Thinking Losing Control, Cane River, A Raisin in the Sun, Watermelon Woman, Personal Problems, Love Jones - just a few as I scroll through the list. I mean maybe more thoughts on what you mean by punish. BUt for the most part these serve as good examples and that seems to be the intention of the director.
A recent gem is Sylvie’s Love. (Not sure if it is out yet). Nothing but a Man, For the Love of Ivy maybe? Brother John, Losing Ground, My Brothers Wedding, daughters of the dust, crooklyn, boomerang, medicine for melancholy?
A lot of good answers shared here. One I wanted to elevate: Cane River. It captures the political history of what it even means to be middle-class black in this rapacious country while still holding a place for joy and nourishing community.
+1 to My Brother’s Wedding (and most Charles Burnett) and Personal Problems. Support the Girls. Hollywood Shuffle. (All of these are more working class). Been So Long is joyous.
The African Doctor centers on a Black middle-class family and ends happily, buuuut a lot of the plot is about the racism the family faces when they move to rural France. My sample size isn't huge, but I did think it was kind of unique in mass-marketed movies for showing a Black married couple + kids where the family is generally cohesive, the parents are better-educated than most of the people around them, and they have African cultural practices.
Perhaps, Mother of George, To Sir with Love, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, will say that it is sad that there are so few and that I had to guess at due to doubt. But great question.
Hair Love (2019) is the first that comes to mind, although it’s animated. Keanu, the movie where the protagonists rescue a kitten might also qualify even though it’s an action comedy.
I kinda hate to say it but...Tyler Perry? Oh, and now that I think of it, here's a few more, all superior films to Perry's work: both Best Man films, Waiting to Exhale, my adored Gina Prince-Bythewood with Love and Basketball and Beyond the Lights (which isn't really middle class but it does feature characters not being terrorized around race--gender, yeah, but not race). There should be more than these. But these do exist.
Interesting that all these middle class films are so old. I gotta really think if there are any contemporary ones besides Tyler Perry. Middle class films with people of any race really aren't a thing anymore. From the big studios, it's mostly explosions, I think.
This is a VERY good question. I'm racking my brains and so is my husband and sadly, we can't think of any. 😔 I hope someone replies with some suggestions.
First one I can think of is LOSING GROUND...
I want to point to this list I put together with a group of folx interested in Black cinema. 101 Essential Black film https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rR_AtkMTWK7iL-tEL05BsY7422CdR5xKAP-f7-MYoyQ/edit?usp=sharing
Thinking Losing Control, Cane River, A Raisin in the Sun, Watermelon Woman, Personal Problems, Love Jones - just a few as I scroll through the list. I mean maybe more thoughts on what you mean by punish. BUt for the most part these serve as good examples and that seems to be the intention of the director.
Possibly 35 Shots of Rum? (I'm honestly unsure of whether the French consider this "middle class"; to us, however, yes?)
Love Jones, Coming to America, someone already mentioned Boomerang, The Photograph is recent and decent, and Brown Sugar
It's Senegalese but I wonder if Faat Kiné by Ousmane Sembene would fit the bill? The ending is perfect.
Ava Duvernay’s I Will Follow is the first film that came to mind.
The Last Dragon?
'Uncorked'-2020 (Netfllix) has a really solid performance from Mamoudou Athie and it's the directorial debut from Prentice Penny, who also wrote it.
I suggest Losing Ground as well!
A Warm December!
Dope (!), Eve's Bayou, Boomerang, Pariah, some (especially early) Spike Lee films.
Maybe The Preacher's Wife would count?
Love and Basketball, Akeelah and the Bee, The Best Man, The Best Man Holiday
Akeelah and the Bee! How could I forget that. I love that movie!
I haven't seen it for ages but... Roll Bounce?
A recent gem is Sylvie’s Love. (Not sure if it is out yet). Nothing but a Man, For the Love of Ivy maybe? Brother John, Losing Ground, My Brothers Wedding, daughters of the dust, crooklyn, boomerang, medicine for melancholy?
Love Jones, This Christmas, The Wood, Love and Basketball, The Best Man
A lot of good answers shared here. One I wanted to elevate: Cane River. It captures the political history of what it even means to be middle-class black in this rapacious country while still holding a place for joy and nourishing community.
Great one!!!
+1 to My Brother’s Wedding (and most Charles Burnett) and Personal Problems. Support the Girls. Hollywood Shuffle. (All of these are more working class). Been So Long is joyous.
To Sleep With Anger
Crooklyn. My Brother's Wedding. Losing Ground. Personal Problems.
The African Doctor centers on a Black middle-class family and ends happily, buuuut a lot of the plot is about the racism the family faces when they move to rural France. My sample size isn't huge, but I did think it was kind of unique in mass-marketed movies for showing a Black married couple + kids where the family is generally cohesive, the parents are better-educated than most of the people around them, and they have African cultural practices.
Blackwood // https://m.facebook.com/blackwoodshortfilm/posts/?_rdr
Perhaps, Mother of George, To Sir with Love, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, will say that it is sad that there are so few and that I had to guess at due to doubt. But great question.
Coming to America, Boomerang, Waiting to Exhale, How Stella Got her Groove Back
Hair Love (2019) is the first that comes to mind, although it’s animated. Keanu, the movie where the protagonists rescue a kitten might also qualify even though it’s an action comedy.
Love Claudine!
I remember years ago that I liked How Stella Got Her Groove Back, but I think it's probably more upper middle class.
It's very ABOUT class though. The guy she brings back from Jamaica is poorer than the protagonist. I'd put it as a middle-class movie :)
I kinda hate to say it but...Tyler Perry? Oh, and now that I think of it, here's a few more, all superior films to Perry's work: both Best Man films, Waiting to Exhale, my adored Gina Prince-Bythewood with Love and Basketball and Beyond the Lights (which isn't really middle class but it does feature characters not being terrorized around race--gender, yeah, but not race). There should be more than these. But these do exist.
Interesting that all these middle class films are so old. I gotta really think if there are any contemporary ones besides Tyler Perry. Middle class films with people of any race really aren't a thing anymore. From the big studios, it's mostly explosions, I think.
This is a VERY good question. I'm racking my brains and so is my husband and sadly, we can't think of any. 😔 I hope someone replies with some suggestions.