Spectrum editor’s list of films to watch for May 5

“The Rape of Recy Taylor” (2017)

Exploring the historical legacy of sexual violence against Black women, this moving documentary tells the story of Recy Taylor, an Alabama sharecropper who was gang-raped by six white men in 1944. During the Jim Crow era, very few women spoke against their abusers, but with Taylor’s courage and the help of Rosa Parks and the NAACP, her story fueled calls for justice.

Available on Hulu | 94% Rotten Tomatoes

“Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am” (2019)

In this intimate documentary, renowned author and Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison reflects on her literary career in which she explored race, American history and the Black experience. Including interviews from Oprah Winfrey to Angela Davis, Morrison’s colleagues discuss her work and its impact on American culture.

Available on Hulu | 97% Rotten Tomatoes

“Shirley” (2020)

Inspired by horror novelist Shirley Jackson, this film provides a dramatized account of Jackson’s writing process for her famous 1951 book “Hangsaman.” Jackson, played by Elisabeth Moss, invites a young couple to live with her and her husband, and they begin to serve as her muse while she deals with agoraphobia, or the fear of leaving one’s home.

Available on Hulu | 87% Rotten Tomatoes

“I Care a Lot” (2020)

This dark and twisted comedy follows a scammer named Marla, played by Rosamund Pike, who convinces the court that certain elderly people need her legal guardianship. While they are sent to live in an assisted living facility, she retains their property and sells it. Marla profits greatly from this shady operation, until one wealthy retiree with ties to a violent criminal catches on to her scheme.

With a stellar performance, Pike won the 2020 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Comedy or Musical.

Available on Netflix | 80% Rotten Tomatoes

“Synchronic” (2019)

Starring Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan, this sci-fi drama follows two paramedics named Steve and Dennis who respond to a series of bizarre deaths. They believe the strange circumstances are related to a new psychedelic named synchronic, but the sudden disappearance of Dennis’ daughter leads them to an even more shocking revelation about the drug.

Available on Netflix | 79% Rotten Tomatoes

“The Great Hack” (2019)

Based on the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal publicized in 2018, this documentary sheds light on the information breach that harnessed 87 million Facebook users’ personal data to assist the 2016 political campaigns of Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. 

Available on Netflix | 87% Rotten Tomatoes