10 Best Movies About Social Class That You Should Watching Update 04/2024

Movies About Social Class

Class conflict is a major topic in cinema, and we’ve compiled a list of some of the best examples.

Because of the rise of labor and democratic socialism in the early twenty-first century, we shouldn’t be surprised to see more films depicting the battle between the rich and the poor that focus on class conflict. In light of the current state of income disparity, it makes perfect sense that so many films would touch on the subject, whether in an over-the-top or more subtle fashion.

The fact that indie films have democratized cinema in a way that has never been seen before makes it possible for films like these to be made available to the general public. Here are some examples of films that have helped to raise class consciousness among the general populace.

1. Sorry To Bother You (2018)

Sorry To Bother You (2018)

Although it is the directorial debut of Boots Riley, a member of hip-hop combo The Coup with albums likeGenocide And Juice andKill My Landlord, Sorry To Bother You is obviously an ensemble comedy. Sorry To Bother You is Boots Riley’s first film as an ardent socialist, and it shows. Lakeith Stanfield portrays Cassius “Cash” Green in the film, which is a critique on the numerous manifestations of racism. To be more effective, he uses his “white voice” because he works for a large firm.

After that, the film delves into issues surrounding labor unions and the absurd things that corporations would do to raise their profits at the expense of their workers. Terry Crews, Patton Oswalt, and David Cross, all well-known and esteemed comedians, appear in the film as well.

2. The Purge (2013)

Even if it doesn’t appear to be about class conflict at first glance, a closer look reveals that it most definitely is. After an economic catastrophe, a totalitarian governmental entity is installed in the film. Following the establishment of the totalitarian regime, a legislation was issued allowing all crimes except those committed against government officials to be committed for 12 hours a year.

That one right there is a warning sign, indicating that the only location where people are safe is at the very top. A affluent and gated community-based family targeted in the video is also shown, which only makes sense because if the purge were a true event, they’d likely bring in the most money. Even if this film doesn’t offer a detailed study of capitalism or anything like that, it’s clear that the concepts are there.

3. The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

Suzanne Collins, the author of the Hunger Games books, is the inspiration for the film franchise. One of the best-selling teen novels, they took off quickly. After the success of Harry Potter and Twilight, it makes reasonable that the next great franchise would be Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Teenage rebellion and action also feature prominently in the film’s plot. One aspect of The Hunger Games that the other films lack is a not-so-subtle critique of society’s rising racial and economic segregation.

An expansion of the already existing social stratification based on money, as shown in the contrast between the wealthy Capitol District and the surrounding poorer districts, is what Suzanne Collins has created in her universe.

4. Joker

To put it another way, the film does an excellent job of exploring what occurs when “you combine an insane loner with a community that rejects, despises, and discards him.”

The film depicts the rapid deterioration of the mental state of a person whose issues are primarily driven by poverty, as well as including elements of mental illness into the narrative.

There is no better time in history for the film to be published than now, when there is an epidemic of mass shootings in the United States and others.

5. Parasite

Parasite

Parasite is a film that has recently been released, and it has a strong presence in the public sphere. In spite of this, this film is one of the most insightful explorations of class dynamics in recent memory. No matter how distinctive Korea may be, the impact it has had on civilizations around the world is mostly due to a problem that is essentially universal at this time.

“Semi-basements,” a Korean Cold Conflict relic that has been used as slum housing since the war, are the focus of the video. They employ social engineering and trickery to get a wealthy family to hire the entire family, only to realize that things may have gotten out of hand.

6. Elysium

Chappie and District 9 director Neill Blomkamp is behind Elysium. Both of these films dealt with the same subject matter, but from a different perspective. As a South African director, he is haunted by his country’s history of apartheid. This means that it would be easy to develop films that dealt with class issues in some way.

A number of important issues are addressed in this video, including health care, global warming, overcrowding, illegal immigration, and worker exploitation. While most of these events have taken place on Earth, Elysium, the afterlife the Greeks held in high esteem, is where this story takes place.

7. Us

Us

Usis Jordan Peele’s second directorial effort. People had great expectations for the director’s future work after seeing Get Out, a film that addressed racism in all its forms. I found the portrayal of racism in Get Out to be eloquent, regardless of the level of outrightness or casualness with which it was racially motivated.

Aside from occasional mentions of these concepts, the doppelganger uprising does not necessarily make them morally deserving of blame, but rather claims something that they had been denied for their entire lives while living as what is essentially an analog of lower-class citizens. This is an important departure from the norm.

8. Selma

Ava DuVernay’s historical drama Selma tells the story of a momentous march from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery, Alabama’s capital, which took place in 1965. As a part of the civil rights struggle, Martin Luther King Jr. led this march.

When it comes to portraying Martin Luther King Jr., the film does an excellent job of depicting him as a genuine person, rather than just an abstract figure.

9. Snowpiercer

Snowpiercer

Director Bong Joon-debut Ho’s English-language feature is Snowpiercer. Snowpiercer isn’t a picture that should be overlooked, even though it gained less notice than Parasite, another film from this year that is also on this list. Bong Joon-social Ho’s critique is made all the more insightful by his apparent interest in class dynamics.

This film’s stellar ensemble, which includes Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton among others, goes a long way toward explaining why it is so good. Apart from that, there is still a class divide even after the effects of what is effectively a climatic apocalypse.

10. The Young Karl Marx

That anyone would dare to make a film on Karl Marx is a testament to what this film does.

Despite the fact that it isn’t an entirely accurate depiction of Marx’s early years, it does an excellent job of portraying him as the author of such revolutionary writings asThe Communist Manifesto andDas Kapital.