#blacklivesmatter at the movies | Art imitates life in the ongoing quest to raise consciousness

The recent uproar over the brutal killing of George Floyd at the hands of police on a Minneapolis street points to deep divisions in American culture.

Racial justice has risen back to the top of the nation's consciousness as citizens of all ages, colors and backgrounds have mobilized, marched, rallied and protested in a concerted effort to address police brutality and, beyond that, the manacles of systemic racism in the United States.

How did we get here?

One way to know, of course, is to look to the arts. For example, movies (and, in this era, short series) have explored these issues for decades. The issues they raise in a fictional or documentary sense examine the fight for racial reconciliation and equality on a variety of fronts, from racism in the workplace to the justice system's disparity in treatment and so much more.

Great art speaks to both timeless themes and the moment. Here are a few examples of movies (and series) to check out if you're interested in taking a deep dive into viewing fare with #blacklivesmatter themes:

"Just Mercy" (2019) - Based on a true story, this compelling and poignant film features powerful turns by Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx as, respectively, a lawyer out for justice and a man wrongly incarcerated on death row. Foxx is particularly great, exhibiting nuanced depth as a man essentially framed, via coerced testimony, for the murder of a white teenage girl in small town Alabama. It leans toward hagiography with civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, the founder of Equal Justice Initiative, but Jordan still shines with what he has. This is an important indictment of the racist justice system, showing for free on a variety of platforms through June.

"13th" (2016 - Netflix) and "When They See Us" (2019 - Netflix) - "13th" (as in the Thirteenth Amendment) is a real education, connecting the dots over the generations from the abolishment of slavery to today's prison-industrial complex that serves as a de facto modern day form of enslavement for Black Americans and other minorities. Directed by Ava DuVernay, this becomes gripping and thorough documentary work. Police killings of unarmed minorities is just one issue explored. "When They See Us" is an American tragedy. DuVernay directs a fictionalized, fact-based, four-part web TV series focusing on the Central Park jogger case and the wrongful imprisonment of five juveniles of color. It's difficult to watch, but worth it. Emmy-winning Jharrel Jerome as Korey Wise is particularly outstanding.

"Do the Right Thing" (1989) and "BlacKkKlansman" (2018) - Two essential Spike Lee films, including "Do the Right Thing," a classic of American cinema and an incisive, thoroughly engrossing examination of race relations in Brooklyn's Bed-Stuy neighborhood as played out in a sweltering summer. The action centers around a pizza joint. Lively, fully realized characters bring Lee's vision to life in a profound way with memorable performances by the likes of Giancarlo Esposito and Danny Aiello. It's a great example of how art can treat conversations about race with depth and grace, even humor. "BlacKkKlansman," about the true story of Ron Stallworth, a Black police officer who infiltrated the Klu Klux Klan, is also destined to be a classic.

"I Am Not Your Negro" (2016) - If he were alive today, James Baldwin would have a lot to say about the remarkable, dispiriting times we live in, perhaps none of them nice but all of them trenchant and true. This documentary features discussions about race relations and important civil rights icons and friends like Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, using Baldwin's writings as a launching pad.

"Fruitvale Station" (2013) - Another movie based on a real life tragedy and starring Michael B. Jordan, "Fruitvale Station" examines the fateful night Oscar Grant died in Oakland at the hands of a transit system police officer - hence, the station name in the title. It's an all-too-familiar tale of police brutality, and in this instance the officer who fired the gun was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

Other essential films to watch: "Who Killed Malcolm X?" (2020, race relations through the lens of one man's quest to get to the truth of who really killed Malcolm X - Netflix), "The Black Power Mixtape 1967 - 1975" (2011, fascinating Swedish doc about the Black Power movement using decades-old footage) "Sorry to Bother You" (2018, a scathing Boots Riley-directed satire about a young Black man using a "white" accent to gain success at his telemarketing job) and "Get Out" (2017, a Jordan Peele-directed horror masterpiece on the one hand but also an insightful, disturbing examination of race relations on the other).

Unless otherwise noted, all of these films are available on various platforms.