r/MovieSuggestions • u/vampirebarelyfed • 10h ago
I'M REQUESTING Does anyone know any movies that does a metaphor for racism well?
I'm a college student and my midterm paper is to just connect some sort of media to a sociology concept we've learned about, and my favorite form of media is movies. I was wondering if anyone had any good suggestions for a movie that represents racism well. I don't think movies like zootopia or elementals really represents racism well because humans at our core are the same, while in zootopia the predators have a known history of actually hurting prey and in elementals the elementals actually have the capability of hurting each other just by existing together. I might be asking for a movie that doesn't exist, but I was just curious! I love to watch new movies :)
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u/kmerian 10h ago
District 9 might be what you are looking for.
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u/vampirebarelyfed 10h ago
Thank you! I'll add this to my list :)
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u/mayfeelthis 9h ago
White Man's Burden (90s with John travolta)
Antebellum (I won't spoil it)
I really hope you see these, and it's not lost in the threads).
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u/Psychohistoria 8h ago edited 7h ago
"Antebellum" - where's the metaphor, exactly? Also just an appallingly stupid movie overall.
Also I would say "Alien Nation" might be even more straightforward than "District 9" ("District 9" could equally be read as being about apartheid OR post-apartheid South Africa, and honestly doesn't stake out a very strong position on either, given the director's nihilism; "Alien Nation" is a lot more on the nose as being about immigrants to the U.S., and makes its position clear).
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u/jenniferandjustlyso 8h ago
My first thought. Because I found myself judging the aliens, having no empathy and not caring if they had rights. And that was so interesting to me, because I'm normally someone with a lot of empathy, this showed me that under some circumstances I'm not as good at it as I thought.
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u/SmartPriceCola 1h ago
First one I thought of!
It’s a fantastic movie and has plenty of “stand ins” for racism
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u/eddietwoo 9h ago
X-Men 2. X-Men was always about racism.
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u/SkinTeeth4800 9h ago
Or homophobia?
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u/jrv3034 7h ago
Definitely homophobia.
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u/Affectionate-Pipe330 6h ago
“Have you tried not being a mutant? “
Favorite line from any x-men and definitely about homophobia
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u/Minimum_Medicine_858 2h ago
Canonically racism. Malcom x and Mlk analoges for Magneto and the professor
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u/Ignore-This-Idiot 10h ago
'Enemy Mine' (1985)
Mind you, I haven't seen it since it came out.
Might be awful now, you know how it goes...
You watch something you loved as a kid, and it turns out to be utter shite? Had that happen enough times!
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u/Reddituser183 9h ago
I saw it as a kid in about 2002 playing on broadcast tv when I was maybe 14. I thought it was fantastic at the time but I suppose that was 24 years ago…..😱🤯
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u/Jaded_Pearl1996 9h ago
That is the one I suggested.
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u/Psychohistoria 7h ago
"Alien Nation" is a film from the same era, a bit closer to what the OP is looking for I think, but "Enemy Mine" does work. "Alien Nation" also had a TV series and a bunch of TV movies that were ok (some episodes of the series were shockingly violent, kind of impressive).
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u/Jaded_Pearl1996 6h ago
Alien Nation is probably better, I remember watching it numerous times. Enemy Mine is often overlooked.
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u/FrontMail9720 9h ago
It’s great but it’s more a metaphor for The Cold War and War in general than racism.
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u/Glittering_Path5352 10h ago
Believe it or not, the animated 1998 version of Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer.
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u/Longjumping-Boat197 9h ago
American Werewolf in London has a huge subtext of anti-semitism which John Landis said was intentional
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u/haysoos2 10h ago
The X-Men comics were inspired by the Civil Rights movement, and were created specifically to model tolerance, and be a metaphor for racism.
But the movies leaned more into being a metaphor for LGBTQ+, and as you say the message is bit garbled by the fact that some of the mutants really are dangerous (even if they don't mean to be).
Get Out is a pretty obvious one, but perhaps too obvious to get much credit for pointing it out.
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u/SonofaDrum 9h ago
Not a movie but Star Trek the Original series has an episode called Let That Be your Last Battlefield. Season 3 episode 15. As an 8 year old kid it opened my eyes to the total stupidity of racism. Check it out.
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u/Relative-Train-6485 10h ago
Pleasantville, 1998. I used it for two papers in college with similar goals and even won an award for one of them. The imagery and writing are excellent for examination, a novel cinematography style to demonstrate the social ideas. Try it, it's so much more than you think.
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u/Djafar79 8h ago
I wouldn't mind reading your papers if they're published or if you feel okay with sharing them. Here, or through dm if that works better for you.
I'm always interested in fascinating subtext in films and I totally missed the ones in Pleasantville. But I guess I was too young when it came out and I first and last saw it. Your papers might go great with a rewatch. Thank you.
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u/Relative-Train-6485 7h ago
Man, I wish I could, I'm really proud of the awarded one (religious imagery used to shape the narrative) but my only copy is packed away and it was never published outside the college system years ago. It's pretty straightforward when you're watching with a curious eye, it's quite bold everywhere once you get going. I'll be happy to discuss it with you, if you like. It's an excellent film for your studies because it pretty bluntly mirrors racism and the film's whole theme is authenticity and self-determination.
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u/Djafar79 6h ago
Oh no worries mate and I appreciate the reaction regardless. I'll try watching it in the coming days/week and come back to you, I'd like that. Cheers.
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u/DJTRANSACTION1 10h ago
Isle of Dogs (film) is a top metaphor for racism. the gist of this movie is
- dogs got a virus that affected the population
- cats and pro cat humans were put in charge and forsaken them into an island same way japanese were during ww2 even when a pro cat scientist had a cure. they hid this cure a secret because the cat ruler wanted the dogs gone.
- the cure got out but multiple pro cat political parties are covering it up because they want to keep the dogs isolate away as well as use antidog parties to rally a relection
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u/jesskeeding 8h ago
This might be too literal for what you’re asking, but have you seen Night of the Living Dead (1968)? It’s a classic zombie film where, after surviving the night fighting off zombies, the survivors make it out of the house, only for the main character — a black man — to be shot dead by the all-white police outside. It’s shocking and so powerful.
Google it along with “racism” and see what you think.
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u/j05huak33nan 10h ago
There is a really good episode of Black Mirror that does it in a really creative way. Season 3 Episode 5
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u/Ok_Winter2286 10h ago
Not a movie but an old Star Trek TOS episode
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Let_That_Be_Your_Last_Battlefield_(episode))
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u/Bedknobnboomstick 10h ago
Night of The Living Dead. Spoilers if you've never seen it. But MAN does it stand the test of time.
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u/fleedermouse 8h ago
The Brother From Another Planet is the one you want. This dude travels across the galaxy to escape persecution at home because he has three toes but ends up crashing in 1980’s NYC while his outward appearance above the ankles is that of an African American thus the title. It’s got strong B movie energy but it’s truly a great film.
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u/pomeranianfakeout 10h ago
Not a movie but the South Park episode where Randy went on wheel of fortune
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u/GenNextRS 9h ago
Land Before Time has it as a subtheme, that its something thats just accepted
The main characters however create a "herd" of different species of dinosaurs
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u/stevedave84 10h ago
I see a whole lot of District 9 but no one's mentioned Starship Troopers?
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u/jupiterkansas Quality Poster 👍 10h ago
because District 9 is more specifically about racism where Starship Troopers is more about fascism.
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u/RDjax 10h ago edited 10h ago
Obvious ones are... Deleted original answers.
*Edit: updated answer below.
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u/BoredTech127001 10h ago
Do you know what a metaphor is? Cause none of those are metaphors for racism.
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u/rutherfordcrazy 5h ago
There is a theory that Jaws is about an insular community fearful of outsiders.
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u/Limp-Appointment-564 10h ago
Any X-Men movie is a great allegory for racism. Planet Of The Apes works well, too.
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u/flopisit32 10h ago
The movie Crossfire (1947). Racism (anti-Semitism) was used as a metaphor for hatred of homosexuality.
That could be an interesting one for you.
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u/PSB2013 Quality Poster 👍 10h ago edited 10h ago
White Dog (1982)
White God (2014)
The first deals with issues of deeply ingrained (or even innate) prejudice, while the second is more about ehtnocenticism, anti-immigration, and racism expressed as political policy.
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u/idemandpasta 10h ago
Yes, and Cast Away is a metaphor for a man being stranded on a deserted island.
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u/Sad_Cryptographer872 10h ago
There are some elements in anime Beastars.
X-Men movies are also metaphorical and comics way back in the day were originally created as a metaphor for racism. Especially the first three from the '00s
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u/GrrrlsRock 9h ago
12 Angry Men
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u/PSB2013 Quality Poster 👍 9h ago
How is this metaphorical? It's a group of white men debating the criminality of a black man.
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u/GrrrlsRock 8h ago
The race of the defendant is never stated in the play or the movie. Due to context clues, I think he may have been of Hispanic origin, possibly Puerto Rican.
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u/GlitteringFlan3299 10h ago
american history X
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u/froction 10h ago
Wait, are you saying that something isn't racist if it's based on actual past behavior?
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u/vampirebarelyfed 10h ago
no, i’m just not a fan of the predator metaphor of zootopia or the fact elements can actually “kill” each other by mixing (mostly fire and water + earth and fire) i know people actually hurt each other and how it’s shown through history!! im just trying to watch films where the minority / majority aren’t actually threats to each other just by existing if you know what i mean ahhh im not very good at explaining
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u/SuspiciousSteak814 9h ago
I think To Kill a Mockingbird would be a good example.
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u/armchair_therapy 9h ago
Not sure if they were turned into movies, but The Sneetches and Horton Hears a Who by Dr Seuss
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u/AgravaineNYR 9h ago
Enemy Mine or Alien Nation (yes I am old) it is a different species but they are an unknown.
Remember the Titans, In the Heat of the Night (should be Sidney Poitier as Mr Tibb if i have the title right), To Sir, with Love
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u/Candid-Sprinkles-538 8h ago
Pleasantville is the best. When people start going from black and white to color. Wow. Amazing movie.
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u/moundofsound 8h ago
there are many, and listing them here may well serve a bot looking to create a blacklist. yes unfortunatley that crossed my mind first but given how the US has fallen, i think its a fair assumption. read, copy, print, watch, copy, share.
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u/ninjamansidekick 8h ago
Mugabe and the White African. It's a documentary, but it offers a differenct lens to view racism through.
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u/allhinkedup 8h ago
I would add Avatar to the list, and Planet of the Apes. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country also examines deep-seated inter-species racism. I might add Elysium and Gattaca to the list, although they are more about classism than racism.
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u/Happy-Flower2002 8h ago
Best would be Star Trek. How human races are handled in it.
As society progresses and technology progresses it is just not a thing, just something arbitrary that happened in the history but as humanity moved passed it, it just isn’t at thing.
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u/No_Topic5591 7h ago
Planet of the Apes is the really obvious one. Also, X-Men, Night Watch, Daybreakers (or many other vampire movies), Avatar, even Harry Potter.
Or if you want an easier time, choose social class structure, and movies like Snowpiercer or The Platform.
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u/Emotional-Dog8118 6h ago
Pleasantville. Incredible take on racism in the guise of a fictional 50s TV show.
Awesome movie. 🍿
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u/VeniVidiVulva 6h ago
The elementals have the OPPORTUNITY to hurt each other but they don't have to, that was the whole point of the film. At the end she was afraid he would hurt her simply for being water and he didn't because as an individual he is not that way, he sacrificed himself before allowing her to get hurt and also protected her. I think elemental is lovely.
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u/Wordpaint 5h ago
There's an episode of the original Star Trek called "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield." While it's been decades since I've seen it, I recall its depiction of racism as compelling: ridiculous, futile, and destructive.
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u/matanelim 4h ago
The Death Eaters in the Harry Potter series are said to be a metaphor for racism/Nazi Germany.
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u/bigsillygiant 2h ago
The greenbook, hidden figures, american history x, romper stomper. The first two are more gentle ( young teens can watch them) in their approach whereas the last two are not and have very graphic and violent scenes about racism. Also you could watch this is england as well
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u/80s_angel 2h ago
Honestly, I’ve always looked at Harry Potter as a metaphor for racism. The main villain and his followers are obsessed with keeping the Wizarding World pure.
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u/RockThePlazmah 2h ago
If you are looking for a metaphor, right now I’m writing my bachelor thesis on how Blade Runner and the persecution of Androids resemble a racist behavior in society.
The original cut with Deckard as a narrator gives a lot of context on this, at one point he’s saying that Bryant is one of these men who were using n word in the past.
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u/EvanBanna 33m ago edited 30m ago
"Do the right thing." its over my head. but everyone else in my class seemed to like it. it deals with racism. riots. Social unrest. It's made by black people. all these other posters are telling you to watch movies made by white guys. what do the people who get the most hate have to say on the subject?
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u/TurfBurn95 9h ago
When I was on school we NEVER had subject mater involving race.
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u/vampirebarelyfed 9h ago
the project actually doesn’t have to be on race! i just chose it because it’s a sociology class and i understand concepts like race and gender the best so it’ll make writing the paper easier for me by choosing media involving that :)
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u/Canadian-Man-infj 8h ago
I think there's a term that you might want to use here: "allegory."
I did a quick search for movies that are considered to be allegorical representations of racism and these are the top results:
- District 9 (2009)
- Get Out (2017)
- Zootopia (2016)
I also found this reddit post from a couple months ago that seems to be pretty much what you're requesting: https://www.reddit.com/r/TopCharacterTropes/comments/1vncqn1/ironic_trope_movies_about_racism_using_an/ (113 comments)
I'd love to hear what you end up choosing, if you'd care to update.
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u/DescriptionFancy420 9h ago
That's reeeeeeally not a good thing lmao
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u/vampirebarelyfed 8h ago
i definetly could’ve written about something else i literally just understand race and gender best because i’ve lived through racism and sexism 🤷🏻♀️ i figured i’d pick low hanging fruit for an online course
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u/mahjimoh 3h ago
It seems like a great topic, actually! I liked the suggestion someone made of District 9.
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u/-Hotel 10h ago
that netflix will smith movie, with ogres
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u/CallistanCallistan 9h ago
The movie is Bright. But I think it's a terrible allegorical representation of racism. It takes real racist stereotypes, applies them to fictional races, and then makes nearly all members of the fictional races act exactly like those stereotypes (while also still applying real racist stereotypes to the human characters).
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u/cmcclutchy26 10h ago
Just watched last night. Hidden Objects. About the 3 black women who were mathematic geniuses. They worked at NASA. I think it's on HBO Max. Excellent movie and a better cast!
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u/JennyEnny198 10h ago
That's a great movie but they are looking for a movie as a metaphor for racism rather than straight up being about racism.
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u/pfroo40 10h ago
Pleasantville