The Color Purple (1986)

I often speak about the importance of positive representation in films. The joy, validation, and critical examination that comes with seeing yourself onscreen is something that many privileged people take for granted. But rarely does a film go beyond representation and into an emotional resonance that places it in that peculiar art space where I love something that I can not view leisurely. I have only seen Barry Jenkins' Moonlight once at theaters upon release. Despite owning a digital copy, its release on streaming services, and a coveted spot as one of my most beloved films of all time, I am unable to watch it again in its entirety. It is so emotionally resonant for me that my empathy is incapable of watching it superficially. I know I will feel all the emotional depth of the film EVERY time. This places it in the same league as What's Love Got To Do With It, The Color Purple, and Lucky (2011). Even at the film theater, my best friend (another Black gay man) squeezed my hand throughout the film, nearly in tears from the nuanced portrayals.

With COVID-19 cases on the decline and vaccinations on the rise, more and more movie theatres are reopening their doors. If you're anything like me, though, you're still working through the backlog of content on all those streaming services you subscribed to during quarantine. So far, HBO Max has impressed me the most with the size and caliber of its library. Before you cancel your subscription, check out these movies and shows that earn high marks for both quality and diversity.

This critically acclaimed Brazilian film offers an unflinching look at organized crime in the titular "city," a suburb of Rio de Janeiro. The vast majority of the cast were unknown prior to City of God. In fact, some of them (particularly the child actors) were residents of favelas: rural slums in Brazil that date back to the expulsion of formerly enslaved African people from major cities. Casting people from the setting that the film portrays results in a raw realism that may not have been achievable with professional actors. Douglas Silva stands out as Li'l Dice, a deeply disturbed and deeply disturbing child who grows up to be a sadistic drug lord. However, while City of God doesn't shy away from the horrors of organized crime, it also emphasizes the systemic failures that lead people to commit crimes in the first place.