The Best Black Movies Of 2022
- Descendants of the survivors from the Clotilda celebrate their heritage and take command of their legacy, as the discovery of the remains of the last-known slave ship to arrive in the United States offers them a tangible link to their ancestors.More Descendant
- #41 of 52 onThe Best Documentary Movies Of 2022
- #56 of 85 onThe Best Netflix Original Movies Of 2022
- #56 of 101 onThe Best Women Directed Movies Of 2022
- 2Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Mike Epps, Method ManSixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Facing controversies and with an eviction notice staring down her family, Bri doesn't just want to make it, she has to make it.
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- NEW#34Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power
- NEW#35The Melt Goes On Forever: The Art and Times of David Hammons
- 3Joshua Boone, Solea Pfeiffer, Amirah VannA tale of forbidden love and family drama unravels 40 years of secrets and lies in the Deep South.
- 4Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong'oQueen Ramonda, Shuri, M'Baku, Okoye and the Dora Milaje fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T'Challa's death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with Nakia and Everett Ross to forge a new path for their beloved kingdom.
- 5Regina Hall, Sterling K. Brown, Austin CruteProud first lady of a Southern Baptist megachurch, Trinitie Childs carries immense responsibility on her shoulders. After a scandal involving her husband, the church is forced to temporarily close, leaving Trinitie struggling to manage the aftermath. Now, she and her spouse must rebuild their congregation and reconcile their faith by all means necessary to make the biggest comeback that commodified religion has ever seen.
- #20 of 31 onThe Best Indie Comedies Of 2022
- #39 of 148 onThe Best Female Leading Movies Of 2022
- #8 of 102 onThe Best Women Directed Movies Of 2022
- 6Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana LynchIn the 1800s, a group of all-female warriors protects the African kingdom of Dahomey with skills and fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. Faced with a new threat, Gen. Nanisca trains the next generation of recruits to fight against a foreign enemy that's determined to destroy their way of life.More The Woman King
- #338 of 472 onThe Best Black Movies Ever Made, Ranked
- #70 of 137 onThe 100+ Best Movies With Black Female Leads
- #123 of 243 onThe Best Movies For Women
- 7Will Smith, Ben Foster, Charmaine BingwaPeter, a slave, flees a plantation in Louisiana after he was whipped within an inch of his life. He has to outwit cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps of Louisiana on a torturous journey north.
- 8Jamie Foxx, Dave Franco, Natasha Liu BordizzoDay Shift is an action-packed vampire comedy that sinks its teeth into the life of blue-collar worker and devoted father Bud Jablonski (Jamie Foxx), whose mundane San Fernando Valley pool cleaning job is a front for his real source of income: hunting and killing vampires. The 2022 film follows Bud's high-stakes journey as he faces expulsion from an international union of vampire hunters, which threatens his livelihood and the future he has planned for his daughter. Directed by J.J. Perry, the movie delivers a blend of action and humor, with performances from Dave Franco and Snoop Dogg adding to its bite.More Day Shift
- #4 of 13 onThe 13 Best Vampire Comedy Movies Of All Time
- #6 of 7 onThe Best Vampire Movies To Watch On Netflix
- #13 of 64 onThe Best Netflix Original Action Movies
- 9Idris Elba, Sharlto Copley, Iyana HalleyRecently widowed Dr. Nate Daniels and his two teenage daughters travel to a South African game reserve managed by Martin Battles, an old family friend and wildlife biologist. However, what begins as a journey of healing soon turns into a fearsome fight for survival when a lion, a survivor of bloodthirsty poachers, begins stalking them.More Beast
- 10Dayo Okeniyi, Yetide Badaki, Maximiliano HernandezRise is a 2022 biographical sports drama that tells the inspirational true story of the Antetokounmpo family and their journey from Nigeria to Greece and eventually to the heights of global basketball stardom. The film chronicles the life of Giannis Antetokounmpo (Uche Agada) and his brothers, who overcome a multitude of obstacles as undocumented immigrants living in Greece, finding solace and purpose on the basketball court. Their determination and tight-knit family bonds drive them towards their dreams, leading to Giannis's eventual success as an NBA superstar. With a focus on family, perseverance, and the immigrant experience, this Disney+ original film captures the essence of the American Dream through the lens of sports. The film features Giannis's supportive parents (Yetide Badaki and Dayo Okeniyi) prominently.
- 11Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Sinqua WallsAn African woman hopes her new job as a nanny will help bring her young son to the United States. However, when a violent presence begins to invade both her dreams and reality, it theatens to destroy everything she's fought for.
- 12RJ Cyler, Donald Elise Watkins, Sebastian Chacon
Director Carey Williams combines topical issues with pure comedy in his college party film Emergency. When two Black university friends, on very different paths, decide to have one final night out before graduation, their plans come to a halt when a young drunk white girl is found passed out on their house floor. With little options, the pair plus their other roommate decide to try and find a way to help her without falsely implicating themselves. Williams keeps the both the joke ratio and racial tension high.
Emergency is a satirical thriller that tackles urgent themes of racial profiling, stereotypes, and the pivotal choices that young adults have to make. The story follows two Black college students, Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins) and Sean (RJ Cyler), who along with their Latino friend Carlos (Sebastian Chacon), come across a white girl (Maddie Nichols) passed out in their apartment. Fearing the repercussions of calling the police, they embark on a frantic journey to get her help. The film humorously and critically examines the intersection of race and the criminal justice system while delivering a riveting experience as the trio encounters one increasingly complicated situation after another.More Emergency- #70 of 71 onThe 70 Best College Movies
- #15 of 15 on14 Movies Where A Normal Night Spirals Out Of Control
- #76 of 102 onMovies About Racism Against Black People
- 13Keke Palmer, Common, Jonny Lee Miller
Keke Palmer leads this homage to '70s explotation films in Krystin Ver Linden's directorial debut. Look for Palmer to be the highlight of this low key 2022 film.
Alice yearns for freedom as an enslaved woman under iron rule by the brutal owner of a rural Georgia plantation. After a violent clash, she flees through the neighboring woods and stumbles onto the unfamiliar sight of a highway, soon discovering the year is actually 1973. Rescued on the roadside by a disillusioned political activist, Alice quickly comprehends the lies that have kept her in bondage. - A disproportionate number of Black women are failed every year by the U.S. maternal health system. Shamony Gibson and Amber Rose Isaac die due to childbirth complications. Now, their partners and families sound a rallying cry around this crisis.
- 15Lemogang Tsipa, Thabo Rametsi, Israel Matseke-Zulu
There is very little that is more dramatic than siblings being torn apart by their circumstances. In this case one brother grows up to be a police officer and the other a gang member. They're then set on a collision course by a gang-related crime.
Years after surviving a childhood tragedy, two brothers fall on opposing sides of the law as a gang-linked crime tests their loyalty to one another. - 16Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Frankie R. FaisonThe true story of Mamie Till-Mobley's relentless pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, who was brutally lynched in 1955 while visiting his cousins in Mississippi.More Till
- #20 of 85 onGreat Historical Black Movies Based On True Stories
- #60 of 137 onThe 100+ Best Movies With Black Female Leads
- #59 of 102 onMovies About Racism Against Black People
- 17Letitia Wright, Tamara Lawrance, Nadine MarshallThe Silent Twins is the astonishing true story of June and Jennifer Gibbons, twins from the only Black family in a small town in Wales during the 1970s and '80s. The sisters, played by Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance, become notorious for their refusal to communicate with anyone but each other, retreating into a rich, private world of creative imagination and teenage rebellion. Their bond leads to a spree of vandalism that results in their unjust incarceration in a psychiatric hospital. The film emphasizes themes of sisterhood, identity, and the ineffable ties that bind as the twins navigate a world that doesn't understand them.
- 18Kevin Hart, Woody Harrelson, Kaley Cuoco
Kevin Hart is bringing the laughs and Woody Harrelson is bringing the torture in this Netflix original film. In The Man from Toronto, a location mix up gets Hart confused for a deranged and skilled assassin played by Harrelson. Kaley Cuoco and Ellen Barkin also star.
A case of mistaken identity forces a bumbling entrepreneur to team up with a notorious assassin in hopes of staying alive.More The Man from Toronto- #2 of 3 onThe Best Kevin Hart Movies On Netflix
- #18 of 55 onThe Best Mistaken Identity Movies
- #20 of 29 onThe 25 Best Kevin Hart Movies
- 19Regina Hall, Zoe Renee, Talia Ryder
Part thriller, part horror film, Mariama Diallo's directorial debut is a gift to Prime Video subscribers. It is both subtley terrifying and thought provoking.
Three women strive to find their place at a prestigious New England university that may disguise something sinister. - 20Gracie Marie Bradley, Aleyse Shannon, Niecy Nash
Writer Lena Waithe and co-writer/director Andrew Dosunmu were inspired by the great Whitney Houston when writing this Netflix original. Look deeper into the life of a rising star and the sacrifices she must make toward success at the cost of her personal life.
Beauty, released in 2022, is a contemporary drama that explores the intricate facets of pursuing a music career and the intense pressures that accompany the promise of stardom. This narrative delves deep into the life of a gifted young Black woman (Gracie Marie Bradley) with a beautiful singing voice, striving to balance her own identity and desires against the commercial expectations placed upon her by her family and the music industry. As she stands at the precipice of fame, the protagonist grapples with issues of authenticity, control, and the commodification of her talent. Directed by Andrew Dosunmu and written by Lena Waithe, the film confronts viewers with the profound cost of beauty and celebrity. - 21Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun
Jordan Peele is back with another horror hit with the sci-fi western Nope. Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer play siblings and owners of Haywood Hollywood Horses and ranch, who notice mysterious happenings on their land. This genre-bending spectacle is sure to get your heart pumping and you jumping out of your seat.
A man and his sister discover something sinister in the skies above their California horse ranch, while the owner of a nearby theme park tries to profit from the mysterious, otherworldly phenomenon. - 22Cheryl Isheja, Bertrand Ninteretse, Eliane UmuhireA group of escaped coltan miners forms an anti-colonialist computer hacker collective in the hilltops of Burundi. They soon attempt a takeover of the authoritarian regime that's exploiting the region's natural resources -- and its people.
- 23Zoë Kravitz, Byron Bowers, Rita Wilson
Zoë Kravitz and Steven Soderbergh team up to bring this taught thriller to life. Not only does it touch on the COVID-19 pandemic but it also addresses our ever more technologically entwined lives.
Kimi is a tech-driven thriller set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the film follows Angela Childs (Zoë Kravitz), an agoraphobic tech worker who discovers evidence of a violent crime while reviewing a data stream. The plot thickens as Angela's attempts to report the incident are met with resistance, leading her to confront her fears and venture into the outside world. The film examines the psychological impacts of isolation, with themes of surveillance and privacy. As Angela delves deeper into the mystery, she grapples with corporate indifference and her anxieties in a society increasingly reliant on digital connections.More Kimi- #24 of 38 onThe Best HBO Original Movies Since 2010
- #5 of 20 onThe Best HBO Max Original Movies
- #32 of 113 onThe 90+ Best Recent Thriller Movies, Ranked
- 24Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Lyric RossIn the 2022 animated film Wendell and Wild, directed by Henry Selick and co-written with Jordan Peele, we're introduced to Kat Elliot (Lyric Ross), a teenage girl grappling with her troubled past. The plot begins when Kat encounters the scheming demon brothers Wendell (Keegan-Michael Key) and Wild (Jordan Peele). The duo persuades Kat to summon them to the Land of the Living in exchange for reuniting her with her deceased parents. The themes of grief, redemption, and corporate greed unravel in this dark fantasy, as Kat navigates the treacherous plans of the underworld while confronting personal demons in a literal and figurative sense.
- 25Jerrod Carmichael, Christopher Abbott, Tiffany Haddish
Two friends, both depressed, decide to end it all. While this movie fits into many genres, comedian Jerrod Carmichael (writer, director, and star) uses his unique voice to tell a story all his own. Will Val (Jerrod Carmichael) and Kevin (Christopher Abbott) destroy each other before they can destroy themselves?
On the Count of Three is a darkly comic drama that centers on themes of friendship, mental health, and the search for a reason to live. The film follows two friends, Val (Jerrod Carmichael) and Kevin (Christopher Abbott), who are both struggling with their profound issues. On one fateful day, they decide to make a suicide pact but choose to fulfill some personal unfinished business beforehand. Their journey is both harrowing and humorous, leading to surprising self-discoveries and reflections on life's value. Directed by Carmichael in his directorial debut, the film takes a candid and often raw look at despair, camaraderie, and the human condition. - 26Thandiwe Newton, Joris Jarsky, Jefferson WhiteA college professor gets drawn into an escalating battle of wills after she catches two hunters trespassing on her property in the remote mountains of the American West.
- 27Jeremy Pope, Raúl Castillo, McCaul LombardiA young, gay Black man with few options for his future decides to join the Marines, willing to do whatever it takes to prove himself to his estranged mother and triumph in a system that would otherwise cast him aside. However, even as he battles deep-seated prejudice and the grueling rigor of basic training, he finds unexpected camaraderie, strength and support in this new community, giving him a hard-won sense of belonging that shapes his identity and forever changes his life.
- Film critic Elvis Mitchell examines the craft and power of African American films released from the landmark era of the 1970s.
- 29Tyler Perry, Cassi Davis, Brandon Black
Tyler Perry is back as the titular character Madea after originally deciding to retire her in A Madea Family Funeral. This time the whole family is invited to her great-granson's graduation and like in other films, buried family secrets are potentially bubbling up to the surface. The film also serves as a crossover between Madea's franchise as Mrs. Brown's Boys.
Tyler Perry's A Madea Homecoming continues the comedic saga of Mabel "Madea" Simmons (Tyler Perry), who comes out of retirement for this installment. As the family prepares for a joyous graduation celebration, secrets are revealed, and long-standing issues resurface, threatening the festive mood. The film presents themes of unity and forgiveness, along with the enduring strength of familial bonds. Perry's signature mix of humor and heart takes center stage as Madea dispenses her unique brand of wisdom and tough love, ensuring that if the family can't find harmony during the reunion, they'll at least find plenty of laughs. - 30Aurora Perrineau, Jaden Piner, Jill Marie Jones"The Curse of Bridge Hollow" (2022) is a Netflix supernatural comedy horror film directed by Jeff Wadlow. The story revolves around the Gordon family's move to Bridge Hollow, a town obsessed with Halloween. When patriarch, Howard Gordon's (Marlon Wayans) daughter, Syd (Priah Ferguson), discovers their house is haunted, they embark on a quest. Their journey involves Halloween decorations coming to life, a lantern, and the release of Stingy Jack (Doug Dawson). The film also features performances by Priah Ferguson, Kelly Rowland, and more.
- 31Naomi Ackie, Stanley Tucci, Nafessa WilliamsDiscovered by record executive Clive Davis, Whitney Houston rises to fame in the 1980s to become one of the greatest singers of her generation.
- Interviews and never-before-seen footage provide insight into the life of the Rev. Al Sharpton, the polarizing civil rights activist who spends decades fighting for social change.
- 33Amber Riley, Raven Goodwin, K. MichelleMonica looks for a fresh start as she tries to land a gig as the host of an afternoon talk show. She soon becomes close friends with her new assistant, Simone, a deranged woman who plans to take over Monica's life for good.More Single Black Female
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- #83 of 129 onThe Best Black Drama Movies
- #55 of 85 onThe 75+ Best PG-13 Horror And Scary Movies
- 34
Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power
- 35
The Melt Goes On Forever: The Art and Times of David Hammons
- 36Historians and film experts honors the legendary Sidney Poitier and his legacy as an iconic actor, filmmaker and activist at the center of Hollywood and the Civil Rights Movement.