[Among this months offerings on Netflix: several feature debuts,
including Spike Lees "Shes Gotta Have It" and Ryan Cooglers "Fruitvale
Station, Mati Diop’s "Atlantics,” and Numa Perrier’s
“Jezebel.” ] [[link removed]]

PORTSIDE CULTURE

10 BLACK MOVIES TO STREAM ON NETFLIX RIGHT NOW!  
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Tambay Obenson
July 7, 2021
IndieWire
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_ Among this month's offerings on Netflix: several feature debuts,
including Spike Lee's "She's Gotta Have It" and Ryan Coogler's
"Fruitvale Station, Mati Diop’s "Atlantics,” and Numa Perrier’s
“Jezebel.” _

“Atlantics” , Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection

 

The sheer number of films streaming on Netflix on any given day can
make finding and deciding which films to watch an arduous journey
through an overabundance of content, navigating with an interface
that’s not exactly the most conducive to discovery.

To assist on this cinematic journey, IndieWire runs a monthly series
that highlights movies and television series worth streaming on every
major platform in the U.S., including Netflix. But, as an extension
of that popular ongoing series, we’ve also curated lists of films
that specifically tell Black stories and are streaming on those same
major streaming platforms.

Among this month’s offerings on Netflix: several feature debuts,
including Spike Lee’s “She’s Gotta Have It,” Ryan Coogler’s
“Fruitvale Station,”  Check out our picks below.

1. “Fruitvale Station” (2013)

Ryan Coogler’s feature debut, this Sundance award winner (it took
home both the Grand Jury Prize for dramatic feature and the Audience
Award) follows the true events of a 22-year-old loving father and son
on the last day of his life before being fatally shot by police on New
Year’s Day 2009.

Based on the true story of Oscar Grant (played by Michael B. Jordan in
a breakout role), the film sees its lead attempting to spend that last
day by getting a head start on his resolutions: being a better son to
his mother (Octavia Spencer), whose birthday falls on New Year’s
Eve; being a better partner to his girlfriend Sophina (Melonie Diaz),
who he hasn’t been completely honest with as of late; and being a
better father to Tatiana (Ariana Neal), their beautiful four year-old
daughter.

His resolve takes a devastating turn. His death would shake the Bay
Area — and the entire nation — to its core.

2. “Love Jones” (1997)

Theodore Witcher’s first and only feature film provided what was, at
the time of its release, an atypical look at young, Black life in
Chicago, using the city’s vivid art scene as a backdrop.

The story revolves around the on-again/off-again romance of
photographer Nina and novelist Darius, who navigate the modern dating
environment within a setting that was different than that of most
Hollywood romances of the day. These are millennial, educated African
Americans pursuing careers and love, absent of the violence that was
commonplace in the hood movies that dominated the first half of the
decade.

3. “Homecoming” (2019)

Beyoncé’s hit documentary concert film, “Homecoming” captures
the all-around entertainer performing as the first African American
woman to headline Coachella since its founding in 1999. It was
important for the superstar to appropriately “represent the
culture,” its past and present, by incorporating quintessential
artifacts of Black cultural identity, legacy and pride.

It’s also a love letter to more than 150 years of historically Black
colleges and universities, and pays tribute to iconic African American
artists using their own words.

4. “Cut Throat City” (2020)

When Hurricane Katrina leaves New Orleans devastated, four friends
decide to pull off a bold heist out of desperation. Directed by
Wu-Tang Clan leader and filmmaker RZA, the film boasts a solid cast,
led by “Dope” and “The Get Down” alum Shameik Moore as Blink,
a graphic novelist, college student, and young father.

He’s joined by Denzel Whitaker, Demetrius Shipp Jr., Wesley Snipes,
Kat Graham, and Terrence Howard. It’s F. Gary Gray’s 1996 heist
drama “Set It Off,” instead of four desperate women, RZA’s team
comprises of four desperate young men.

5. “Nigerian Prince” (2019)

Nigerian cinema continues to evolve beyond expectations of a
stigmatized Nollywood, as filmmakers like Faraday Okoro, writer and
director of “Nigerian Prince,” challenge the dominant narrative.
Okoro’s feature debut was the first project to win the AT&T/Tribeca
“Untold Stories” initiative in 2018, which supports
underrepresented filmmakers and awards $1 million in funding for the
winning script.

Most of Okoro’s cast and crew are Nigerian. However, a $1 million
movie doesn’t have many peers in Nigeria, where the average budget
hovers below $100,000. The film takes its inspiration from the
infamous Nigerian letter scam that typically targets Westerners: The
sender claims to be a government official or member of a royal family
and requests urgent assistance in transferring millions of dollars out
of Nigeria, promising to pay you a hefty percentage.

6. “She’s Gotta Have It” (1986)

Spike Lee’s introduction to audiences all over the world, a smart
comedy shot in black-and-white with one fantasy sequence in color, the
film places a young, sharp Black woman in the cinematic spotlight,
which was rare in 1986.

Nola Darling (Tracy Camila Johns) is an unapologetic, sexually
independent character with three problems — three hopeful yet
hopeless suitors to be exact: the sensitive Jamie (Tommy Redmond
Hicks), who wants a coommited relationship with her; the egomaniacal
Greer (John Canada Terrell), who just wants her to look good in his
arm; and the funny, relentless Mars Blackmon (Lee himself), the bike
messenger who makes her laugh. Each has his own appeal to Nola, but
she can’t decide on who she appreciates most. Let the foursome
begin.

7. “Middle of Nowhere” (2012)

Ava DuVernay’s second feature, before she shot to superstardom,
“Middle of Nowhere” follows the struggles of an African American
woman to maintain her marriage and identity after her husband is
incarcerated. It’s the kind of film that relies heavily on the
performances, and star Emayatzy Corinealdi gives a restrained,
affecting performance as Ruby, a woman who stands steadfastly by her
man (Omari Hardwick). She’s fiery when she needs to be, without
falling into melodramatic traps; sufficiently sensual and sexual, with
a countenance that gives her character an adorability, which only
makes it easier for the audience to empathize with her plight.

It’s a quiet, introspective slow burn, gradually gathering strength
(and getting all the better for it) as it progresses. To put it
simply, it’s a deliberate, matured tribute to adulthood — when we
become (or are expected to become) entirely self-reliant beings,
responsible for the choices we make and their repercussions, and
coming to terms with who and/or what we are, warts and all.

8. “Jezebel” (2019)

Numa Perrier based her feature directorial debut, “Jezebel,” on
her own story: A woman and her sister survive on the margins of
society as they navigate the politics of Black female sexuality and
womanhood.

Set against the backdrop of the early days of webcamming, the film
raises questions around agency and exploitation, while presenting sex
work as exactly what it is: work. For Perrier, it’s a film with
strong resonance in a world where people are more apt to find
connection online than in real life, and she hopes that its human
story touches audiences most.

9. “High Flying Bird” (2019)

During an NBA lockout, a sports agent, Ray Burke, presents his rookie
client, Erick Scott, with an intriguing and controversial business
opportunity. Written by playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney (whose play
became the best picture winner “Moonlight”) and directed by Steven
Soderbergh, it’s a movie about all the nasty aspects of sports: the
contracts, the negotiations, the lockouts, the networks, and the
agents. Mostly, though, it’s about the exploitation of very young
and mostly Black men who make huge sums of money for .billionaire
owners who probably couldn’t dribble a basketball. 

10. “Atlantics” (2019)

There have been several films chronicling African migration —
specifically, undertaking the treacherous journey over the Atlantic in
search of better lives — and they’re almost always male-centric
and grounded in stark realism. Mati Diop’s “Atlantics” upends
that tradition.

The Cannes-winning feature harnesses fantasy to tell a haunting story
about the women who are often left behind. The film follows
17-year-old Ada (Mama Sané), who is in love with Souleiman (Ibrahima
Traoré), a construction worker, but has been promised to another man
by her family. One night, the workers (including Souleiman) decide to
leave the country by sea. Whether they make it is a mystery.

Several days later, a fire ruins Ada’s wedding. Meanwhile, a
mysterious fever starts to spread with incalculable ramifications, as
strange, poetic circumstances pile up, against the backdrop of a
soon-to-be-inaugurated futuristic tower that looms over the city.
It’s a surreal dreamscape, blending romance and sociopolitical
commentary.

[T_AMBAY OBENSON founded Shadow & Act in 2009. Sold it to Blavity Inc
in 2017. Now writing about almost all things black for IndieWire.]_

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