YOUR 'top 5' socially relevant films ?

Whether politically driven or fluff to calm the masses, from "Manufacturing Consent" to "Erin Brockovich", film has remained a voice for the people and toward the people for over a century.


KOYAANISQATSI - "Life out of balance"



A Francis Ford Coppola production, minus convention this film shows an experience of "civilization".

ONE of a kind.

BARAKA



A phenomenal reprise of the Koya' model. Director Ron Fricke (writer on Koyaanisqatsi) presents a meditation on "civilizations" in the world. Shot in 70mm film. Beautiful and inciteful, Fricke was able to capture humanity in this film without banter.

both are "must watch".

DO THE RIGHT THING



1989. A number, another summer.

As a sophomore in high school, my experience with film had been mostly entertainment. Director Spike Lee was making a movie called "Do the Right Thing". (I was told later) I was very serious about the world around me. I was relatively new to the rural-cum-suburb neighborhood and was just beginning all of the awkwardness that lingers between middle school and development in high school, physically, emotionally these would be years that would strongly influence my life up to today.

Anyways, back to '89.

The only thing that I did know about the film before I saw it was:

1. It was about racial attitudes

2. High Schools and College campuses (Stanford, Yale, U Mass, University of Pennsylvania, etc.) were tense with a rise in racially charged incidents happening inside and outside of education.

3. Public Enemy made a legendary contribution for the soundtrack named "Fight the Power" (little did I know the significance this song would play in this movie).

The movie blew me away.

Of all the people to have interesting words about one of my favorite films, Roger Ebert said in a 1989 review:

"Anyone who walks into this film expecting answers is a dreamer or a fool. But anyone who leaves the movie with more intolerance than they walked in with wasn't paying attention."

Amen.


MENACE II SOCIETY



The movie, stated by the filmmakers, Allen & Albert Hughes, as an homage to the film GoodFellas. It tells the story of Caine, a young man teetering between a new life with a new love and leaving a life of rotten with drug money and violent revenge.

Will a couple of positive influences in his life be enough to save him ?

AMERICAN HISTORY X



this movie is indicative of the choice between self-preservation & elimination of the unknown. In this story the idealized decision to believe that control has been lost by an entire race, creates an excuse to war & socially change through violence. Will an older brother be able to help his family before hatred destroys it ?



What are FILMS that YOU find socially relevant ???