Vero lives with her older brother Abel, and they both work together at a construction site. There she has to put up with the advances of some of the workers, which is something she’s used to doing because she’s had this job since she was a lot younger. In the Border follows this character on her path to becoming a better person, which is represented in her way of helping a cousin with an abusive husband and in the NGO she signs up for to give food to the homeless who live on Paseo Colón Avenue. But there’s another parallel film here, and it’s the one in which Campusano’s eye captures the City of Buenos Aires in his own unique way. One of those great moments takes place as soon as the film begins, when Campusano stops to film some street musicians while they rap on a subway platform.
Some people’s first introduction to Mira Nair might be as New York mayor Zohran Mamdani’s mom. But with her insightful direction of 1991’s Mississippi Masala, Nair shows how much she deserves to be known as an artist. Delivering a nuanced portrait of a romance between a Black man and an Indian woman living in the South, Nair explores the complications each character faces, giving both equal weight.
In Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It (1986), we follow the love life of powerful female protagonist Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) and explore the relationship dynamics she has with her partners. She sees three men simultaneously: Greer Childs, (John Canada Terrell) Mars Blackmon (Spike Lee), and Jamie Overstreet (Tommy Redmond Hicks). Though an 80’s film, She’s Gotta Have It is surprisingly progressive with its themes of female sexuality, although at some points in the film it is handled clumsily. Overall Nola is an incredibly compelling character especially for modern women, as we as a society acknowledge female sensuality more and more without the negative stigma.
Outer Banks (2020-) knows its audience: young adults in a country that can’t stop romanticizing good ole’ treasure hunts. Add a little of Riverdale’s (2017-) sex appeal, and no one can look away. Forty years after The Goonies (1985) America’s consciousness hasn’t strayed from the same tropes: treasure hunts, a vulnerable white male lead, and the whitewashing of a racially segregated setting.
If you’re also a major fan of the familiar strangers story between two people of different generations, here are 5 underrated films you probably haven’t heard of, but might thoroughly enjoy.
Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur shine as they battle their way through supervillains, social issues, and school bullies on the Lower East Side. Moon girl magic in the moonlight! A must-see for all Marvel and fantasy/science fiction fans.
Emily Henry’s adaptation reaches romance movie standards, but not romance reader standards.
