Worst2First: My Top Ten African American Films of the 21st Century So Far

Worst2First: 

My Top Ten African American Films 

of the 21st Century So Far

Standing tall on the shoulders of greats such as "The Color Purple," "Malcolm X," "Do the Right Thing," "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," "Glory," and many more, the African American community has showcased its resilience, tenacity, fortitude, and hunger to tell their stories on the big screen in profound ways.  Whether they're telling a true-life story of people who would've gone unknown, or inspiring young girls that they too can be princesses, or that anyone can be a superhero, the 21st Century has seen some amazing African American-centric films that demand to be seen.

Here are my personal top ten African American films of the 21st Century so far...

**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**

#10

 The Princess and the Frog

 For decades Disney has given young girls the hopes and dreams that they can be princesses like Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine and Pocahontas, but the African American community finally got their own princess in Tiana, a young girl living in 1920s New Orleans who was a lowly waitress that kissed a prince who was turned into a frog, but inadvertently turning herself into a frog in the process.  As she tries to find a way to return to human form, she learns persistence and always keeping your promises.  Voiced by Anika Noni Rose, the film was a trailblazer for little African American girls out there that they can also be a princess.

#9

 Blindspotting

Lifelong friends Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal wrote the screenplay for "Blindspotting" in the mid-2000s, but didn't manage to actually make it until 2018 - and the results were as timely as ever.  Diggs plays Collin, a convicted felon with three days left of his probation when he witnesses an unarmed black man killed by a white cop, and struggles with what to do - if he comes forward, it could cost him his own life, but he's haunted by the vision of what happened.  Meanwhile, his best friend Miles (Casal) struggles with the gentrification of Oakland, and sets out to buy a gun to protect himself, to the protest of Collin.  The two friends come to blows over racism and injustice, resulting in a powerful lyrical speech by Diggs that showcases the inequality blacks face in America.

#8

 The Hate U Give

 Young star Amandla Stenberg plays Starr Carter, a 16-year-old living in the black neighborhood of fictional Garden Heights but attends school at a prestigious predominately-white school where she's treated to how other races view her.  When she's in a car with her friend they get pulled over, and her friend is shot dead by the police officer while he was unarmed.  Struggling with coming forward because she doesn't want to give up the life she knows, Starr's world is turned upside down as she deals with the injustices that plague her race.  Based on a young adult novel by Angie Thomas, the film highlights the injustices and perils African Americans go through in a black-and-white world.

#7

 Get Out

Jordan Peele was once known for the iconic comedic duo of Key & Peele, but now he's known for his impeccable directing, bringing forth two spellbinding stories that interconnect cinematic horror with real horrors African Americans face in the world today.  "Get Out" finds African American Chris (Daniel Kaluuya, in an Oscar-nominated role) who's going to the country to meet his white girlfriend's parents for the first time.  The result is anything but "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" as Chris learns the deadly secret that his girlfriend's family is hiding that threatens to destroy him.  Apart from the stark imagery (we'll never look at a tea cup the same way again), "Get Out" also offers biting social commentary on the divide of black and white Americans, and does so with grandiose and perfection that only Jordan Peele could deliver - not to mention the film also earned four Academy Award nominations including Best Picture (a rarity for a horror film), and Peele won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

#6

 Harriet

Cynthia Erivo gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Harriet Tubman, a former slave who managed to evade her captors while making her way from the deep South to the North to freedom.  Not resting on making it out, she decides to go back alone and bring her family to freedom as well, which led to several other trips to bring countless more African American slaves to freedom.  Tubman is rightly hailed as a savior for the African Americans, and her one life has forever changed incalculable lives for generations to come - and finally we get the big screen treatment that this Moses deserves, and Erivo's song "Stand Up" was not just an Oscar-nominated song, but one that's been used as a rallying cry at the protests today.

#5

 Hidden Figures

 If it wasn't for the cinema, we never would've known the names Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, or Mary Jackson - but without them, we probably would never had made it to outer space.  Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae play these women with vigor, intensity, intelligence, and perfection as they worked for NASA during the beginning of the great space race, and dealt with the racial injustices during the time (Jackson had to run half a mile to use the bathroom) - Jackson was a brilliant mathematician who worked closely to get John Glenn into orbit, while Dorothy Vaughan worked as a supervisor for the African Americans working for NASA (in the basement), and Mary Jackson went to court to seek enrollment in an off-limits engineering program.   Proving that there's nothing stronger than the spirit, "Hidden Figures" rightfully gives these women their time in the light, and we are better off for their dedicated service.

#4

 BlacKkKlansman

 A story that's so outlandish that it has to be true, "BlacKkKlansman" tells the true story of Ron Stallworth (played by John David Washington, Denzel's son), the first black officer in 1972's Colorado Springs who goes undercover as a Klansman to bring them to justice.  He accomplishes this by talking to them over the phone acting like a white man, while enlisting fellow officer Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) to play the physical role.  At any moment their cover could've been blown, but thanks to their quick thinking and timing, they managed to pull off the impossible.  Spike Lee is a well-known voice for the African American community, and once again delivers a compelling film mixing real-life drama with biting satirical comedy that resonates with the audiences in deeply personal ways.

#3

 Black Panther

The first time we see Black Panther in the Marvel comics was in "The Fantastic Four" Volume 1 #52 in 1966, months before the Black Panther movement began.  Since Marvel has been bringing their comic book heroes to the big screen, everyone has been eagerly anticipating the arrival of Black Panther, and it finally happened in 2018, and the result was nothing short of historic.  The film earned over $700 million nationwide and over a billion worldwide, and is currently the fourth highest-grossing movie of all time.  The film earned several prestigious accolades including seven Academy Award nominations including Best Picture (the first for a superhero movie), and winning three.  The film follows Wakandan King T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) as he assumes the throne after his father's death, while dealing with the secretive Wakanda and the desire to bring it out into the open for peace - while his dark family secrets threaten everyone he cares about.  Michael B. Jordan plays Eric Killmonger, a unique villain in the superhero spectrum as his views aren't necessarily wrong, while his motives might be, while the film also highlights three strong women - Okoye, Shuri, and Nakia, played by Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, and Lupita Nyong'o.  The film itself served as a way to show African Americans that they can be superheroes, and give them a hope for the future.

#2

 12 Years a Slave

During the time of slavery, freeman Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) was kidnapped in Washington, D.C. and sold into slavery in the south, working as a slave on a Louisiana plantation for twelve years.  This is an intense true story of one man's will, set against the backdrop of the evils of slavery and privilege that divided America, and served as a loud voice for those who were once voiceless.  The film earned nine Academy Award nominations and won three, including Best Picture - making history for Steve McQueen, who became the first African American British director to win Best Picture.  The film is excruciating to watch as we see the true depravity of humanity, but also necessary to understand where we came from and the injustices that are still being fought for today.

#1

 Moonlight

 Barry Jenkins' "Moonlight" is a tour-de-force film that's wholly unique and surprisingly profound.  The film follows African American youth Chiron from childhood to teenage years and finally adulthood as he struggles with what he believes it means to be a strong black man while also coming to terms with his true identity.  Never before has a film centered on a homosexual African American man and Jenkins treats it with care and precision, giving cinema a young champion to root for. Featuring a strong cast including Mahershala Ali (who won an Oscar for his performance) and Naomie Harris (in an Oscar-nominated role), along with unique, beautiful cinematography by the great James Laxton and showcasing Miami with all its hidden faults, "Moonlight" is one of those rare films that demands to be seen and appreciated for the masterpiece it is.