2018: A Woke Year at the Movies?

Hollywood Certainly “Woke” Up Fast!

For those of you who don’t spend all your time on Tumblr, “woke” is a modern colloquialism used to describe someone that is actively aware of the systematic racism, sexism, and bigotry that exists in the world today. Now, for those of you who want to argue that this isn’t really a thing, kindly GTFO (google it).

The world sucks and Hollywood seems to be a shining beacon of all the awful that is happening in the world. From the Weinstein scandals inspiring the #MeToo movement to whitewashing, the silver screen is no stranger when it comes to proving just how crappy the world is. However, 2018 feels… Different. The Oscars this year featured some pretty woke nominations, from Jordan Peele and Greta Gerwig getting nods to movies about consensual fish loving, the Academy made it feel a little less like a country club, and a bit more like the famous melting pot metaphor used to describe America. Best of all, a Mexican director won for Best Picture (take that Trump!).

The year itself has gotten off to a stellar start as well, with the diversity it’s shown in films. Black Panther is not only won over critics and audiences, but it’s killing it at the box office since it premiered. People are showing Tinseltown that they want to see heroes of color up on the big screen. Here’s hoping that Marvel can continue that trend when it comes to Avengers: Infinity War next month. However, Black Panther isn’t a standalone example (though it might be the best one). Recently, Love, Simon hit theaters and not only had a gay lead but several people of color, including a black gay character in the film. That is huge! It’s also pretty woke all things considered.

Now, I know that a lot of liberals might suggest that this is no big deal because it’s no big deal to them in the real world. For every college educated liberal out there though, there’s a man in a red hat muttering about “making America great again.” Hollywood though has never been an accurate reflection of the real world, at least not in the way we really wanted. Black Panther and Love, Simon proved that minorities can appear in movies and not just be window dressing but deep and meaningful characters. They aren’t just diversity hires to fill in the background so that directors can claim they “totally aren’t racist because they put that one guy in a scene.” No, Hollywood is taking the time to stop and think when it comes to casting and representation and that’s what we’ve been asking for!

In fact, I would say my top three favorite movies of the year so far feature leads that are not white, cis, heterosexual males. I already mentioned Black Panther, and Love, Simon, but Thoroughbreds is another must see in my opinion and it features two female leads. In fact, that reminds me of Annihilation, another movie this year that featured strong female protagonists. It might not have been perfect, but as a member of the audience, it didn’t even cross my mind that all the heroes of the films were all women. I’m either oblivious or I honestly just don’t care about the gender of my heroes as long as they’re good heroes. These are all movies that managed to answer the call that rang out over the past few years and did so without pandering to the people who demanded diversity. All three are truly exceptional woke movies that I would strongly recommend to strangers on the street (as long as they aren’t sporting those alt-right haircuts and Pepe pins).

There are also a few other movies I’m currently counting down to that look like they’ll be chalked full of diversity as well. The big one I’m waiting for this year is Pacific Rim: Uprising that stars John Boyega. In other words, it’s a sequel to a Mexican director’s movie, produced and starring a young black man. It’s great thinking about how Hollywood is responding so quickly to the protests and demands it’s faced due to the numerous controversies over the years. Still, there’s a long way to go when it comes to diversity in cinema.

Of course, this journey isn’t anything new. Coco from last year was a perfect example of woke cinema when it came to Mexican culture. Especially when our orange Commander and Chief kept spewing out drivel about building a wall along the United States border. While he tried to blame a minority for the problems in this country, Pixar showed just how beautiful Mexican culture was and opened it up for white Americans to understand and celebrate it as well. It might not be a full-blown documentary, but it managed to open people’s eyes and get them asking questions that could lead them to *gasp* the library! (Or wikipedia)

Look, I’m not trying to diminish anyone’s struggle when it comes to diversity. This is a long-standing problem that’s been around since before George Washington put a second coat of lacquer on those famous wooden biters of his. However, I am overjoyed by the direction we’re heading in. The problem might not be solved, but there is some serious problem solving in the works in this country. Like I always say, “I might not be woke, but I’m out of bed and looking for coffee.”

Let’s hope that this trend in cinema continues and we get a lot more of these kinds of movies in the future. Black leads, gay leads, female leads, if James Cameron ever gets those Avatar sequels going, we can get some blue leads in there too. All kidding aside, I feel like this push to be more inclusive is a slow one, but one that I can wholeheartedly support. I’m hoping that 2018 will continue to be a woke year when it comes to movies.

What do you think though? I’m excited about the diversity I’ve seen so far and I want to see it go even further. What have some of your favorite movies from this year, and what are you looking forward to the most? Comment with your answer and let’s continue to root for a woke year in cinema.