22 Films to Help You Know the United States and Its People
What does it mean to be American?
The key to understand a culture is to be able to speak, read and understand that culture’s language. This allows you to comprehend the literature, news, and history of a place- the gateway to learning a nation or people. Several years ago I wrote about using literature to understand a place in my work titled Transform from Tourist to Traveler.
But many people do not yet have the requisite language skills to read high-level literature in a foreign language, so films or television programs can become a secondary way to “know” a culture. Even if you are highly skilled in a second language, films can still be a very useful supplement to improving your existing skills and learning in an enjoyable way.
In 2019 it is difficult even for Americans to understand the quickly evolving divisions and ‘tribal’ boundaries occurring in the United States. For those learning English as a second language and attempting to know the people of the US, the debates surrounding race, gun control, sexuality and immigration can seem overwhelming. Even though there is no official language in the US and many different languages are spoken by US citizens, the one that is most commonly spoken is English.
As a teacher of American English and American Culture, I’ve compiled a list of some of the best films I think an ESL learner can watch in order to understand America, Americans and why America is like it is today. There are thousands of films that could fit on this list, and many that I couldn’t include. My list may not contain the most award winning or the most popularly successful films; instead I choose some of my favorite movies that- to me- represent a broad cross section of our nation to include different races, nationalities, sexes, sexual orientations and political points of view.
I’ve created categories around several different themes that form the foundation for my American culture course: The American Way, Immigration, Gun Control, Race, LGBTQ Issues (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning), Women’s Rights, and America at War. Just because I’ve categorized it in one theme doesn’t mean a film couldn’t fit in another category. Some of the films are fun, some contain scenes that are difficult to watch, and some will hopefully inspire you about the American heroes of the past who helped build the United States into a democratic republic always striving to become “a more perfect Union.”
Whether you watch one or all of my recommendations, I hope you learn a lot about English, American Culture, and enjoy yourself (maybe with some buttered popcorn) during your cinematic adventures!
Theme: The American Way
Miracle (2004). In 1980 a group of US college ice hockey players defeated the Soviet Union’s professional military team in the Olympics in David-vs-Goliath style. This Disney movie tells the inspiring story of teamwork, and how an unlikely group came to symbolize the American spirit during a tough phase of the Cold War and American foreign policy. As a “retired” ice hockey goalie myself, I can’t help but put this at the top of the list. Rated PG.
Apollo 13 (1995). The world recently celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 and humankind’s first steps on the moon. But to me an equally inspiring story was perseverance in the face of a failed mission several years later: Apollo 13. It would be difficult for anyone to represent the American Way more than Astronaut Jim Lovell: he was born in Ohio as the son of immigrants, went on to attend the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, became a Navy pilot and one of the first ever astronauts in Project Mercury, and flew on multiple space flights during the Gemini and Apollo moon missions. This edge-of-your-seat movie tells the harrowing story of the Apollo 13 crew, their families and the rest of the NASA team as they all grapple with the difficulties of human space flight in the early 1970s. Rated PG for language.
Glory (1989). The looming stain on the history United States is the institution of slavery, with impacts that still creep into American life today in the form of racism, both conscious and unconscious bias, poverty, and inequality. The most important national reckoning with slavery occurred in the 1860s, when 11 southern states seceded from the Union to create their own Confederation of States, in hopes that the racist policy of slavery could be continued. Glory takes place during the resulting Civil War, where free African American men and former slaves volunteer to fight against the Confederacy in the Union Army, knowing that if they were captured in battle they would face potential torture or enslavement. Powerfully acted by an all-star cast, this film embodies the “American Way” as the protagonists volunteer to fight for a cause bigger than themselves despite the odds, despite the injustice and with only a dim hope that their children or grandchildren would someday see the results of their heroic actions in a republic free of slavery and equal for all. Rated R for violence and language.
Theme: Immigration
The New World (2005). Director Terrence Malick’s epic about the Jamestown colony in Virginia is visually stunning- he deftly captures what it must have been like for the English explorers and settlers to arrive to America’s coast more than 400 years ago, interrupting and- in many cases- destroying the lives of the native inhabitants. The stories that are told through the experiences of both John Smith and Pocahontas remind everyone that a majority of US citizens today trace their ancestry in North America to immigrants, building a foundation for the country based on new opportunity and hard work in harrowing circumstances. Also, the movie reveals the oft-neglected plight of the native peoples whose world was turned upside down when explorers arrived to their land. Rated PG-13 for some intense battle sequences.
Spanglish (2004). This comedy/drama hybrid explores the lives of two different families: one affluent California couple and their children living the ‘American Dream,’ and a single mother immigrant from Mexico trying to give her daughter a better life. Superbly acted by a strong cast, the family dynamics are challenged as language, culture, ambition and image all clash. This led me to wonder if the American ‘pursuit of happiness’ actually sometimes gets in the way of truly feeling happy. Rated PG-13 for some sexual content and brief language.
Maria Full of Grace (2004). In order to find a better life- or even just to survive- many people are put into situations involving the illicit trade of drugs. This often disturbing film follows a young, pregnant Colombian girl who finds herself transporting Heroin to the United States. There aren’t any shootouts or helicopter chases that you may expect for a movie involving the US’s ‘War on Drugs;’ instead the plot focuses on the human beings and the decisions they face when involved in supplying the billion-dollar American appetite for mind altering substances. Rated R for drug content and language.
Chef (2014). When hundreds of thousands of people packed up their lives to start a new journey in the United States, luckily they brought the traditional foods from their former homes with them. This movie is entertaining but it doesn’t have a traditional connection to immigration, per se. Instead it is a celebration of the food scene of the US and the literal cultural melting pot that our immigrant forefathers created. The on-screen food scenes of Cuban sandwiches in Miami, beignets in New Orleans and Texas Barbecue will make you hungry as the hilaroius cast makes you smile. Rated R for language, including some suggestive references.
An American Tail (1986). This classic animated film does not have the eye-popping, ultra-realistic graphics of a modern Pixar film. But watching the story line about a young Russian family of mice fleeing religious oppression and literally landing a the feet of the newly-constructed Statue of Liberty in New York brings me immediately back to the first time I saw the movie as a child with my mother in an Ohio movie theater. The lost art of hand-drawn animation is even more amazing now that most of these types of productions are done with computers. This simple, musical and heartwarming story of tiny little immigrants is one that the whole family can enjoy. Rated G for all audiences.
Theme: Gun Control
Ms. Sloane (2016). Some of the of the most difficult concepts for my non-American students to understand are perfectly represented in this recent film starring Jessica Chastain: gun control and lobbying. Gun control and the right to bear arms creep all the way back our Founders’ distrust in the government, individual freedoms and the US’s Declaration of Independence what was seen as a tyrannical leadership in 1776. As stated by former President Barack Obama about gun control after a mass shooting in 2014: “If public opinion does not demand change in Congress, it will not change.” Put simply, too many Americans think the right to bear arms is more important than creating new laws or increasing enforcement of existing ones to prevent gun violence or the all-to-common and headline-grabbing mass shootings. Ms. Slone pulls back the curtain on the gun lobby, money, power and weapons in Washington, DC. Rated R for some language and sexuality.
John Adams (2008). This seven episode HBO miniseries spans 50 years of the life of one of the US’s ‘Founding Fathers,’ its second president and a shining example of what it means to be American. Many of my students do not understand the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, which has become the basis for gun rights in America for centuries. This series is the origin story of the deep-seated American phenomenon of feeling the need to have weapons at home (to protect themselves from government tyranny). While Adams was an advocate of an individual citizen’s right to keep and bear arms, gun rights are just a small sliver through for the script based on a Pulitzer-prize winning biography by American master David McCullough. The series opens in British-occupied Boston and soon finds Adams defending British soldiers in court (justice for all!). Later episodes include Adam’s diplomatic ventures to Europe to attempt to gain support in the cause for freedom (the US could not have been formed without the help of other nations like France, after all!) and healthy debates about the role of a central government in a newborn nation (Congress can actually accomplish things!). Committing to this series is for more serious and higher-level English learners, but those who do won’t regret learning about the many sacrifices Adams, his wife Abigail, and others made to establish the country that would eventually become a beacon of democracy and freedom around the world. Rated TV-14 for some violence and nudity.
Theme: Race
12 Years a Slave (2013). This powerful, Best-Picture-Winning saga is based on the true story of African American Solomon Northup. Thanks to his strength of character to survive the ordeal and write his memoir, the film ends positively as a celebration of the human spirit through some of the most difficult trials a person can face. Northup is a free man living in the North when he suddenly finds himself kidnapped- in our Nation’s capital none the less- and brought into the Southern US, where he is forced into slavery. This disturbing tale is filled with the horrors of racism and illustrates the divided life of America before the great Civil War finally brought slavery to an end more than a decade later. Rated R for violence/cruelty, some nudity and brief sexuality.
42 (2013). Baseball is known as America’s Pastime, the classic sport for friends and family to enjoy a day cheering on their favorite team. Major League Baseball, founded in 1869, is like many other parts of American life and contains a dark side tinged with racism and discrimination. The man credited with having the courage to face this racism and open the door for minorities in professional sports is named Jackie Robinson. Robinson wore number 42- hence the film’s title- when he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. A former US Army Officer, Robinson was not chosen to be the first in the big leagues because he was the best African American player; instead he was the perfect man with the talent to play combined with “the courage NOT to fight back” when attacked, humiliated or discriminated against. His faith in God and patience in the face of the worst treatment possible shine as an example to the entire world. Sports has been and continues to be a microcosm of American society, and this moving film shows the strength of determined people to face insurmountable challenges to improve American society. Rated PG-13 for strong language.
The Help (2011). The journey from the abolition of slavery by President Lincoln in 1865 to the US of today included more than a century of struggle, as racist people all over America clung to the discriminatory practices called Jim Crow Laws and inherent biases against those who are different. This story explores a few years in the 1960s during what is known as the Civil Rights Movement, specifically by focusing on the relationships in a southern US town between white families and their African Americans maids and nannies. The elite whites trust the African Americans to raise their children, but not to use the same toilets that they use. Funny, shocking and at times heartbreaking, this film is based on a book of the same name. Rated PG-13 for strong language.
Remember the Titans (2000). American football can be somewhat of mystery to the rest of the world, so watching this film about the racial integration of a high school football team can serve both as a window into the country’s long racial history, and a good primer on the US’s favorite weekend Fall sport. Denzel Washington, arguably the most famous African American actor in history, plays a coach in the 1970s given the task of uniting a high school football team for the first year when black students and white students attend school and play sports together in a Virginia suburb of Washington, DC. The events are based on a true story. Rated PG for thematic elements and some strong language.
Theme: LGBTQ Issues
Moonlight (2016). Moonlight is a radiant but haunting movie that tells a raw story of growing up through the trails of one person facing obstacles of race, drugs, poverty, broken families and cultural barriers to sexual identity. Many foreigners have an idealistic view of Miami, South Beach and Florida in general; it is usually at or near the top of my students’ “must visit” lists. Instead of beach parties and glamorous Art Deco hotels, this subtle story reveals the underbelly of one of America’s most famous melting pots through the eyes and personal evolution of a character named Chiron. Very little in Chiron’s life is easy, a reflection of the difficult childhoods that the two co-writers endured while growing up in the same Miami neighborhood. Watching his journey provides an intimate glimpse into parts of American society that are often underrepresented in popular culture, but are nevertheless very important to pay attention to if you want to understand the United States. Chiron’s is not a gay story, or a black story, but a human story. Rated R for some sexuality, drug use, brief violence, and strong language throughout.
Philadelphia (1993). Two American acting heavyweights (Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington) teamed up in the early 1990s to bring the HIV-AIDS epidemic into the movie theaters and homes of everyday Americans- the first time Hollywood risked a major motion picture on what was still seen as a controversial issue since the disease first appeared in the gay community in 1981. The story explores bias, discrimination, fear and ignorance using the plight of a white, homosexual, HIV-positive man discriminated against because of his condition, and the homophobic African American lawyer who represents him. The courtroom drama helped advance the national conversation about the disease and sexuality, and impacted many people in a positive way to be more accepting and compassionate about both a frightening virus, and acknowledging the shared humanity of others with a different sexual orientation. Rated PG-13 for some graphic language and thematic material.
Theme: Women’s Rights
A League of Their Own (1992). During World War II, most American men were sent around the world to help fight for freedom and democracy. This left a void in the sporting world and cultural life usually filled by “America’s Pastime” of baseball. This based-on-a-true-story comedy/drama hybrid follows a group of white women (this was still before Jackie Robinson racially integrated Major League Baseball in 1947) from all over the US who come together to form a Women’s Baseball League. With humor and heart, we get to know mothers, sisters and friends as they attempt earn the respect they deserve from their dedication and skill, all while taking care of their families or thinking of husbands fighting overseas. Reoccurring theme (besides baseball) is Tom Hanks in the movie, this time playing alcoholic team manager Jimmy Dugan. Rated PG for language.
RBG (2018). The foundation of American democracy is the separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches. The highest court in the judicial branch is the Washington, DC based Supreme Court. There have only ever been four women to serve on the nation’s most important court, and this documentary film tells the story of the second woman in history to achieve the great distinction: The Honorable Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg (RBG). Through clips, histories and interviews, this film reveals the true personal grit, perseverance and determination it took for RBG to break the “glass ceilings” in multiple institutions throughout her career, all while helping guide her husband through cancer and raising children. This personal story is a microcosm for historical gender bias that is rooted in American culture, but shows the progress that has been made over the past few decades toward equality for all. Rated PG for some thematic elements and language.
Hidden Figures (2016). When the US’s first man catapulted into space, or when the first human footsteps were placed on the moon by American boots, the faces the world saw were that of white men. But behind those talented and brave astronauts were thousands of ambitious, intelligent and heroic men and women of all races and creeds that helped achieve space greatness. Hidden Figures is the true story of three African American women who were called “human computers,” gifted mathematicians and programmers that helped NASA solve some of the most difficult engineering problems the world had ever faced. The narrative unfolds to reveal inhumane workplace treatment, discrimination, and above all disrespect towards the women. Despite all these obstacles and the accompanying humiliation, they work together to persevere and help advance the country they love despite its flaws- another manifestation of the American Way. Rated PG for thematic elements and some language.
Theme: America at War
Memphis Belle (1990). This is a thrilling, action packed movie about a group of men who go flying together in World War II in a B-17 bomber. But above all, it is a story about brotherhood, bravery, heart, moral courage. Since it was made 30 years ago you won’t see eye-poppingly realistic special effects, but instead real war birds being flown for the filming of the movie. As a kid I watched this movie probably 20 times and it inspired my own career in military aviation, and I believe it still stands up today as a story of courage against all odds. It reveals the raw emotions of just one nervous crew, but also of a nation, from a time when men and boys from all over the US lit out from Sacramento and Cincinnati to risk their lives and do their part to end a great evil in the world. PG-13 for some language and war scenes.
Argo (2012). Even a casual observer of today’s news knows that there is tension between the US and Iran. What is lesser known are the origins of this state-on-state animosity: in 1953 the US’s CIA helped orchestrate two coups in Iran to topple their democracy at the behest of British allies and their oil interests. The US-selected Shah continued in power for 25 more brutal years until the 1979 Iranian Revolution, leading many Iranians to hold a grudge against the US government. This complicated background sets the stage for Argo, a based-on-a-true-story hostage rescue drama/thriller that shows even if they were the bad guys in the beginning, the CIA is redeemable. With a strong performance by Ben Affleck, we can’t help but root for the tireless and emotionally draining work of a resourceful and innovative technical operations officer named Tony Mendez. We ride the proverbial roller coaster alongside Mendez as he chain smokes, drinks whiskey straight from the bottle and sacrifices time with his family in order to save others. No matter your opinion of the CIA’s Iranian coups, you will be on the edge of your seat as the intelligence pro guides six regular consular officials through a Hollywood-inspired ruse that may be just crazy enough to work. Rated R for language and some violent images.
United 93 (2006). Without movie stars, much dialogue, or a happy ending, United 93 is not a fun film to watch. But to understand America, it is extremely important. The film depicts the actions of the 9/11 terrorist hijackers who murdered 2,997 people in September of 2001. They carry out their tasks methodically, chillingly, with an inhuman zeal for death. United 93 is the true account of the actions of the 40 regular people on board one of the hijacked planes who decide to fight back. To truly appreciate the 9/11 Memorial in Manhattan, and to (try) to understand why thousands of Americans have died in Afghanistan during the nation’s longest war that still continues today, it is required watching to view this dramatization of everyday citizens standing up to terror. You will finish the movie with a pit in your stomach, but you will learn why it is so difficult for the American military industrial complex to de-tangle itself from the Afghan conflict- Bin Laden’s near perfect plan and attack has deeply scarred the nation. Rated R for language, and some intense sequences of terror and violence.
The views expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect the official policy or position of the US Navy, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. or Italian Governments.
