We Need Diverse Movies Club - Ongoing

****** UPDATED for 2022 ******

*** I have listed the streaming service (if available) for each movie. The problem is that each streaming service adds and removes certain movies each month. I will try to keep the list updated as we go along. ***

Young people are forming lots of opinions about themselves and the people around them. Their natural curiosity about differences in appearance and cultural backgrounds begins to come into play during this age. They are developmentally able to put cultural and racial differences into perspective. They can either learn to appreciate - or devalue - traits that make others different from themselves. This movie club is where young people can come together, explore, and discuss diverse stories and experiences through movies.

Diversity, whether they are stories of history or just everyday existence, movies are a way for kids to understand and constructively relate to the world around them. Movies also play a significant role in the socialization of youth.  When students see and talk about diversity, they begin to experience overarching patterns. 

As we discuss these movies, we will not only talk about the setting, plot, theme, actors, directors, etc., but we will also look at the cultural differences, issues of race, gender issues, religious issues, age discrimination, physical or mental ability, as well as other differences. 

I have listed the MPAA rating after each movie. Some have a PG-13 or R rating due to violence, mature language, or mature behavior. I would suggest parents watch these movies before your children watch them. If you would like to know what each movie contains, please email me.

Week of January 3: This week, we will be discussing four short movies and a Ted Talk. We will start by talking about the Ted Talk "The Danger of a Single Story." On Disney+, we will discuss the ShortSpark "Out" and "Loop." On Netflix, we will look at "Canvas" and "Sitara."  

Week of January 10: Introducing Dorothy Dandridge - R (HBOMax) - Dorothy Dandridge's way to fame and fortune as a dancer, singer, and actress.

Week of January 17: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind - TV-PG (Netflix) - Inspired by a science book, 13-year-old William Kamkwamba builds a wind turbine to save his Malawian family from famine. Based on a true story.

Week of January 24: Peanut Butter Falcon - PG-13 (HULU) - Zak runs away from his care home to make his dream of becoming a wrestler come true.

Week of January 31:  Black Panther - PG-13 (Disney Plus) - T'Challa, heir to the hidden but advanced kingdom of Wakanda, must step forward to lead his people into a new future and must confront a challenger from his country's past. (Black cast and black lead character, the West's view of Africa, violent masculinity) 

Week of February 7: Hairspray (2007) - PG (HBOMax) - A teenage girl who doesn't fit the "norm" teaches 1962 Baltimore a thing or two about integration after landing a spot on a local T.V. dance show. (Segregation, believing in yourself, stand up for what you believe) 

Week of February 14: 42 - PG-13 (HBOMax) - In 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era when he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers and faced considerable racism in the process. (Racism, believe in yourself, stand up for your beliefs)

Week of February 21: Hamilton - PG-13 (Disney Plus) - The real life of one of America's foremost founding fathers and first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. (Race, history vs. legacy, change)

Week of February 28: Hidden Figures - PG (Disney+) - The story of a team of African-American female mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program. (Racism, opportunity, humanitarianism, be the change you want to see in the world)

Week of March 7: Soul Surfer - P.G. (Netflix). Teenage surfer Bethany Hamilton overcomes the odds and her fears of returning to the water after losing her left arm in a shark attack.

Week of March 14: Wonder Women - PG-13 (HBOMax) - When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, Diana, an Amazonian warrior in training, leaves home to fight a war, discovering her full powers and true destiny.

Week of March 21: Remember the Titans - PG (Disney+) - The true story of a newly appointed African-American coach and his high school team on their first season as a racially integrated unit.

Week of March 28: Enola Holmes - PG-13 (Netflix) - When Enola Holmes, Sherlock's teen sister, discovers her mother missing, she sets off to find her. She then becomes a super-sleuth in her own right as she outwits her famous brother and unravels a dangerous conspiracy around a mysterious young Lord.

Week of April 4: Coco - P.G. (Disney plus) - Aspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family's ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer.

Week of April 11: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee - TV-14 (HBOMax) - A historic chronicle based on the book by Dee Brown explains how Native Americans were displaced as the United States expanded west.

Week of April 18: Defiance - R (Netflix) - Jewish brothers in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe escape into the Belarussian forests, where they join Russian resistance fighters, and endeavor to build a village, in order to protect themselves and about one thousand Jewish non-combatants.

Week of April 25: Spirited Away - PG (HBOMax) - During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches, and spirits and where humans are changed into beasts.

Week of May 2: Life of Pi - PG (HBOMax) - A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.

Week of May 9: Invictus - PG-13 (Netflix) - This movie tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela joined forces with the Captain of South Africa's rugby team, Francois Pienaar, to help unite their country.

Week of May 16: 

Week of May 23: What's Eating Gilbert Grape - PG-13 (Netflix) - A young man in a small Midwestern town struggles to care for his mentally-disabled younger brother and morbidly obese mother while attempting to pursue his own happiness

Week of May 30: Philadelphia - PG-13 (IMDb on Amazon) - When a man with HIV is fired by his law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic small-time lawyer as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit.

Week of June 6: The Birdcage - R (HBOMax) - A gay couple has to play it straight when their son announces that he's going to marry the daughter of a conservative U.S. senator.

Week of June 13: Love, Simon - PG-13 (Hulu) - A closeted gay teen deals with coming out to his family and friends in this charming coming-of-age tale.

Week of June 20: The Half of It - PG-13 (Netflix) - When smart but cash-strapped teen Ellie Chu agrees to write a love letter for a jock, she doesn't expect to become his friend - or fall for his crush.

Week of June 27: The Imitation Game - PG-13 (IMDb on Amazon) - Benedict Cumberbatch shines as real-life war hero and pioneer of modern-day computing, Alan Turing, who saved millions of lives by cracking Germany's so-called unbreakable code during WWII.