When They See Us (2019)

Ava Duvernay's signature style of gut-punch filmmaking puts the viewer in the shoes of Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, Korey Wise and Raymond Santana, the five young boys who were coerced to make false confessions by the NYPD under duress, skewered by the mainstream press, wrongfully imprisoned, dehumanized and finally vindicated in 2002 after 13 long years. The story of the Central Park Five is infuriating, and though the press, police and prosecutor are specifically blamed, everyone is at fault. Blinded by institutional racism and contempt for poor black and brown kids, the white public (and specifically Elizabeth Lederer and Linda Fairstein) condemns the five kids, deluding itself into believing an obvious fabrication.  What is extraordinary about Duvernay's miniseries is that she manages to still display the incredible strength and resilience of the oppressed, not just the boys in prison and their families outside. Further still, she portrays the cruel and punitive criminal justice system at every stage, from the corrupt police, to the baiting press, to the biased courts, to the atrocious prisons, to probation, and the institutional obstacles to life on the outside as a convicted felon. Jharrel Jerome as both kid and young adult Korey is a standout, but the acting is phenomenal from the entire ensemble cast. It's emotional, devastating and absolutely required viewing.

Little Fires Everywhere (2020)

This miniseries adaptation of Celeste Ng's New York Times bestseller is good, not great, but certainly interesting in its deviations from the source material. First is the casting of Kerry Washington. In the novel, Mia is not racially ambiguous but by casting an African American actress, it reified layers of racial subtext. The racial undertones are extremely uncomfortable, intentionally so. Reese Witherspoon as the "well-meaning", oblivious white lady is very unlikable, kind of curious that she would cast herself in what is surely the villain role. For the first several episodes, Washington isn't very likable either. The way she plays Mia is very off-putting. If she was just a little more sociable, she would be more sympathetic. The actress that plays young Washington nails her mannerisms precisely. But the young Elena and Bill look nothing like Witherspoon and Joshua Jackson--he actually looks older than Jackson. The second half of the series is better than the first, in my opinion, after all the secrets have been revealed to us. I think that's because I didn't care much for the secrets.