Can you suggest any racial issues or culture clash themed feature film titles?
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janbb (
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December 14th, 2014
I am looking for a film on racial or cultural differences themes that will provoke a good discussion when shown at a program. Clash is one of the titles I am considering but would like some other suggestions. A good documentary is also a possibility.
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26 Answers
Did you mean Crash?
Another title: Babel.
Yes, @filmfann – senior moment. Thanks for spotting it! Both of those are kind of long but a good idea. This would be a film program followed by discussion.
Do you mean like The Namesake or The Help? Stories that incorporate racial or cultural issues? (If so, The Joy Luck Club is another possibility.)
@canidmajor Yes, those are the types of films I am considering.
@ragingloli Too violent from what I hear but a thought.
The Black Power Mixtape 1967–1975 was a really good documentary movie, especially for me, since I was just a kid when these events were happening, and not much about that era was being taught in schools 10–15 years later.
Is there a particular demographic that will be in the audience/group, or a particular direction in which you’d like the conversation to go?
The Help is a bit watered but it’s more palatable which is good.
Mississippi Burning
Do The Right Thing
Real Women Have Curves
I forgot Westside Story (one of the best movies ever?)
Better Than Chocolate
Do the Right Thing is a good suggestion, as is Bamboozled (both Spike Lee films).
Are you looking for something more recent, though?
The Color Purple
Amistad.
In the Heat of the Night
The Defiant Ones
Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner gives an interesting perspective if one looks at what attitudes are different today and which haven’t changed much over the course of almost five decades.
The best example would be Roots, but that bugger runs for ever
The audience will most likely be educated adults in their 50s to 70s.
Watermelon Man is a fine example too, its a comedy, but deals with the heart of the matter & hits hard.
Many great movies were already mentioned.
Spanglish is very easy to watch and deals with a Mexican mom dealing with her daughter growing up in America and becoming Americanized. It’s not nearly as serious as other movies and documentaries mentioned already, but I think it is a very enjoyable movie. It has a lot of humor and some serious moments.
Another is the Tuskegee Airmen with Cuba Gooding Jr. The true story about black men in the air force during WWII being trained at a southern base and later accomplishing successful missions during the war. Based on actual events.
The Long Walk Home with Sissy Spacek and Whoopi Goldberg about the bus boycott in Alabama? Or, was it Mississippi? That’s awful that I can’t remember which state. Sissy is one of the white women who helps to drive black people to and from work. Her husband isn’t happy about it and there is conflict in the community. Also, based on actual events.
The Doctor Who episode “Planet of the Ood”
I just saw the movie Twelve Years a Slave. That is a true story too. Basically, a northern black man, who is educated and successful, is kidnapped and sold as a slave down south.
Oh, and “the hungry earth” and “cold blood”
Another recent one is The Butler. I thought it was very good.
@janbb Let us know which film you choose!
Looks like the decision may be not mine to make as it has been passed up to the head of the committee but I will let you know. I’d be nclined to go with “To Kill a Mockingbird” if it were up to me.
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