1 Angry Black Man

Parents need to know that 1 Angry Black Man focuses on Mike (Keith Stone), a college student whose unjust arrest sparks a righteous anger that he brings with him to a classroom discussion in his African American literature course. Writer-director Menelek Lumumba clearly loves literature: The characters engage in a deep, thoughtful discussion about the works of Zora Neale Hurston, Ta-Nehisi Coates, August Wilson, and James Baldwin. They also talk about their own backgrounds and experience, which brings with it most of the movie's mature content. Characters refer to violent events (Mike's 9-year-old brother died in his arms after a violent incident; another character's mother attacked him violently while drunk, leaving him scarred) and to their sexual and romantic lives (several characters talk about their own queerness and that of the authors they're studying). Mike's arrest has to do with a sexual assault; a classmate ultimately admits to making a false report, saying she was drunk, high, and embarrassed (viewers don't hear all the details of the incident). Two characters smoke during a class break, and a man teases a woman by saying she smells "like lesbian sex." The movie's cast is diverse in terms of race, gender, ethnicity, country of origin, socioeconomic status, and age; all are treated respectfully. Mike's professor, Carla (Daphne Danielle), is thoughtful and encouraging. She urges Mike to get therapy for his ongoing response to his traumatic past, and to give him strength for the battle to come as he graduates. In one curious moment, she seems to blame Mike for his own arrest, telling him he'd stay out of trouble if he stayed away from White women (his false accuser is White). Language is infrequent, but you can expect to hear "f--k," "s--t," "son of a bitch," "hell," "a--hole," "d--k," and "p---y," as well as racist and sexual slurs (the "N" word, "maricon"). To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.