TOW #20: "America's Best Picture? All of Them"

This article, published in the New York Times, is an introspective look at the film industry in 21st-century America, and what the art we produce says about our culture. The article makes strides in defining what exactly we as viewers value through the films we watch, particularly those nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

The argument the article makes aligns similarly with my own - as a culture, we are valuing black art and cinema more heavily than we have ever done before. This is a big step in taking over a white-dominated sector of culture. Movies like Hidden Figures, with three black female leads, and Moonlight, with a portrayal of black LGBT+ men, are making strides towards representation and equality in media. People of color are getting more and more opportunities to be on screen and write and direct their own films, which makes me incredibly happy.

The article also makes connections between the different stories portrayed within the films to the diversity of America -- suggesting that maybe what we need is not a unified America, but an America where differences coexist and intersect, weaving a portrait of diversity and strength through individual stories. It ends with the line: "If you really want to find out what America looks like, you have to watch all of them." This struck a chord with me, as a lot of people throw their support behind one movie or another for the Oscar. All of the nominees coming together are what make America.

Film has always been an inspirational medium to me, and seeing the amount of diversity that was portrayed in the Academy Awards was compelling. Now, more than ever, we need people to see the story of America -- not in the historical sense, but in the deeply personal, social sense. Movies like Moonlight, Fences, and Hidden Figures are incredibly important ones. Just as social change is often the driving force behind film, film is the driving force behind social change.