In honor of Black Heritage Month, here are five rapturous films that center Black stories. 

Love Jones (1997)

Set in Chicago, Nina (Nia Long) and Darius (Larenz Tate) are two artists who meet at a club one night and decide to take a chance on each other after bonding over art, literature and music. Viewers will experience a perfect depiction of an imperfect love story. “Love Jones” will have you swooning with happiness and will make viewers who are single feel even more lonely. Directed by Theodore Witcher, this heartfelt romance film can’t be missed. It can be streamed on HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Vudu.

Girl’s Trip (2017)

For comedic relief, “Girls Trip” is the perfect laugh-out-loud movie. It centers around four friends, played by Tiffany Haddish, Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett Smith and Queen Latifah, who turn a work trip into a girls’ trip. As they spend more time together, the distance that has grown between them starts to dissipate and they embrace who they used to be. This film can be watched on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Hulu. Co-writer of the movie Tracy Oliver recently confirmed that a sequel is in the works and will reunite the girls for another wild vacation.  

Just Wright (2010)

Another love story for the books is portrayed by Queen Latifah and Common in “Just Wright.” The movie is about Leslie, a physical therapist who falls in love with NBA all-star Scott McKnight. It features the classic trope – girl falls first but the guy falls harder. This film is a rom-com at its core and will make you feel good. Viewers can watch the movie on Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock and Tubi. 

Deep Cover (1992)

In a thrill-seeking drama, Russell Stevens (Larry Fishburne) is a cop who goes undercover as a drug dealer in order to catch and arrest Los Angeles’ mighty drug dealer David Jason (Jeff Goldblum). While undercover, Russell begins to question his place in this war on drugs and what he must do to eliminate “evil.” The movie explores the difference between good and evil, and what it takes for a person to be labeled as the latter. The film can be watched on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies & TV and Vudu.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

It’s impossible to not add this movie to the list because of its brilliance. Director Peter Ramsey spins the classic Spider-Man story into a coming-of-age, animated film that features Shameik Moore playing the first Black Spider-Man: Miles Morales. In this Spider-Man film, the Spider-Verse is explored where different Spider-Men from different dimensions all get transported into Miles’ world. After being bitten by a radioactive spider, Miles enlists Peter Parker’s help with discovering his new powers and life as a superhero. He also teams up with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) to try to defeat Kingpin. “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse” can be streamed on Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+.