This year’s summer blockbuster has received mixed reviews from critics and fans alike. Too many, it may have seemed like a very bland summer for movies and that’s a real shame. Movies are my favorite art form and I love it when small films, that not many people have heard of, get big recognition. Here are just a few indie films you may have missed this summer and should definitely watch, that include people of color.
Morris From America
Who doesn’t love a coming-of-age film? Morris From America stars Craig Robinson, doing the finest acting I’ve ever seen him perform, and introduces Markees Christmas who plays the titular character, Morris. This is a feel good, coming-of-age story about a father who moves himself and his son to Germany for his career. In it, Morris is seen as an outcast as being one of the few black people in his town and wanting to be a great rapper, in a country dominated by EDM music. The audio visuals portrayed in the film capture the bright, upbeat attitude of the film. I can promise you, by the end of the film, you will want to hear the soundtrack on repeat.
Southside With You
This is a film that has been getting a lot of attention and more importantly, a positive reception. The film chronicles the first date of Barrack and Michelle Obama in a beautiful, heartfelt, and well written film, that turned out to be the best romantic movie I’ve seen this year. The film is engaging, with a tight script, as you see a young man, try to win the affection of a young Michelle Obama. The actors, Parker Sawyer and Tika Sumpter are not household names, but with their acting talents they might soon be.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
The star of this film isn’t any of the actors, but the director, Taika Waititi who has grown to become one of my favorites. His work includes the hilarious mockumentary, What We Do in the Shadows, and he shares that same sense of humor in this film. It’s a crazy, hysterical, heartwarming, misadventure. A foster kid and his uncle basically run away to the forest, while there’s a manhunt for them that include all these weird, zany character. Waititi is a very intriguing director who seems to do something different with every film he directs. I highly recommend you check this film out, especially since he is set to direct Thor: Ragnorak.
So if you haven’t seen or heard of these films, I highly recommend you do and let me know what you thought of them via Twitter @Manny_Castell
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