The best Black movies on Netflix right now

Get on Up is a mesmerizing biopic about the rise and musical domination of James Brown, played with ultimate conviction by the late Chadwick Boseman. Charting Brown’s career from his early days in gospel singing to his transformation through jazz and blues, the film explores the numerous personal hardships that the prolific musician would overcome on his journey of stardom. Rich with heart, soul, and showmanship, director Tate Taylor’s Get on Up is a winning mixture of energies with an electrifying Boseman at its core.

Based on the Walter Dean Mayers novel of the same name, Monster stars Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Steve Harmon, a 17-year-old charged with murder. Shining a light on the teen’s journey from a bright and promising future through a bevy of legal proceedings and the possibility of jail time, the Harlem youth must rise against the odds to clear his name. With a commanding lead performance from indie stalwart Harrison, Jr., Monster follows a traditional dramatic formula, delivering rich results.

Adapted from the 2005 novel of the same name, Beasts of No Nation stars Idris Elba as Commandment, a towering West African guerilla warfare leader. As civil war breaks out, a young boy named Agu is recruited by Commandment to join his battalion after attacks on the boy’s settlement are initiated by rebel forces. Leaving his family behind, Agu begins an immense coming-of-age journey through his militaristic training. Securing several awards and nominations when first released, Beasts of No Nation is a tremendous piece of cinema with bold visuals, deep performances, and an impressive narrative.

The Black Godfather is a riveting documentary about Black music legend Clarence Avant. A record label founder, concert curator, political activist, and a cherished mentor to several other executives that were inspired by his quiet but esteemed reign over the arts, Clarence truly did it all. Buckle up for this profanity-laced tell-all: It’s a raw and honest portrait of an essential entertainment figurehead. Don’t let the F-bomb drops deter you though — this is a top-notch documentary with an ensemble of noteworthy talking heads and a mighty arcing narrative to seal the deal.

It’s hard to encapsulate the life of a legend, especially one as prolific and regarded as musician extraordinaire, Quincy Jones. But co-directors Rashida Jones (Quincy’s daughter) and Alan Hicks do a remarkable job of wrangling the life of the icon. Chronicling Quincy’s early life and eventual rise to stardom in both the professional film and music communities he would come to dominate, Quincy paints an immense portrait of the artist, activist, husband, and father, featuring interviews and recollections from those closest to him. An immersive and incredibly human film, Quincy went on to win a Grammy for Best Music Film at the 2019 Grammy Awards.

The expertly lensed Mudbound — written and directed by Dee Rees and photographed by Rachel Morrison — explores the personal, economic, and racial tensions of two rural families living by way of the land in World War II-era Mississippi. A respective son from each family goes off to war. These are Jamie McAllan (Garrett Hedlund) and Ronsel Jackson (Jason Mitchell), two boys who leave a world of racism and other struggles behind. The battle ends. They return home, Jamie with newfound trauma, and Ronsel to a country that looks down at him for the color of his skin, regardless of his valor. What’s to truly savor in Rees’ masterful period drama is Morrison’s language of framing. Rees and Morrison were after a kind of camera work that reflected the feeling of the American Dream, and so we get beauty in shades. But under the flora is loud and vibrant cinematography that enhances our connection with both families, one white and one black. Mudbound is illuminating in more ways than one, an epic racial drama led by a master class of actors that all own their roles.

Director Yance Ford’s investigation into the 1992 murder of her brother, 24-year-old William Ford Jr., is an examination of judicial prejudice like no other, and an incredible film experiment. Courageously, Ford toes the line between essay film, personal memoir, and true crime exposé, seamlessly blending each type of documentary form in an effort to best capture her 22-year story of pain and loss. Ford spends time with the friends, family, and willing judicial entities that were involved in her brother’s life and in the courtroom for his killer’s trial, 19-year-old Mark P. Reilly. These many emotional recollections weave a rich tapestry of William Ford Jr.’s life, ambitions, fears, and frustrations. Underneath the records, talking heads, and scrapbook photos is a story about a family that lost their son, and his little sister’s lifelong quest for familial and personal closure.