10 ghetto movies that will leave you wondering

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Collected stories about a budding basketball player, refugee aliens, the difficult life of a hip-hop singer and more.

1. Jacob the liar

• France, Hungary, USA, 1999.
• War drama.
• Duration: 115 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 5.

A freak from the Warsaw ghetto, Jacob Haim, spreads a rumor among the neighbors that Soviet troops will soon come to the aid of the Poles. This is allegedly broadcast on the radio. Later, he finds himself in a difficult situation - the neighbors are constantly asking to tell about the news. Jacob is forced to come up with fresh details about the successes of Soviet soldiers and their victories over the Nazis. In this lie, the desperate inhabitants find the hope of liberation.

The inimitable Robin Williams starred in the remake of the German film based on the novel by Jurek Becker. At that stage of his career, the actor wanted to get away from the role of a clown and tried to appear in more serious films. However, the second "Life is Beautiful" did not come out of "Jacob the Liar": the tape failed at the box office. Williams himself was nominated for the Golden Raspberry anti-award for his performance. But this in no way should stop you from watching a touching picture.

2. Above the ring

• USA, 1994.
• Sports drama, thriller, crime.
• Duration: 96 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 6.

Kyle Lee Watson is the star of the school, the budding young basketball player. The hero lives in a poor area and can only get out of it by starting a sports career. Once a gifted young man is under the influence of a local crime boss named Bird and gets involved in an unpleasant drug story.

The hero is pulled out of it by the school guard Tom Shepard, a former basketball player who has given up sports after the death of a friend. Kyle later learns that there is a fatal bond between Shepard and Birdie.

This picture is equally important to the hip-hop subculture and basketball fans. She also raises important issues of the life of the colored population in the ghetto and systemic discrimination. In addition, the film became a cult movie due to the participation of rapper Tupac Shakur, who played Birdie. He died two years after the release of the tape.

3. Time

• USA, 2011.
• Science fiction, melodrama, thriller.
• Duration: 109 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 7.

In the distant future, time has become the universal currency. People stop aging when they reach the age of twenty-five, but you have to pay for the following years of life. Only the rich have an incalculable supply of years.

One such wealthy lucky man, Henry Hamilton, was tired of a long life. He gives all his time to the poor ghetto, Will Sale, and commits suicide. However, by doing so, the rich man is doing the guy a disservice: the law enforcement authorities believe that Will has taken possession of the time illegally, and set off in pursuit of him.

Behind the fantastic plot, director and screenwriter Andrew Nikkol hid a social parable about the exploitation of the poor by the rich and the division of society into classes. Some plot twists turned out to be not entirely successful, but the film is worthy of attention, if only for the play of actors - Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfred and Cillian Murphy.

4.8 mile

• USA, 2002.
• Drama, musical.
• Duration: 110 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 1.

Jimmy, nicknamed Rabbit, comes from the slums of Detroit, lives with his mother in a trailer. He works in a factory, and in his free time he has fun with friends and writes songs. The hero participates in rap battles in poor neighborhoods of the suburbs to earn respect and prove that white guys can also be a part of hip-hop culture.

The film by Curtis Hanson tells an almost autobiographical story of rapper Eminem - the singer himself performed the main role and even won an Oscar for best song.

5. Dogman

• Italy, France, 2018.
• Thriller, drama, crime.
• Duration: 103 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 2.

The friendly Marcello earns his living honestly by shearing dogs. His existence is darkened only by the former boxer Simone, who keeps the whole neighborhood in fear. To survive in a poor area, Marcello has to sell drugs and reluctantly cover up the rowdy, over and over again endangering his family.

Not everyone will like Matteo Garrone's cruel and realistic parable. You will not see an Italy like in the film on postcards: dull, crumbling before our eyes and extremely unfriendly. And the picture was shot very depressingly. If you are not afraid of tapes that can evoke strong emotions and give reason to think, feel free to include "Dogman".

6. Moonlight

• USA, 2016.
• Drama.
• Duration: 110 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

The film tells about the three stages of the life of Shyron, a native of the ghetto. The boy has had a hard time since childhood, the hero finds love and care only in the house of the drug dealer Juan. Growing up, Shyron realizes that he is different from other peers in his sexual orientation, and this leads him to new problems.

Barry Jenkins' soulful drama captures the modern realities of the "black" neighborhoods and touches on such a complex topic as homophobia. The film won over American film critics and even prevented La La Land from winning the main Oscar. Ordinary viewers did not appreciate the film, considering it a typical example of a tape shot with the expectation of impressing film academics.

7. District number 9

• South Africa, USA, New Zealand, Canada, 2009.
• Science fiction, thriller, action, drama.
• Duration: 112 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 9.

One day over Johannesburg a failed spaceship with alien refugees hovers. People do not know what to do with the intruders, so they send them to the wired area No. 9. Gradually, it turns into a highly criminalized slum, and after two decades the situation begins to spiral out of control.

Then the state decides to forcibly evict the aliens who are tired of all to a new area that resembles a concentration camp. The stupid bureaucrat Vicus van de Merwe is appointed to command this operation. However, he, fulfilling his duties, becomes infected with a strange virus, and his hand becomes the paw of an alien.

The film by director Neil Blomkamp and producer Peter Jackson did not appear out of nowhere. It was preceded by the witty short film "Survive in Joburg" by the same director. Neil grew up in a slum where he often witnessed manifestations of interracial intolerance, and this inspired him to cross a social message with a fantasy plot.

8. Do it right

• USA, 1989.
• Drama, comedy.
• Duration: 120 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

A young black guy, Muki works as a pizza delivery boy in an Italian restaurant in Brooklyn, then a poor quarter of New York, which was inhabited by representatives of different races and nationalities. It seemed that they all get along well with each other, but this was only an appearance.

Do It Right, one of the most important films for African Americans, directed by producer Spike Lee. He also wrote the script and played one of the main roles. Impeccable direction and the courage of the raised topics ensured the film two Oscar nominations and participation in the main competition of the Cannes Film Festival.

The film was not appreciated by everyone. Many accused Spike Lee of promoting violence and unrest, and there were some viewers who called for the painting to be banned altogether. Although, in fact, the director avoided many sharp corners, and the ideas embodied in the film were far from radicalism.

9. Nights of Cabiria

• Italy, France, 1957.
• Drama.
• Duration: 118 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

Sex worker Kabiria is an impulsive and gullible girl. She dreams of meeting a good man and leaving a poor neighborhood. But Cabiria is unlucky - she is constantly deceived or used for personal interests. Despite this, she does not lose faith in people. Finally, the heroine meets a guy named Oscar. He assures Kabiria that he will change her life, but it is not known whether it is worth believing his promises.

Federico Fellini filmed Nights of Cabiria at that stage of his career, when he was strongly interested in social issues. The director wrote the script for the film especially for his wife Juliet Mazina. The great actress conveyed an unthinkable range of emotions on the screen, and her smile through tears in the finale became a symbol of Italian cinema.

10. Pianist

• France, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, 2002.
• War drama, history, biography.
• Duration: 150 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 5.

Pianist Vladislav Shpilman is widely known in Poland for his radio performances. When during the Second World War the territory of the country is occupied by the Nazis, hard times come for the hero and his loved ones. The Germans send all Jews to the Warsaw ghetto, which is fenced off from the rest of the city by a brick wall. Having lost his entire family, Vladislav is forced to starve and go into hiding in order to survive. Just thinking about music helps him not to go crazy.

The drama by Roman Polanski, based on the real story of the great Polish pianist, received the main award at the Cannes Film Festival, and then won in three categories at the Oscars. All these prizes went to the film quite deservedly. This is a very difficult and cruel movie - it is impossible to forget it after seeing it once.

In addition to the brilliant direction, the phenomenal work of the leading actor, Adrian Brody, should be noted. He lost 14 kilograms and learned to play the piano well. In addition, the actor immersed himself in the story so deeply that he then developed depression, which even the Best Actor Oscar did not help him to get out of.