It’s Valentine’s week and it’s also Black History Month! What better way to celebrate both than by watching some movies showing different kinds of Black love- from family, friends, and yes, relationships. Looking for some movies to commemorate? I’ve got you covered with this list of 5 Black Love movies!
- Premature
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If you’re looking for a new depiction of first love, Hulu’s ‘Premature’ may be just the movie to watch. This movie was so incredibly compelling for me. I didn’t have to go through everything Ayanna went through to feel so connected to her feelings when she went through a specific kind of heartbreak for the first time in ‘Premature.’ The acting and writing is so beautiful, it is likely to bring any viewer to tears in a therapeutic kind of way.
Beyond romantic love, friend and family relationships are touched on in ‘Premature’ as well. This pick is definitely at the top of my personal picks and I would recommend it even more for nonblack women to understand the lack of intersectionality shown to Black women.
- Nappily Ever After
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Netflix’s ‘Nappily Ever After’ tells the story of Violet Jones, a business woman who tries (and succeeds) at meeting the standards of beauty and perfection for everyone in her life- her boyfriend, her boss, her co-workers… but she soon finds that putting on a certain persona for everyone else, but herself is not getting her where she truly wants to be and she suffers a breakdown as a result of the built up frustration. The storyline after this was very sweet to watch as Violet learns more about herself and what she wants in life and I would recommend this film to anyone who’s feeling caught up in or torn down by toxic, non-inclusive, racist, or sexist beauty and business standards.
- Love and Basketball
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‘Love and Basketball’ can never be left out when talking about young, black love stories, as it shares a compelling, but fun story of two impassioned kids who love basketball like it’s the world. Somewhere along the way though, they find some love for each other and figuring that out in the midst of an incredibly focused sport may be the biggest challenge of all!
- Love Jones
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‘Love Jones’ tells the story of two artists- a writer and a photographer and their soulful connection they quickly feel together. Fans of old love stories and RnB music will most likely be swept up in the dreamy and nostalgic emotion that can be felt in ‘Love Jones.’ If you haven’t watched these types of films before, ‘Love Jones’ may be the perfect story to start with!
- Poetic Justice
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Carrying on with the artistic theme, Poetic Justice tells the story of another poet grieving a lost love and being introduced to an intriguing new love interest. Poetic Justice is known as one of the greats because it not only is the story of a potential young love story, but it also deals with themes like loss and grief, while still having humor as well.
Whatever films you choose to watch this week and this month, be sure to let us know on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook!