Top 5 Movies About Injustice
Welcome back, everyone! It’s time for another movie list in the Corona series. I was thinking that this week I might do two lists: one today and one either tomorrow or Wednesday. But I also wouldn’t mind fitting in a full review either so we’ll see (let me know your vote in the comics!) if I fit a part four of this list series into this week.
This list is dedicated to injustice. Colin actually gave me the idea; his reasoning was that right now there are many systemic injustices being highlighted by this pandemic across the globe. Which political faction that you identify with doesn’t seem to matter either—it seems like everyone can see it. These are five films that cover different injustices in various societies and time periods. Documentaries are excluded, however, because they deserve a list all their own on this topic. I am sure I will make that list at some point.
5. To Kill A Mocking Bird
We all know Atticus Finch. Most of us read this book for school at some point. And here is the thing: there is a reason for that. The message of responsibility, bucking against prejudice, and upholding the best parts of the law are timeless. In some ways, it may seem a little reductive (particularly compared to number two on this list) but it is certainly a staple of American literature and film alike.
4. Z and The Battle of Algiers (tie)
(Alright, I’m cheating, but I literally couldn’t kick any of these off and I needed room for The Battle of Algiers, so I paired it with another prominent non-English speaking 60s masterpiece.)
Speaking of national staples, number four on this list is a pinnacle of Greek filmmaking. This film has a strong political message that permeates throughout it. Initially, I was going to give this spot to a Theo Angelopoulos film but I have already put him at number one for a list in this series as well as using Landscape in the Mist in another list entirely. However, I knew I had to leave some room for another Greek filmmaker to make the list, as it’s a nation whose films I beginning to get into and all of them are so strong in their messages.
As for The Battle of Algiers. Oh my God, where to start. So, okay, it is NOT an easy watch but it is an incriminating one. About Algeria’s fight for independence from France this 1966 classic will change the way you view war and your experience with war movies. It is beyond required viewing: it is an indictment against colonialism, which is injustice in it’s highest form.
3. Offside
Traveling to the country of Iran in the year 2006 we have a quiet act of defiance. Up until very recently, Iranian women were not allowed to attend soccer games in their country. This movie, filmed at an actual game, centers around a group of women trying to sneak in. It’s not a documentary but it does kind of seem like one. The filming is hyper-realistic and not stylized at all. It also focuses on the male guards just trying to carry out their duties and how they start to see the cracks in their system as well. It’s a light movie however, it doesn’t weigh you down with its themes or smack you in the face with its messaging. Highly recommend.
2. If Beale Street Could Talk
A more modern American film than the previous entry (though its setting and source material is not) this film also centers on an African American man unjustly accused of a crime and brought to trial. He is sentenced and that is where the story really takes off. This one is interesting because it doesn’t only focus on the injustice itself, or the effect that it has on the protagonist, but rather it broadens that focus to those closest to him as well. A deeply troubling look into the history of the American justice system and the mistakes that have been made through it—and the human toll those mistakes take. It’s deeply empathetic and careful storytelling and I highly suggest watching it (with tissues).
1. Hunger
Of course, it would be impossible to make a list like this without mentioning any reference to the Irish struggle. This particular film I have suggested to every single person who asks for a recommendation. I considered essential viewing; everyone should see it. This work of art is an incredible debut (plus it’s starring Michael Fassbender who is so clearly dedicated to his role as Bobby Sands). It’s actually my number one on the list of movies from the 2000s and it is the perfect introduction to the plight of the Irish people and their fight for their rights. Opening with a completely damning quote from Magaret Thatcher, every frame is a seething judgment of her and injustices and cruelty that she imposed on others. Absolute masterpiece.
This was a rich topic to make a list about. Every time that I thought I was done I had to redo it. Some honorable mentions include: The Suspended Step of the Stork, No, Sorry To Bother You, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Dogtooth, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Do The Right Thing, Little Woods, Tangerines, and The Elephant Man. Look forward to (probably later this week) part five of the Corona series. It will be much less somber and series, I promise!