Hi friends! As most of you know, I am a Social Justice & Cultural Studies major, and within my classes I’ve been lucky enough to encounter several films that have broadened my understanding of culture.
With spring break coming up I thought it would be a great time to share some recommendations. Without further ado, here is a short list of some of my favorites from the past four years!
- The Present
The Present is a 20-minute short film on Netflix, so it’s really accessible and not much of a commitment for those out there with short attention spans. It follows a day in the life of a Palestinian father and daughter crossing the border right by their house in order to surprise his wife with a gift from the store. The film showcases how such a seemingly simple task is often exhausting and oppressive for Palestinians.
- Moonlight
Moonlight is probably the most well-known film on this list, as it beat out La La Land for Best Picture at the 2017 Oscars. While I adore La La Land as well, Moonlight is absolutely stunning and I’m glad a story centering on the Black experience it’s well deserved recognition. It’s a coming of age story that is split into three parts (again making it more digestible); we see the main character Chiron, as a child, an adolescent, and an adult. The film explores social topics like masculinity and sexuality, and has extraordinary artistics touches with color theory and symbolism. All of the film’s elements combine to make a gorgeous cinematic piece that takes my breath away everytime.
- The Other Son
I watched The Other Son in my Middle Eastern Literature course (ENG 3381) with Dr. Segall last year and it has stuck with me ever since. The story exemplifies the sensational switched at birth trope, but interestingly the two families were on different sides of the Israel-Palestine border. This means that a “palestinian” baby was raised as an Israeli and an “Israeli” baby was raised as a Palestinian. The dynamics that follow are fascinating as they all are forced to deal with the emotional investment they have placed in their identities. The plot exposes how immature it is for us as humans, particularly those in Israel, to exclude the “other” because in the end we are all human.
- The Banker
I actually have mixed feelings about The Banker, but I put it on this list because while there are flaws, it is still a great piece to learn from and analyze. It’s a newer film that was released on Apple TV in 2020 and stars both Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson as some of the first successful African American realtors and bankers in the U.S. If you don’t know much about how racism was embedded into the housing market I recommend giving this film a watch! However, keep in mind that it was written and directed by White men, thus glossing a White gaze over what could have been an authentic Black story. We watched this in my Race, Representation, and Law class (SJC 4899) and some of my more artistic classmates had interesting critiques to add as well. One point was how everyone watching the movie is on the winning team through our gaze as we identify with the main character. In this case it allows White viewers to inappropriately take on a victimized and heroic positioning. Some other critiques were that some of the more uncomfortable realities such as the horrors of prison, were erased from the story. So, while The Banker is an interesting and enjoyable movie to watch, remember that it is okay to critique social justice oriented films. As my professor would say, it is a re-presentaion of history and not the whole truth.
- Persepolis
For all of you bored of the traditional film format, I highly recommend Perseplis! It is basically a graphic novel in motion as it provides illustrations depicting a young Iranian girl named Marji. We watch as she grows up through political and personal turmoil, which enhances after she is forced to go to school in Europe. The film explores the dichotomy of being perceived as either a silent or exotic object. In addition to this double alienation, we see her struggle with her identity and sense of belonging. Persepolis is beautifully done, and like Moonlight, there are many artistic elements that elevate the story.
There you have it folks! This is not an exhaustive list by any means, if you are interested in finding more films to watch, let me know! You can also always double major with social justice – wink wink – see the link link! I hope you have a great spring break and find a spare moment to watch one or two of these films!