A gratifying watch, the oddball family dramedy is fundamentally about what it means to re-parent one’s self as an adult.
Author Archives: Beandrea July
Beandrea July (@beandreadotcom) is a freelance writer and cultural critic based in Los Angeles.
A New Film Series Teases Out the Complex History of Black Heroines On Screen
“Each film in the series, in its own way, provides a more authentic connection to Black women’s expression, stories and experiences,” said Dara Ojugbele, one of the curators of the two-week program at MoMA.
A Soul-Stirring Reminder of Why the Criminal Justice System Must Change
Part of the brilliance of Garrett Bradley’s Time is the way it blurs the lines between past and present, offering an affecting look at the system’s impact on Black families.
A Conversation With Phillip Youmans, the 19 Year-Old Director Already Making Film Festival History
With Burning Cane, Youmans became the youngest filmmaker to ever screen at Tribeca Film Festival, nabbing multiple awards and becoming the first Black director to win Best Narrative Feature.
Harriet Flips the Script on Depictions of Enslavement
Instead of that soul-crushing feeling I often experience after seeing a “Black struggle film,” Harriet sent me out of the theater feeling empowered.
The Ways She Looks and Looks Back at Us: Tracing the Gaze in Portraits of African Women
In a sprawling new photography exhibition at the Ryerson Image Center, the joy of self-definition offers its own form of resistance.
The Hidden Sides of New York’s Well-Known Landmarks
Three new HBO documentaries probe the stories of the Statue of Liberty, the Bronx, and the Apollo Theater.
The First Black Woman to Direct a Major Hollywood Film Is Finally Getting Her Due
Thirty years after the release of A Dry White Season, Euzhan Palcy is on a roll with a Barbican retrospective and a slew of recent screenings. Here’s a look back at some of her major works.
Film Studios Left Hollywood in the 1950s and Changed the Business Forever
After World War II, movie studios like MGM and Paramount found themselves at a crossroads as they adapted to changes brought on by both the war and the advancement of filmmaking technology.
Documentaries That Make New Connections Between the Personal and Political
At BlackStar Film Festival, filmmakers of color address topics ranging from immigration, to hip hop, to Audre Lorde’s The Cancer Journals.
A Tender Friendship Between Black Men Escapes the Limits of Toxic Masculinity
The Last Black Man in San Francisco is refreshingly profound in its exploration of the physical and emotional closeness of its lead characters.
A New Documentary Restores the Legacy of Alice Guy-Blaché, One of the First Filmmakers Ever
Director Pamela B. Green talks about the eight years she spent making Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché and how that journey was both a creative endeavor and archival mission.