Diversity in Film: Is 2018 A Step in the Right Direction?

Diversity is A Journey, Not A Destination. Luckily 2018 Seems Like We’re on the Right Path.

There’s no arguing that there is still a long way to go when it comes to diversity in the movies, but hey I’m an optimist when it comes to these kinds of things. That’s why I always like to take a look back and the steps we’ve taken just to remember that not all is lost for society. Like I said before, we’ve still got a long way to go, but that doesn’t mean that 2018 hasn’t been a pretty good year for representation in theaters.

While there might not be as many movies with POC’s, LGBTQ or women in lead roles as I would like, looking back on this year the films that did feature more diversity are some of the most memorable of 2018 so far. That’s why I want to take a moment to celebrate some of the steps taken this year to be just a little less awful.

The definitive example of diversity at it’s finest on the big screen this year is Black Panther. The film featured an incredible cast of black actors and marked one of the first well done black superheroes helming their own film (no offense to Blade). Marvel hasn’t always been a beacon of light when it comes to diversity but with Black Panther and the upcoming Captain Marvel film it looks like they’re taking a step in the right direction and the box office seems to support the trend. Not only did black superheroes finally get a chance in the spotlight, but Fox made a surprising move with Deadpool 2 that paid off tremendously. I’m talking about the casting of Zazie Beetz as Domino, a traditionally “white” character in the comics (I mean, she’s SERIOUSLY white). It might have seemed like a risk, but I would say she was the best part of the new film and a character I cannot wait to see in future superhero films like X-Force. Then again, this all might because I’ve got one hell of a boyish crush on her after seeing her in the film, but who doesn’t?

Since then some of the top movies of this year have featured black men and women in lead roles. Blindspotting, BlacKkKlansman, and Sorry to Bother You made lasting impressions on me with their social commentary and enthralling performances. Not only did they feature a lot of diversity in their casts, but they also had directors who were also people of color. For me, the diversity on screen wouldn’t have meant anything without visionary directors to help bring the stories to life. No matter how great it is to see people of color on the big screen, if they aren’t getting good parts in good movies it’s a bit of a moot point. Superfly and Traffik are both examples of films that had a ton of black actors in them, but that didn’t save them from being total pieces of garbage.

As big as Black Panther was earlier this year, the movie that’s busting the box office these days is Crazy Rich Asians. While it might not be as stellar a film as Black Panther was, it is a breath of fresh air when it comes to Asian representation in film. 99% of the cast consists of Asian actors who are absolutely terrific when it comes to this soap opera-esque rom-com. It’s been so successful that a sequel is already being discussed. While it might have had the most representation, the film that made the biggest impression on me, as a critic, was Searching a film about an Asian American father trying desperately to find his missing daughter. While it would have been one hell of a stretch to whitewash Crazy Rich Asians, but there was nothing in the script of Searching to suggest that the characters were Asian (aside from the last name of characters which is an easy change to make). For me, that makes the choice of casting John Cho in the lead role all the more important when it comes to diversity on the big screen. The fact that a character could have just been another white guy and isn’t makes me feel a lot better moving forward.

To a certain degree, the same thing could be said for the recent Kin film. Myles Truitt was cast in a role that could have been written for any ethnicity. However, it was all the more meaningful because it was a young black boy cast as the hero in a sci-fi adventure film. I mentioned in my review of the movie that as a white guy I had the chance to see all sorts of boys go on epic big-screen adventures growing up. However, not a lot of examples jump to mind when it comes to films featuring diversity when it comes to their young heroes. A Wrinkle in Time and The Darkest Minds also gave diversity the good old college try, but they were both incredibly disappointing overall. Kin might not have been an incredible movie, but the significance of it’s casting made is one to definitely take note of.

There are also a few other movies worth mentioning that I referred to in 2018: A Woke Year at the Movies? Annihilation featured women in lead roles that would have traditionally gone to men and it was one of the better science fiction films of 2018. Then there’s Love, Simon, a film that featured a gay lead trying to find love in high school after being outed as well. Most films about finding love in high school feature hetero leads, which is what made it such a refreshing and outstanding movie. I’m hoping to get a chance to see more movies that take such care to do their characters justice without succumbing to lazy stereotyping.

Diversity has been a growing concern in Hollywood with good reason and while the road to righting this wrong is going to be a long one, it’s nice to take a look back and at least see that we’re on the road. The destination might be a long way off, but I’m glad that we’re setting off on the right foot. If this trend continues on then I have a feeling that things aren’t going to be as bad as they have been for long. However, it’s up to us as movie fans to let studios know that this is what we want to see. It’s important that we all get out there and go see some of these movies. Show that films like Black Panther, Crazy Rich Asians, Searching, and so on are what we want to see. It’s a lot like voting. You can talk about wanting change all you want, but if you’re not going to get out there and support the movies trying to make a difference then we’ll never get the change we want. So, make sure you get out to theaters to make your voice heard and if you need an idea of what movies are worth the price of admission, well, you can always check out Stars & Popcorn for reliable reviews.