Film

Watch trailers to our pick of maddening and motivating independent films.

Why “Broad City” Is the Perfect Comedy for the Student Debt Generation
by Kate Aronoff
Mar 18, 2015
The Comedy Central show allows millennials of a specific demographic—and even those outside of it—to laugh at the situation the 1 percent has handed them.
“Selma”: A Beautifully Shot Film Shows How Change Really Happens
by Kate Aronoff
Jan 17, 2015
Neither a “great man” history of Martin Luther King Jr., nor a tale of forgotten underdogs, Selma is about skilled activists building a movement.
When Christmas Dinner Gets Uncomfortably Political, These Cues From “House of Cards” and Other Shows Can Help You Out
by Kate Aronoff
Dec 22, 2014
This year’s most popular movies and TV series can be a tool to work your way out of a particularly bad conversation.
“Wild” Could Have Been a Standard Hollywood Weeper. Here’s How Reese Witherspoon Saved It
by Christopher Zumski Finke
Dec 19, 2014
To call “Wild” a redemption film is to minimize the wide range of emotions it works with—not to mention the subtlety of Reese Witherspoon’s performance.
Video: This Philly Beauty Salon and Rehab Clinic Helps People Heal—With a Little Magical Realism
by YES! Editors
Dec 19, 2014
A new documentary, "Hollywood Beauty Salon," lets people who struggle with mental illness and addiction tell their own stories in unexpected ways.
Ridley Scott's Weak Defense of "Exodus" Casting Will Help You Understand Why Hollywood's So White
by Christopher Zumski Finke
Dec 12, 2014
All the main characters are played by white people. It doesn't really have to be that way.
Everything You Need to Know About the Radical Roots of Wonder Woman
by Christopher Zumski Finke
Dec 10, 2014
Her enigmatic creator believed women were destined to rule the world. 10 facts about the iconic heroine.
Matt Damon, Harrison Ford Lead All-Star Cast in Showtime Climate Change Series
by Dana Drugmand
Oct 27, 2014
Years of Living Dangerously features celebrity correspondents who thoughtfully explore how politics and religion divide people and impede action on this critical issue.
"Snowpiercer": If You Care About Climate Change, This Sci Fi Thriller Is For You
by Kate Aronoff
Jul 07, 2014
The film never flinches from the complex connections between economic and environmental problems.
How the Real Teens Behind "The Fault in Our Stars" Are Bringing Empathy to the Internet
by Christopher Zumski Finke
Jun 06, 2014
They call themselves "nerdfighters"—and they're unlike any movement you've seen before.
A Social Justice Tour of Oscar Winners Through the Decades
by Christopher Zumski Finke
Feb 28, 2014
The upcoming Academy Awards will recognize some of 2013’s best social justice-themed films. Here are some of our favorite past winners.
"Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth" Is as Beautiful Visually as It Is Spiritually
by Heidi Hutner
Aug 21, 2013
Filmmaker Pratibha Parmar's presentation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author's life will inspire you.
Film Review: Ken Burns’ Dust Bowl
by Valerie Schloredt
Feb 01, 2013
The new documentary will bring you inside one of the worst manmade disasters of all time in powerful detail.
Bidder 70: The Tim DeChristopher Story
by Samantha Herndon
Aug 01, 2012
Last year, climate activist Tim DeChristopher went to jail for bidding $1.7 million (that he didn't have) to save 22,000 acres of public land from corporate extraction.
Inside America’s Worst Toxic Waste Cover-Up
by Valerie Schloredt
Jul 18, 2012
Film Review: The Big Fix exposes BP’s efforts to minimize awareness of North America’s biggest oil spill.