Star-spangled cinema: 10 movies that define contemporary America
The world of contemporary America feels akin to the phantasmagoria of Francis Ford Coppola’s latest epic, Megalopolis, a sprawling, confusing world where individual desires and the might of big businesses meld. As the country nears its November election, which promises the return of the blabbering cartoon oaf, Donald Trump, never has America felt so prickly and divisive.
Trump’s tenure as President certainly didn’t do anything to fix these issues either, with his departure being comparable to a temper tantrum, encouraging thousands to storm the Capitol building in protest at the victory of Joe Biden in the elections. Such has since bred discontent and distrust in the government among the American people, with Biden having done little to turn the tides since the events of January 6th, 2021.
On top of this political polarisation, the American people are having to battle issues of economic equality, strains on the healthcare system, social injustice and environmental change amid the climate crisis. The November election is, as a result, due to be one of the most significant in modern history, with the destined victor entering the White House with a seemingly insurmountable task.
This plethora of issues has created a fascinating portrait of modern America that filmmakers across the country have attempted to capture both in the form of independent projects and blockbuster goliaths.
10 movies that define contemporary America:
Barbie (Greta Gerwig, 2023)
Few industry experts predicted the sheer success of the Barbie movie back in 2023, with the film based on the iconic Mattel toy taking $1.4billion at the box office to go along with its singular Oscar win. But, once the hype died down around Margot Robbie’s commanding lead performance and Ryan Gosling’s comedic turn as Ken, people began to question what exactly they had just seen.
Thanks to the celebrated indie filmmakers Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach behind the camera, the industry had us thinking this was some sort of subversive take on the toy that prodded fun at modern society at the very same time. Instead, we got a capitalist movie that essentially encouraged consumerism while masquerading as something far more innocent, with its confusing identity being a pretty great reflection of modern America’s polarisation. No wonder the great Werner Herzog called it “sheer hell”.
Eighth Grade (Bo Burnham, 2018)
Figuring out how to deal with the first generation of children that have grown up with social media has been a global challenge, yet Bo Burnham’s 2018 film Eighth Grade managed to capture the confusion and paranoia of such platforms as Facebook, Instagram and X with perfection. Telling the story of an introverted teenage girl named Kayla Day, played by Elsie Fisher, the film accurately depicts how young people are attempting to traverse childhood with the added pressures of digital platforms.
On the one hand, a painfully accurate modern coming-of-age film, and, on the other, an alarming cry for help from the younger generations, Eighth Grade offers insight into why such a substantial number of young people in America are growing up with mental health problems. Growing up has, of course, never been easy, but the added pressures of social media are raising young people who are more paranoid, anxious and self-critical than ever.
The Last Black Man in San Francisco (Joe Talbot, 2019)
Authenticity is one of the first victims of capitalism, with Joe Talbot’s 2019 film The Last Black Man in San Francisco delving into how the cultural heritage of San Francisco is being lost to gentrification. Celebrated in the American independent movie scene, Talbot’s film is based, in part, on the life of Jimmie Fails, who also stars in the movie as a young man attempting to reclaim his grandfather’s old home while searching for an identity in a rapidly changing city in the process.
A deeply intimate piece of cinema, Talbot’s film digs deep into the experience of black residents in San Francisco, with the issue of gentrification and the erasure of authentic communities taking centre stage. While the story may take place in the iconic Californian city, those living in New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and more will be able to recognise its poignancy.
Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, 2016)
Over the years, the Academy Awards have gotten it wrong on several different occasions, but when they gave Moonlight the ‘Best Picture’ Oscar, the world of cinema cheered in agreement. An exceptional drama that wrestles with the life of a young black man trying to navigate the hurdles of adolescence, Moonlight was a seminal film in the career of Jenkins, as well as lead stars Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris and Trevante Rhodes.
Deconstructing issues of sexuality, race and masculinity with a deft touch, Moonlight is an exemplary piece of tender cinema that explores the true emotional hardship of dealing with such social issues in your adolescence. When it comes to being masculine in modern America, Jenkins’ film offers some pretty extraordinary insights.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Eliza Hittman, 2020)
One of the most disastrous events in Donald Trump’s tenure as President came on June 24th, 2022, when the Roe v Wade ruling was overturned, restricting women’s rights to receive an abortion across the country. Now, 14 states have enacted a total ban on abortions, taking autonomy away from millions of women across the country while simultaneously giving power to the state.
One of the best films to address the legal right to reproductive healthcare is Eliza Hittman’s 2020 movie Never Rarely Sometimes Always, which was actually released before the passing of Roe v Wade. A tender exploration of female friendship first and foremost, Hittman’s film explores a young woman’s journey across the country to get an abortion while stoically dissecting attitudes towards the divisive procedure in the process.
Nomadland (Chloé Zhao, 2020)
It’s probably partly as a result of the devastating Covid-19 pandemic that occurred around the same time that Chloé Zhao’s astounding drama Nomadland doesn’t get the love it deserves. Exploring the lives of the forgotten people of America taking refuge in its quiet outback, Zhao’s film stars Frances McDormand as Fern, a woman who has taken to living in her van following the devastating effects of the recession of 2007-2009.
An exploration of the re-definition of the American dream for modern Americans, Zhao’s film picked apart the generational gap that exists in the country, telling her tale of tender humanity with the same lyricism as some of America’s most timeless stories. Accessing the very heart of the American soul, Nomadland speaks to the difficulty of living in a modern society that has moved on so fast from the days of old.
Red Rocket (Sean Baker, 2021)
It’s no secret that Sean Baker is one of American cinema’s great political filmmakers, with the director making consistently eye-opening independent films that uproot the endemic issues of the country. His 2021 film Red Rocket may be his most unsung success, with the movie following the life of Mikey Saber, an ex-porn star who returns home to find some sort of new identity.
A character created as a direct product of Donald Trump’s reign in office, Saber shares the same arrogance and delusion as the ex-president and comes to represent the contemporary changes in male identity that the country has experienced. Torn between reality and fantasy, Saber’s own hubris fools him into thinking he is still relevant, young and important in a community that has long rejected him. His character is an example of how Trump has negatively impacted young men across the country.
Some Kind of Heaven (Lance Oppenheim, 2020)
The first and only documentary to make this list is Lance Oppenheim’s 2020 film Some Kind of Heaven, which borders the often thin line between fantasy and reality. A curious, beautifully shot piece of cinema, Oppenheim’s film explores those who reside in America’s largest retirement community, with the manufactured history of the resort shedding fascinating light on the state of modern America.
Located slap-bang in the middle of Florida, The Villages carries a population of over 75,000 people, with 70% voting for Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Such results in Oppenheim’s film being a strange reflection of contemporary America in which the dreamlike representation of reality that Trump beckoned in festers. When modern life offers people nothing at all, sometimes it’s easier to simply escape to the wonders of the past.
Spring Breakers (Harmony Korine, 2012)
American filmmaker Harmony Korine has long been the rebellious jester of independent cinema, creating idiosyncratic films that reflect a strange version of reality in their own special ways. But 2012’s Spring Breakers was one of his most straight-talking pictures, coming years ahead of its time in its tale of four college girls who head for spring break only to get caught up with an eccentric arms dealer.
Having operated in the realms of artistic experimentation for years, Korine’s Spring Breakers reflected his seminal debut screenplay Kids in its deft reflection of the contemporary generation of youth. Perfectly skewering modern internet culture and the desperate search for identity in the peculiar, bustling world that is dominated by digital media, Spring Breakers reflects the instant pleasures of sensational reality by being a cataclysmic clash of colours, music and styles.
A Thousand and One (A.V. Rockwell, 2023)
Often, the stories Hollywood weaves us about New York are all the same, but A.V. Rockwell’s 2023 drama A Thousand and One was different, speaking for an entirely new urban section of the city. Focusing on marginalised characters, the film follows a mother who kidnaps her son from foster care and goes about reclaiming a sense of identity in a city that is swiftly changing before their eyes.
A fabulous drama from a feature film debutant, A Thousand and One is an urgent piece of cinema that speaks to the inequality that pervades America and the economic challenges that make every day a struggle. Touching on issues of gentrification, social care and poverty, Rockwell’s film is a tender piece of contemporary art that directly accesses the systemic problems at the heart of the country.
