This week has seen people around the world protesting in the wake of George Floyd’s death, with big names like John Boyega giving a powerful Black Lives Matter speech. Many people have taken to social media this week to recommend content made by Black creators, but despite movies like Ava Duvernay’s Martin Luther King film, Selma, being free to rent on all digital platforms this month, it’s another movie that the majority of people seem to be watching. According to a recent report from Entertainment Weekly, the 2011 drama The Help, “a movie written and directed by a white man, based on a book by a white woman, about a white woman’s quest to document the plight of black maids,” is this week’s most-viewed movie on Netflix. Naturally, many have taken to social media to condemn the movie, whose Black stars have even expressed regret over making it, and encourage people to make better viewing choices. Cheo Hodari Coker, who is the creator of Netflix’s Luke Cage, was one of many who offered up suggestions.
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“The Help is #1 on Netflix? F*ck that. Click on ‘Malcolm X’. When They See Us. 13th. LA 92. Dear White People. On My Block. HiphopEvolution. Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse…and that show with the bald bulletproof muhf*cka. What’s his name again?,” Coker wrote. You can check out the tweet below:
The Help is #1 on Netflix? Fuck that. Click on “Malcolm X”. When They See Us. 13th. LA 92. Dear White People. On My Block. HiphopEvolution. Spider-Man into the Spider Verse…and that show with the bald bulletproof muhfucka. What’s his name again?
— Cheo Hodari Coker (@cheo_coker) June 6, 2020
Here are some of the many tweets offering alternatives to watching The Help, which includes good reads, podcasts, videos, and better movie and television options…
Also On Netflix
Forget “The Help.” Watch these on Netflix instead:
— Renee Graham (@reneeygraham) June 6, 2020
“When They See Us”
“13th”
“Time: The Kalief Browder Story.”
“Dear White People”
“The Life and Death of Marsha P. Johnson”
“What Happened, Miss Simone?”
“The Two Killings of Sam Cooke” https://t.co/RDk5jsGh7v
What Not To Watch
Movies NOT to watch when trying to educate yourselves on racism:
— Cynthia (@cynthiacide) June 5, 2020
The Help
The Blind Side
The Green Book
Freedom Riders
Any other White Savior movie…
And Why
“The Help” just became Netflix’s most watched movie amid Black Lives Matter protests. Before I go bang my head into the wall, let me explain why “white saviors” movies are extremely dumb:pic.twitter.com/qFP4LSwTYM
— manny (@mannyfidel) June 5, 2020
The Help Review
If it is true that “The Help” is the No. 1 movie on Netflix, I invite you to Wesley Morris’s 2011 review of the film. After writing it he won a Pulitzer. The last paragraph …https://t.co/4rgGV2SFd1
— Meredith Goldstein (@MeredithGoldste) June 6, 2020
Kanopy Options
Kanopy (free with library card) curated a great list of things to watch that aren’t The Help! pic.twitter.com/T6q7MNJdKi
— hello. zuko here! (@bkrewind) June 6, 2020
Time: The Kalief Browder Story
dear white ppl who went and watched ‘the help’ to… learn, i guess?
— tracy clayton aka CHUBBA BEEF (@brokeymcpoverty) June 6, 2020
what you should actually watch if you genuinely care, is ‘time: the kalief browder story.’ also on netflix. easy peasy, no excuse. https://t.co/iOxcLJFXgf
More Movies and Podcasts
If you want cinematic insight into the black experience may I recomend ‘The 13th’ or ‘I Am Not Your Negro’. Maybe try listing to great podcasts like Black Men Can’t Jump in Hollywood ( consequently they have and episode were they review ‘The Help’) or Still Processing. #TheHelp https://t.co/S2qZ6TxPaS
— Bored Out Of My Gourd (@Sofie_Archer) June 6, 2020
The Help: A Summary
every time this tweet comes down the timeline i think about that one guy who said this movie was popular because the racists are watching it to reminisce https://t.co/RSDqyCFx5V
— Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) June 6, 2020
Informative Thread
Excellent thread, instead of seeking knowledge from “The Help” read some some shit. https://t.co/7tdxHfpZRy
— nephums🇭🇹 (@spideylov3r) June 6, 2020
Another Film List
Instead of watching a white savior film how about these:
— Julian: into the Julian-Verse | BLM (@cooljulian5) June 6, 2020
12 years of slave
13th
42
Amistad
BlacKKKlansman
Dear white people
Do the right thing
Fruitvale station
Glory
I am not your nergo
If Beale street could talk
Malcom X
Selma
Sorry to bother you
When they see us https://t.co/5fcCN0eCGC
A Reminder
“Until the Lion tells the story, the hunter will always be glorified.” – Chinua Achebe https://t.co/O5RXa6vwaF
— Kelly Lynne ✨ #BLM (@yerawizardkelly) June 6, 2020
