses his cases – but also that the fight for justice is one of hope. We should all be following in the footsteps of Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative. (Available on HBO Max, Youtube)
LA 92 (2017)
A found footage documentary (100% archival footage, no talking heads or anything) released on the 25th anniversary of the Rodney King riots, this is shocking look into the brutal events that transpired on the streets of Los Angeles not all that long ago. It’s astounding to watch this after the George Floyd murder and see that back in 1992 people did not even riot/protest after the vicious beating of Rodney King – it was only after the police officers were acquitted of all charges that the mayhem started. It’s almost unbelievable to look back and realize that this actually happened in the United States in the 90s. And while we have seen some progress (there’s almost no support for Chauvin today the way there was for the four officers then), we also see that even then, the more things change, the more they stay the same – unchecked violence begets unchecked violence – and the riots were an inevitable consequence. (Available on Netflix)
NARRATIVE FILMS
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Spike Lee is not just the greatest black director we have, he’s also one of the most important filmmakers of all time, period. And Do the Right Thing is his masterwork, widely recognized as the most important and culturally significant black film ever made. Released in 1989 to great controversy (in retrospect, hordes of film critics are eating their words now), the movie is set on an unforgettable, sweltering summer day in Bed-Stuy, New York, and follows a whole cast of memorable characters. The film is storytelling at its finest – the thematic complexities and juxtapositions of Malcolm vs Martin are explored in groundbreaking ways. It is also phenomenal filmmaking: the use of colors, music, dutch angles, breaking the fourth wall, and the aggressive, inimitable style that is the essence of a Spike Lee joint. As soon as you finish it, you’ll want to start watching it all over again. (Free to rent on Amazon)
Blindspotting (2018)
Blindspotting is criminally underrated – it’s a modern classic and in many ways this generation’s Do the Right Thing. The story follows an Oakland felon trying his best on his last few days of probation to stay out of trouble. The movie is funny, smart, fast paced, and is a feat of adventurous filmmaking. The Do the Right Thing comparisons are natural – there is slam poetry, breaking the fourth wall, surrealist elements, that feel like a newer, ultra modern version of Spike Lee, it’s intensely local, with a certain energy and dynamism that give the movie a rawness and passion. Carlos Lopez Estrada’s ability to shift back and forth between comedy and seriousness makes it entertaining as hell, but the way it addresses issues of gentrification, police shootings, probation, education, cultural appropriation, among other things, is what gives the film depth and significance. (Available on HBO Max, free to rent on Amazon)
Just Mercy (2019)
Based on the incredible best selling book by Bryan Stevenson, this is the moving true story of Water McMillian, who was wrongly imprisoned for six years and sentenced to die for the murder of a white girl in Monroeville, Alabama before Stevenson gets involved in the case to try and find the legal recourse to set him free. It’s a fairly conventionally structured film, but the most striking thing is that this all happened for real. It’s no secret that much of the criminal justice system is in need of reform, but there aren’t many narrative films that persuade you of this urgency as effectively as Just Mercy. (Free to rent on Amazon)
Juice (1992)
Made by frequent Spike Lee collaborator Ernest Dickinson, this film has a raw, street hood vibe, with so many young fresh faced actors (this marked the feature film debuts of Omar Epps and Tupac). Epps is so vulnerable, and Tupac is so charismatic and strikingly good at playing the unpredictable, dangerous guy. This movie, showing black street culture in Harlem and the dangers of misplaced male ego and ambition and street cred – in street slang, “juice” – also touches on racial tensions, gang violence, and the uneasy relationship with the police, and things start to go wrong quickly as one crime leads to another. Instead of glamorizing street violence, Juice shows us the real terror of it as a waking nightmare. (Available on Prime)
Les Misérables (2019)
This is not the classic Victor Hugo story, but instead a gritty snapshot of a side of modern day France that most of us don’t get to see. Set in Montfermeil, a poor neighborhood (which does appear in the Hugo novel) made up primarily of a black and immigrant demographic, the film captures the racial tensions, tense relationship with police, the struggle for power, with constant mistrust and violence always threatening to spill over. The film slowly explores these dynamics until things turn incredibly tense in the blink of an eye. If you are aware of the 2005 French riots, this becomes a totally different viewing experience – everything is colored by it. Everything has consequences. (Available on Prime)
Honorable Mentions
If Beale Street Could Talk (Hulu); The Uncomfortable Truth (Prime); The Hate U Give (HBO Max); The Last Black Man in San Francisco (Prime); Da 5 Bloods (Netflix); Strong Island (Netflix); Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap (Netflix); Undefeated (Netflix); Selma (Free to rent); Whose Streets (Hulu)
