Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Saunders
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Black women explore, challenge life-shaping ideas.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
(In)Visible Portraits
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
(IN)VISIBLE PORTRAITS uses four distinct sources of information about the position of Black women in American society: historical footage, scholarly commentary, artistic expression, and testimony by ordinary Black women about their lived experiences. After an introductory segment about the history of how Black women have been (and continue to be) portrayed, perceived, and stereotyped, individual women and girls share their strategies for cultivating positive self-esteem, empowerment, and self-love.
Is It Any Good?
After a slow start, this documentary goes deep. In about the first third of (In)Visible Portraits, director Oge Egbuonu gives the audience a download of information about the history of Black women in the American imagination. Then the film picks up as women and girls express the emotional realities of living as a Black woman -- from salvaging their own dignity to protecting their children. Viewers may feel righteous anger about some of the material presented, but the overall message is one of hope.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the power of ideas. How do the women in (In)Visible Portraits use words and ideas in an attempt to influence reality?
Why do you think the director included poetry reading and the process of painting a portrait in the film?
Why does beauty so often play a key role in women's self-esteem?
What makes this film an example of positive representation? Why is representation important in the media?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : June 19, 2020
- Director : Oge Egbuonu
- Studio : Changing the Narrative, LLC
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : Activism , Arts , History
- Run time : 92 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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