120 Best Films That Center BIPOC Experiences

120 Best Films That Center BIPOC Experiences

December 17, 2024

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It’s time to amplify the voices that have long been marginalized and bring to the forefront the rich tapestry of BIPOC experiences. Delve deep into the diverse narratives, struggles, triumphs, and resilience of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities. Prepare to be moved, educated, and inspired as we embark on a cinematic journey that expands our horizons and fosters empathy. These films are a testament to the beauty, strength, and unwavering spirit of BIPOC individuals, reminding us of the transformative power of cinema.

111. Joint Security Area (2000)

7.9

Country

South Korea

Director

Chan-wook Park, Park Chan-wook

Actors

Byung Heon Lee, Byung-hun Lee, Christoph Hofrichter, Gi Ju-bong

Moods

Challenging, Character-driven, Depressing

Not many places are worse to find a dead body than in the border of North and South Korea. The tensions are high, the trust is low, and the conflict between them hasn’t been resolved in more than half a century. Joint Security Area is centered on a whodunit surrounding two North Korean soldiers at the border, but Park Chan-wook crafts a compelling mystery not caused by international politics, but rather by friendship between soldiers in the lower ranks, a unity and brotherhood that’s tragically hidden and forced to separate because of lines made by their higher ups. It may not compare to Park’s more famous films, but Joint Security Area hinted at the filmmaker that was to come.

112. Song Lang (2018)

7.9

Country

Vietnam

Director

Leon Le

Actors

Isaac, Liên Bỉnh Phát, Phuoc Tinh, Ron Vuong

Moods

Challenging, Character-driven, Emotional

At the first few moments, Song Lang seemed to be something akin to Farewell My Concubine– the film takes a snapshot of a communist Asian country in a different time, through the lens of a regional opera form with painted faces, elaborate costumes, and captivating tunes. But there’s more to Song Lang than this. Tragedy isn’t prophesized through songs of an already existing opera (in fact, the film features all new tunes), but instead, it occurs because Dung, the loan shark, didn’t reflect on the past early enough for him to reclaim the art form his family once loved, a concern shared with cải lương as a declining genre. Song Lang is a moving drama, but it’s also a nostalgic time capsule of 1980s Saigon and cải lương as a whole.

113. City of Life and Death (2009)

7.8

Country

China, Hong Kong

Director

Lu Chuan

Actors

Beverly Peckous, Fan Wei, Gao Yuanyuan, Hideo Nakaizumi

Moods

Dark, Depressing, Gripping

When we think about the atrocities committed during World War II, most people would remember the Holocaust, but this war was fought on multiple fronts, not just the West, and one of the most notorious incidents was the Rape of Nanjing. City of Life and Death depicts the massacre in black and white through various perspectives, which proved to be controversial considering some Japanese soldiers were depicted with sympathy, but it drives home the horror, the devastation, the terrible reality of the evil unfurled in the war. City of Life and Death is truly harrowing. The only consolation is that Nanjing thrives today as the Jiangsu province’s capital.

114. Last Film Show (2022)

7.8

Country

France, India

Director

Pan Nalin

Actors

Bhavesh Shrimali, Bhavin Rabari, Dipen Raval, Rahul Koli

Moods

Character-driven, Emotional, Lovely

Like many coming-of-age films about films, it’s easy to assume that Last Film Show would be a derivative of all-time film classic Cinema Paradiso. Both films from opposite corners of the world, separated by more than three decades, do share that awe of cinema from a projection booth. However, unlike Paradiso, the awe of Last Film Show is also tempered by the rural poverty its young protagonist faces. Samay learns projection from a film booth, and learns community is formed through the screen, but he also learns it through snatching the few reels that passes through their village, manually experimenting with scrap material, and recreating the same light and shadows through its fundamentals. These scenes are precocious because of the children, but it makes for a more interesting take, because Samay’s journey proves that cinema truly is worth saving, even without the money. It’s undeniably awe-inducing with Pan Nalin’s stunning shots and semi-autobiographical story.

115. Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)

7.8

Country

Brazil, United States of America

Director

Héctor Babenco

Actors

Ana Maria Braga, Denise Dumont, Herson Capri, José Lewgoy

Moods

Character-driven, Emotional, Lovely

Sometimes, all you need to make a good movie is to get two vastly different characters and force them to stay together. It’s probably why Kiss of the Spider Woman was made in the first place– the novel dumps hardened, self-sacrificial activist Valentin and flamboyant gay man Molina in a jail cell. But rather than depict Molina and Valentin just talking, the film visually recreates the stories they tell to each other as films-within-a-film. Molina’s fictional love stories are given all the glamor and drama of classic 60s romances, and Valentin’s life story depicted with a straightforward, gritty realism that matches the hard experiences he had. So as they tell their stories and challenge each other with their respective approaches to life, director Héctor Babenco ensures that as the two finally feel heard by each other, the audience, too, can easily empathize with the perspectives they take. It also ensures that the plot twist holds a strong punch. Though its escapist approach may suggest otherwise, Kiss of the Spider Woman realistically explores the way storytelling has always meant freedom.

116. Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024)

7.8

Country

Japan

Director

Kenji Nakamura

Actors

Aoi Yuki, Haruka Tomatsu, Hiroshi Kamiya, Jun Fukuyama

Moods

Action-packed, Discussion-sparking, Intense

While based on the Mononoke series, which is in turn, a spin-off of Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales, it might seem that Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rain would require some background reading for people new to the story. Thankfully, there’s no need to do homework for this beautifully designed masterpiece, as the Medicine Seller takes on a new case with every installment. 2024’s Phantom in the Rain (also known as Paper Umbrella) unfolds its world with ease, with doors opening and closing to a select few for a high-pressure, hierarchical imperial household. Immediately, the visuals are stunning, with traditional ukiyo ink and paper mixed with modern kaleidoscopic fill and movement, but even without the gorgeous art, the first Mononoke movie works with its eerie horror, intense sound design, and a compelling mystery driven by court intrigue and vengeful spirits.

117. Terrestrial Verses (2023)

7.8

Country

Iran

Director

Ali Asgari, Alireza Khatami

Actors

Babak Karimi, Farzin Mohades, Gohar Kheyrandish, Hossein Soleymani

Moods

Challenging, Discussion-sparking, Funny

Since we live in a society, interacting with authority is inescapable. Terrestrial Verses depict fairly mundane day-to-day interactions– getting a birth certificate, settling a traffic violation, or attending a job interview– but through nine vignettes framed with a static camera, aimed at a person trying to negotiate with someone more powerful just outside the frame, these mundane interactions become satirically absurd. For those unfamiliar with the ideology behind the regime, these interactions are just so annoying. But for those in the know, the doublespeak in the dialogue reflects how finicky and arbitrary the rules set by the authoritarian regime are, and celebrates the wit and ingenuity of the ordinary people that have to navigate them. Terrestrial Verses seems utterly mundane at first, but it proves to be smart, incisive, and deeply insightful.

118. Iti Mapukpukaw (2023)

7.8

Country

Philippines, Thailand

Director

Carl Joseph E. Papa

Actors

Carlo Aquino, Christela Marquez, Dan Villegas, Dolly de Leon

Moods

Character-driven, Emotional, Quirky

As one of the few animated Filipino films ever made, there’s a question as to why The Missing should use the animation in the first place. The animation here is much more rough than the ones from other countries, and while it’s a bit more pricey, the filmmakers could have filmed this in live action with practical SFX and CGI. But there’s a big reason why it was animated anyway– It’s because of the story. It’s not just because the protagonist Eric is an animator– it’s because animation, to that specific lead, was the way through which he was able to form a life after trauma, becoming the livelihood that allowed him to move out of his childhood home, and far far away from the trauma he faced. Writer-director Carl Joseph Papa also takes advantage of the medium by creating designs that match Eric’s current state of mind– regular, day-to-day life is rotoscoped, while the blank portions of his memory are traditionally drawn in the style Eric would have had during that age. It’s an unusual approach, but whether or not the story was adjusted to the budget, Iti Mapukpukaw is undeniably a touching and inventive drama that depicts the complexities of grief.

119. Identifying Features (2020)

7.8

Country

Mexico, Spain

Director

Female director, Fernanda Valadez

Actors

Ana Lauda Rodríguez, Armando García, David Illescas, Juan Jesús Varela

Moods

Challenging, Discussion-sparking, Emotional

Rather than talking about what it takes to get to the other side of the border, Identifying Features instead focuses its attention back home. It’s part of the reason why the film actually highlights how difficult this actually is– Before even reaching it, people hoping to enter America go through a dangerous journey, many of whom disappear without any resolution for the loved ones left behind. But in focusing on what happens back behind the border, the social issue drama becomes more compelling, as the mystery of what happened to the son that left easily strikes a cord and drives the plot forward rather than straightforwardly talking about the journey. As she does so, writer-director Fernanda Valadez sets a spine-tingling mood, with striking, cryptic shots paired with the sober, difficult explanations the loved one who have been left behind with her have tried to formulate. Sin Señas Particulares captures that painful story in such a bold and thoughtful debut.

120. The Time That Remains (2009)

7.8

Country

Belgium, France, Italy

Director

Elia Suleiman

Actors

Ali Suliman, Amer Hlehel, Elia Suleiman, Maisa Abd Elhadi

Moods

Challenging, Discussion-sparking, Slice-of-Life

While many Palestinians had to leave their homeland, there are some families that stayed within the region. One such family is that of Palestinian director Elia Suleiman. The Time That Remains is a semi-biographical film that depicts each generation of the family in excellently framed, colorful shots, but while each scene is a beauty to watch, there’s an ugly undercurrent with the way one group is treated over the other. The film contrasts the stoic actions of Elia’s father Fuad and that of the Israeli soldiers, teachers, and nurses around them, and the contrast channels a dry sort of humor that pokes at the absurdity the occupation places 20% of its citizens through. It’s a smart, subtle way to depict the rage felt by the many people that remained in the area, as well as the sadness they must have felt with the loss, the pain, and the displacement they’ve gone through.

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