February doesn’t just call for the lovers, but for Black History Month. Aside from the political climate that we are in, this month is to educate ourselves in African American history and to honor the ones who have fought and will continue fighting.
In honor of all the beautiful films made by African Americans, or those starring African Americans, here are the 5 to watch this month.
1. 12 Years a Slave
This film was released in 2013 and won the Academy Award for Best Picture. So, it’s safe to say that this film is insanely good. It follows Solomon Northrup, a free man, as he is captured and sold into slavery, where he stays in for 12 years. This film captures the horrors and cruelty that slavery was during the 1800s, while also telling the inspiring story of survival when you have everything stacked up against you.
2. Beloved
If you haven’t read the novel by Toni Morrison, then what are you doing with your life? No offense, but this novel and its film is an emotional rollercoaster that makes you think about the history of slavery and the experience that African Americans had to face with after it ended. No spoilers, of course, but I will say that Oprah Winfrey is in this film, which is sufficient because she is the queen of everything strong and beautiful.
3. Moonlight
Despite the mix-up with this film at the Academy Awards last year, this film won Best Picture while also illustrating the coming of age story of a gay, African American man. This film beautifully follows the struggle for human connection and finding your place in the world, especially when you don’t know where to begin.
4. Hidden Figures
Where do I even begin? Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson, and Janelle Monáe are amazing woman to lead this story about three women who served an important role in NASA as it tries to land a man on the moon. Not only does this film show the three women overcoming their obstacles because of the color of their skin, and their gender, it also follows their lives of being mothers, wives, and friends. It is the ultimate film to highlight female empowerment and the important fact that nothing, not even our gender or the race that you are, should stop you from your passions in life.
5. Girls Trip
“You can’t get an infection in your bootyhole, it’s a bootyhole!” This line from the film greatly shows its comical side, although the rest of story shows how four lifelong friends get together for a weekend in New Orleans. Great highlights of the film include Jada Pinkett Smith peeing on a crowd while gliding from one building to the next, and the moment when Regina Hall says, “sit your ass down” to her husband during the last few scenes of the film. Either way, grab your girls for a night in and get ready to laugh until the very last minute.