Movies to Educate during the Black Lives Matter movement
We have seen a huge push in the media about racial discrimination in the last week with the increased movement of Black Lives Matter, fighting for Freedom, Liberation and Justice throughout the world. It’s an increasingly concerning issue that sadly seeps into cracks in most countries still to this day. I wanted to comment on some very empowering movies that people can channel into to understand the racial issues still circling our society today.
Detroit
This film expresses the harrowing truth about the Detroit Police Department raids on African-Americans in 1967. There are emotional and violent scenes, but the incredible acting expresses the terror and fear of individuals during this period. John Boyega is stunning and you grip to his characters bravery. Kathryn Bigelow is one of my favourite directors, leaving you on the edge of your seat with her movies like ‘Hurt Locker’ and ‘Zero Dark Thirty’. A monumental wake-up call to the world, it is alarming, dramatic and terrifyingly timely.
BlacKkKlansman
More of a recent movie, this bold dramatic comedy tells the story of Ron Stallworth, an African-American detective, who decides to go undercover as a white policeman in his town’s chapter of the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist hate group. While the movie is more light-hearted than perhaps Detroit, it looks into the controversy of the police department in this era leaving you shocked and shaken of this true tale. Balancing the sadness and satire, the director is shooting many messages for conversations here on standing up for your rights.
Moonlight
The Oscar-winning drama shares the story of Chiron, a young African-American boy, who finds comfort in a drug dealer, who teaches him to follow his own journey in life as he tries to dodge the hardships of growing up in Miami. The film sees Chiron grow from his youth, adolescence, and early adult life as he comes to his own terms with understanding his own sexuality. The movie is much more of an in-depth connection between characters, telling an emotional story with some striking cinematography. It’s a unique movie as it looks at children growing up around racial discrimination and the heartbreaking tale of how the smallest change can differ your own path.