Favorite Movies, TV, and Plays Viewed in 2019

In 2019, I made it a priority to seek out female directors and theater that prioritized race and diverse storytelling. I think I was successful. Here are my favorite things from this year.

Feature Films

A few films that I didn’t get to see yet but would likely be on this list Monos, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Knives and Skin, and Swallow.

Viewed in theater:

Greener Grass (2019) – directed by Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe
  1. Parasite (2019)
  2. Greener Grass (2019)
  3. Honey Boy (2019)
  4. The Irishman (2019)
  5. Knives Out (2019)
  6. Uncut Gems (2019)
  7. Rocketman (2019)
  8. A Beautiful Day in The Neighborhood (2019)
  9. Charlie Says (2018) – Montclair Film Festival
  10. The Farewell (2019)
  11. Good Boys (2019)

Viewed on Netflix:

Jenny Slate- Stage Fright (2019) – directed by Gillian Robespierre
  1. Obvious Child (2014)
  2. Princess Cyd (2017)
  3. Edge of Seventeen (2016)
  4. Shirkers (2018)
  5. Private Life (2018)
  6. Cam (2018)
  7. My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)
  8. Swiss Army Man (2016)
  9. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)
  10. Jenny Slate – Stage Fright (2019)
  11. Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold (2017)
  12. John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch (2019)
Princess Cyd (2017) – directed by Stephen Cone

Viewed on Amazon Prime:

The World of Us (2016) – directed by Yoon Ga-eun
  1. The World of Us (2016)
  2. Saving Face (2004)
  3. Leave No Trace (2018)
Leave No Trace (2018) – directed by Debra Granik

Viewed on Hulu*, DVD**, Mubi:

Plus One (2019) – dir. Jeff Chan and Andrew Rhymer
  1. Plus One (2019)*
  2. Paris, Texas (1984) **
  3. Mommy (2014) **
  4. But I’m A Cheerleader (1999)
  5. Ask Dr. Ruth (2019)*
Ask Dr. Ruth (2019) – dir. Ryan White

Short Films

All of these films are available on Vimeo or YouTube.

Now You Know (2019) – dir. Molly Gills
  1. The Arrival (2017)
  2. Verde (2018)
  3. Pre-Drink (2019)
  4. The Big Shave (1967)
  5. Now You Know (2019)
  6. sometimes I think about dying (2019)
  7. Hot and Tasty (2019)
  8. Nevada (2019)
  9. East of The River (2019)
  10. How does it start (2019)

Television

I don’t get to watch much television and I sometimes have trouble committing to a show, especially since I spend most of my days on sets. Here are some shows that I found clever and thought provoking.

Tuca and Berte (2019) – created by Lisa Hanawalt
  1. Fleabag (Amazon)
  2. Sex Education (Netflix)
  3. Alone Together (Hulu)
  4. Undone (Amazon)
  5. Tuca and Bertie (Netflix)
  6. Daria (Hulu)
  7. Killing Eve (Hulu)
  8. Dollface (Hulu)
  9. Pen15 (Hulu)
Sex Education (2019) – created by Laurie Nunn

Plays

I didn’t see enough plays this year because they’re expensive!!! But all these plays featured a black cast.

BLKS
Directed by Robert O’Hara
Written by Aziza Barnes
  1. MCC’s BLKS
  2. Ensemble Studio Theater’s Behind the Sheet
  3. Theater for a New Audience’s Fairview
  4. Playwrights Horizons’ A Strange Loop (minus the fever dream portion)
Behind the Sheet
Directed by Colette Robert
Written by Charly Evon Simpson

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