Boyz n the Hood (1991)

IMDb plot summary: Follows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence, and future prospects.

Directed by John Singleton. Starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Laurence Fishburne, and Nia Long.

This was based heavily on writer-director John Singleton's experiences, and it carries that aura of authenticity. These characters are rich and real, these neighborhoods feel lived in, these dilemmas feel weighty. I was most drawn to Ice Cube's debut performance as Doughboy, the main character's childhood best friend who has just been released from prison in the latter half of the film. It's a tremendous performance with so much subtext, and it's especially powerful as this kind of character is often written as a flat stereotype in films about inner-city crime. And that's the best part -- NONE of these characters are stereotypes, which makes it so, so easy to get drawn into their stories. Part of the film's message is that either nobody knows or nobody cares what's happening in these parts of the country, and art like this is a powerful tool for amplifying those voices and getting people to care. Great film.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Boyz n the Hood > Broken Embraces

Boyz n the Hood > Chronicle

Boyz n the Hood > Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

Boyz n the Hood < Arrival

Boyz n the Hood < The Florida Project

Boyz n the Hood < Inglourious Basterds

Boyz n the Hood > Naughty Marietta

Boyz n the Hood < The Kindergarten Teacher

Boyz n the Hood > Romancing the Stone

Boyz n the Hood < Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Boyz n the Hood > Perfect Blue

Final spot: #373 out of 3270, or 89%.