As important as it is to celebrate Black History Month, it can feel like a bit of a strange commemoration. As these movies show, Black history is at its core American history, and needs to be remembered as such. It doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and it is not always a simple story with villains or heroes. The best movies to watch in commemoration of this month are ones that challenge your notions of how Black people have lived in America, and what their lives have meant.
There are far more movies you could watch than will ever fit on a single list, so we’ve tried to boil it down to a few essential titles. Thankfully, though, there are plenty of great movies past the 10 that are listed below.
Selma (2014)
127m
Genre
History, Drama
Stars
David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Carmen Ejogo
Directed by
Ava DuVernay
The story of Martin Luther King Jr. is one that many people think they know, but Selma challenges the assumptions that most people have about who he was. The film tells the story of the march from Selma to Montgomery, and isn’t afraid to get into the weeds to explain exactly why the march was necessary, and how controversial it was at the time. The civil rights movement had already achieved the passage of the Civil Rights Act, but King kept pushing for the rights Black people had been deprived of since they arrived in America.
One Night in Miami... (2020)
114m
Genre
Drama
Stars
Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge
Directed by
Regina King
A movie this discursive and talky should not be as great as it is, but part of One Night in Miami‘s effortless charm is the way it brings together four Black icons at a time when they were each being pulled in different directions. Bringing together Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, Muhammad Ali (then Cassius Clay) and Jim Brown, the movie takes place on a single night and is largely an argument about how famous Black men such as themselves should be pursuing civil rights. It’s a beautifully acted and directed movie, and one that is alive with the ideas each of these men are fighting for.
I Am Not Your Negro (2017)
93m
Genre
Documentary
Stars
Samuel L. Jackson, James Baldwin, Martin Luther King Jr.
Directed by
Raoul Peck
Decades after his death, James Baldwin remains one of the pre-eminent voices on the issue of race in America. In I Am Not Your Negro, documentarian Raoul Peck pieces together one of Baldwin’s unfinished works — a book that was meant to chronicle the lives of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers. In reviving the book, Peck tells the story of the civil rights movement through Baldwin’s eyes, and shines an urgent light on the ongoing struggle for equality in America.
Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)
117m
Genre
Documentary, Music
Stars
Stevie Wonder, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jesse Jackson
Directed by
Questlove
Telling the story of a series of concerts that were held in Harlem over the summer of 1969, Summer of Soul is about howmany aspects of Black history are suppressed, even if they don’t necessarily condemn America. Summer of Soul is a joyful, moving ride through highlights of footage from the concerts, which featured legendary talents like Stevie Wonder and Nina Simone. There are too many great moments to choose from, but on the whole, Summer of Soul is a reminder of the fullness of the Black experience that is so often ignored by Hollywood.
Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
126m
Genre
Drama, History
Stars
Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons
Directed by
Shaka King
Telling the remarkable true story of an FBI informant who gets close to Fred Hampton, a prominent member of the Black Panthers, and ultimately aids in his killing by the police, Judas and the Black Messiah is equal parts Spike Lee and Steve McQueen. It’s a viscerally entertaining movie, even as it focuses on an informant who becomes increasingly conflicted about his allegiances. Daniel Kaluuya delivers one of the finest performances of his already legendary career as Hampton, and Lakeith Stanfield is just as good in the lead role.
13th (2016)
100m
Genre
Documentary
Stars
Jelani Cobb, Angela Davis, Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Directed by
Ava DuVernay
A searing documentary about incarceraton, Ava DuVernay’s is an urgent exploration of the way that America’s modern prison industrial complex is rooted in the country’s long history of slavery. The documentary is not always an easy watch, but it’s a harrowing look at how the world got to be the way it is today. It’s easy to explain away the vast overrepresentation of Black people in prisons, but in 13th, DuVernay urges you to look closer, and see what’s really going on.
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
120m
Genre
Romance, Drama
Stars
KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King
Directed by
Barry Jenkins
Barry Jenkins is still so young, and he has so much great work left to do, but the one-two punch of Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk has already cemented his legacy. If Beale Street Could Talk splits its time between a swoony love story and the stark aftermath of a wrongful arrest, If Beale Street Could Talk is fully vibrant and alive. It’s a beautiful movie about a couple in love, and the tragedy of a world that seeks to keep them apart.
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