Can anyone name Black Movies in the past 30 years that aren't Trauma Porn?

[Luke Cage]

Sorry but this is a lazy excuse. It would be akin to someone supporting making gang movies. Then saying "Oh my God, so you're saying you don't support talking about Gang movies and showing how violent the hood is?? How dare you!"

So you're indirectly saying that the Black experience only consists of jail, sexual/physical abuse, gangs, violence... We don't indulge in comedy, don't start businesses, don't have interest in sci-fi, don't have healthy relationships, aren't inventors, aren't explorers, etc. But somehow it's ok to have a disproportionate amount of Films on the former instead of the latter

And it's hilarious to think Movies/Film are the only medium to address social issues. It's a cop out

They aren't indirectly saying thats the full black experience. Because we still make all sorts fo movies. But yall only complain about our historical films because you don't like the history, which is indirectly supporting the erasure of our history.
stunted logic to try and say opposite like you just did

 

[Cladyclad]

All yall that answered this dumb ? Is a bigger dweeb than the op lol.

 

[UpAndComing]

They aren't indirectly saying thats the full black experience. Because we still make all sorts fo movies. But yall only complain about our historical films because you don't like the history, which is indirectly supporting the erasure of our history.
stunted logic to try and say opposite like you just did

Another cop out. Just because you're conditioned and don't read your history doesn't mean it's not disproportionately leaning to one side

Black history also consist of political figures, empires, monarchies, scientists, inventions, religious figures, starting companies, authors, painters, stand up comedy, migration events, immigration stories, etc etc. ... Why is the percentage of movies not shining a light on this?

 

[RickyDiBiase]

Another cop out. Just because you're conditioned and don't read your history doesn't mean it's not disproportionately leaning to one side

Black history also consist of political figures, empires, monarchies, scientists, inventions, religious figures, starting companies, authors, painters, stand up comedy, migration events, immigration stories, etc etc. ... Why is the percentage of movies not shining a light on this?

Those exist, but guess what: THEY INVOLVE A LOT OF THE VERY ISSUES YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH BEING SHOWCASED IN MOVIES

 

[Kyle C. Barker]

Those exist, but guess what: THEY INVOLVE A LOT OF THE VERY ISSUES YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH BEING SHOWCASED IN MOVIES

My thoughts exactly lol.

It's really hard to tell a lot of those stories without addressing the racial climate of the times.

Unless of course you only concentrate on black scientists after 1975 lol.

They almost on some moms of liberty shyt (ie we hate talking about slavery because it makes our kids feel bad about themselves)

 

[RickyDiBiase]

My thoughts exactly lol.

It's really hard to tell a lot of those stories without addressing the racial climate of the times.

Unless of course you only concentrate on black scientists after 1975 lol.

They almost on some moms of liberty shyt (ie we hate talking about slavery because it makes our kids feel bad about themselves)

I got a perfect one

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Kizzmekia_Corbett_portrait.jpg

 

[DaKidFromNoWhere]

I never understood how Black ppl can be entertained by such movies/shows.

I'm 44 yrs old and I still haven't seen roots. I don't plan on it either.

"You don't know what you missin'!!!!"

Miss these nuts

Same here, the older I have gotten and looked back on that time period I always had a theory about that movie.
But that's another topic.

 

[null]

 

[Neo. The Only. The One.]

Hav Plenty is underrated

One of my top 10 movies of any genre

 

[TMBlue]

 

[Piff Perkins]

Trauma Porn as in:

- I made it out of the gutter Hood movies
- Gang movies
- I suffered from abuse but I made it out ok movies
- Slavery movies
- I was wrongfully accused and was in jail for a decade movies
- Etc etc


Hollywood is not going to do it for us, but it's time to end this genre or at least greatly limit it. If it means supporting more growth of Black Directors and Black screenplay writers, then I'm all for it. Please name them?

None of the things you mentioned constitute "trauma porn" IMO. Besides slavery, all of those things can be done (and have been done) in "white films" without being accused of trauma porn. Nobody thinks the Count Of Monte Cristo is trauma porn, for instance. And nearly all of those things are present in Malcolm X but nobody would call that trauma porn either. So we should differentiate between settings/plot and messaging.

To me, "trauma porn" often relates to exploitive, fantastical portrayals of abuse or trauma that are used to as genre tropes/beats (horror, suspense, noir/detective, action, etc). Where a writer or showrunner seems to take glee in filling the work with easter eggs of black suffering in order to disgust and entertain audiences. For instance...


Or Lovecraft Country. To me a coming-of-age film like Boyz In The Hood isn't the same at all. Nor would something like Moonlight be the same. Even Get Out, which plays around with horror tropes and blackness, isn't the same because it's not exploitive. To me, Get Out and Moonlight are the most important and influential black films of recent memory because you can see how studios have tried to recreate them ever since. And each version is more exploitive. There's a sense that in order to garner maximum sympathy from white (female liberal) viewers, these films need to be as depressing and violent as possible. You can imagine a producer asking for abuse to be added. OR, perhaps even worse, you can imagine black writers adding more abuse specifically because they know that's what sells.

 

[DoubleClutch]

Love and Basketball
Love Jones
Hav Plenty
The Best Man
The first Madea movie
Like what the hell are you even asking right now?

HAV PLENTY IS

I recommend it to people from time to time and they look at me like . I wonder why it’s not more well known

 

[god shamgod]

The wood

 

[ChatGPT-5]

1. "Coming to America" (1988) and its sequel "Coming 2 America" (2021): These are comedy films starring Eddie Murphy, about an African prince who travels to America in search of love.
2. "Black Panther" (2018): A Marvel superhero film set in the fictional African nation of Wakanda, focusing on themes of leadership, legacy, and cultural identity.
3. "The Best Man" (1999) and its sequel "The Best Man Holiday" (2013): These films are romantic comedies/dramas focusing on a group of college friends and the dynamics of their relationships.
4. "Love & Basketball" (2000): A romantic drama about two aspiring professional basketball players who navigate their relationship and careers.
5. "Girls Trip" (2017): A comedy about four friends who travel to New Orleans for a festival, focusing on friendship and adventure.
6. "Soul" (2020): An animated film from Pixar, which explores themes of passion, purpose, and the meaning of life, centered around a Black music teacher and aspiring jazz musician.
7. "Hidden Figures" (2016): A historical drama about African American female mathematicians who worked at NASA during the Space Race.
8. "Get Out" (2017): A horror film with satirical elements that delves into race relations in America.
9. "Barbershop" (2002) and its sequels: Comedy films centered around a barbershop in Chicago and the community it serves.
10. "Moonlight" (2016): A coming-of-age drama that chronicles the life of a young black man growing up in Miami, focusing on his struggles with identity and sexuality.

 

[ChatGPT-5]

Moonlight literally won best picture