2 Best Movies Written By Tina Mabry

In Tina Mabry’s first full length feature film Mississippi Damned she tells the story of three poor, Black adolescents as they advance into adulthood. The story is mostly centered on Kari Peterson, portrayed by Tessa Thompson, who has fallen witness and victim to violence/abuse since her childhood. As she navigates her trauma while facing poverty and familial issues, we begin to understand the inner machinations of Kari and those who have harmed her.

While Mississippi Damned isn’t particularly easy to digest, I consider it essential. As unflinchingly brutal as this film is, it taught me a lot about trauma and how to navigate my own. With performances as powerful as these, it’s impossible to forget this film.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Adam Clark, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, D.B. Woodside, Malcolm David Kelley, Malcolm Goodwin, Michael Hyatt, Simbi Khali, Tessa Thompson

Director: Tina Mabry

Rating: TV-MA

The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat (what a mouthful) is mostly formulaic and clunky. Everything tragic that can happen will happen, and they don’t unfold organically, so the film feels like a smushed version of every tearjerker drama produced in movie history. There’s also a surprising amount of death, which the film sadly doesn’t leave enough room to parse through. There is grief, sure, and sorrow, but there are also a whole lot of other things going on that distract from the lessons of those events. But to its credit, The Supremes is headlined by three strong actresses that make the film almost worth watching. The best parts of the movie are when they confront each other. These women are dynamic, passionate, and bursting with so much life, it’s a shame that the film would rather stick to conventions than follow the natural flow of their conversations, outbursts, and celebrations. I know it’s based on a novel of the same name, but it would’ve done well to narrow down the plotlines and tell them in a fresher and more dynamic way—you know, adapt it to film as opposed to just transplanting everything.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Actor: Abigail Achiri, Angela Davis, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Cleveland Berto, Craig Tate, Deja Dee, Donna Biscoe, Jason Turner, Jesse Gallegos, Julian McMahon, Kyanna Simone Simpson, Mekhi Phifer, Russell Hornsby, Ryan Paynter, Sanaa Lathan, Tati Gabrielle, Tony Winters, Uzo Aduba, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Xavier Mills

Director: Tina Mabry

Rating: PG-13