Watching movies in high school is a rare privilege for students. Usually the movies that get shown are ones shown in English class that are based on classic novels students are forced to read. To Kill a Mockingbird, Romeo and Juliet, Tom Sawyer, ect. But, there are a few movies that high schools SHOULD show but probably never will. I have made a list of ten movies that deal with race, coming of age bullying, the environment and other social issues we deal with today. These movies are ones that are enjoyable (and some gory) but all of them have an important message. Showing these films to high school students can teach them concepts that aren’t properly taught in school and help them grasp them so they can help make the world a better place.

1. The Hunger Games (2012) (Pg-13)

The movie depicts the United States some time in the future after a huge war took place. The war causes the united states to divide into 13 new “states” and the capitol. Most of the states suffer poverty and hunger while the capitol lives a rich, classy, disposable life. The films depict current social problems such as, poverty, hunger, the class gap, the media, prejudice, political problems, war, riots, beauty issues, and bulimia (to name a few). The film predicts what the world might look like if we don’t start realizing the many problems our society faces and don’t step up to fix them.

2. Divergent (2014) (PG-13)

Another dystopian movie series based on a book series. Divergent is about a society set in Chicago that is divided into different factions that are pitted against each other. A major plot in the film is one faction brainwashing people to attack another faction which imitates the holocaust. The holocaust is one topic that is pushed a lot in school and Divergent is a good film to show (on top of other films that are directly about the holocaust) to help students grasp how important it is to learn about the tragic events of the holocaust. The film not only shows that something like that can happen again, it also deals with other issues. For example, the divided society shows that even though people have different traits, we are all the same and should all live in peace and harmony.

3. Zootopia (2016) (PG)

Zootopia is a Disney Film about a society where humans don’t exist and animals have gained humanistic abilities. The film deals with social issues like racism, sexism, equality and a corrupt society. Although the movie is targeted for a younger audience teens and adults can also gain a lot from this movies. Equality is a huge issue in our society today and Zootopia tackles the issue in a pretty good way.

4. The Color of Friendship (2000) (TV-G)

It still surprises me that in this day and age we still have problems with racisms. But, we do and what better place to try and teach people to become more open when it comes to different races than The Color of Friendship. The film is about a white girl from South Africa (whose family owns slaves) that becomes an exchange student in the United States. She is shocked to learn her host family is black. The film deals with both the family and the girl learning about each other and slowly figuring out that color doesn’t define us.

5. Les Miserable (2012) (PG-13)

Although the film is a musical, it depicts historical events that happened in France in the 1800s including the french revolution. With catchy songs and an interesting plot, the film can make learning history fun for students.

6. Cyberbully (2011) (PG-13)

Cyberbullying is a huge issue among teens. This film shows the harsh realities of Cyberbullying and what it can do to a person. Cyberbully is a good movie to show high school (and middle school) students to teach them the dangers of social media and what hateful words can do to both the person being bullied and the person doing the bullying.

7. Unfriended (2014) (R)

Now bare with me on this one.I know this movie is a gory, horror film about a girl who comes back from the dead to get revenge on her old friends for posting a video of her death. But, on top of that it has a powerful message. Cyberbullying is major issue for teens today especially taking videos of people when they are most vulnerable. The film tackles the issue of Cyberbullying by showing it in a gory, scary perspective and although the movie might be extreme it might put the effects of cyberbullying into perspective.

8. Boyhood (2014) (R)

The film shows various points of a boy's life from the time he is eight until he is a 18. He goes through a lot of struggles that kids and teens can relate too. Family issues, (parents, step parents, , divorced parents, siblings) moving, fitting in, teen drinking, alcoholism and other issues. Unlike, most Hollywood portrayals, this coming of age film accurately shows issues that real families have. I, as I’m sure a lot of other people, have faced similar issues to those depicted in the film. Showing this film in school shows students who may be going through these issues that they aren’t alone.

9. It Follows (2014) (R)

Another “scary” movie, the movie is about a girl who is stalked by an entity after having sex. The only way to get rid of the entity is to have sex with someone else before the entity kills her. The entity is an obvious metaphor for STIs. With more and more teenagers having sex, STIs are becoming a bigger problem in high school. On top of through sex education (which school don’t provide enough of as it is). Showing this film can help teach teenagers about the risks that come with sex.

10. Wall-E (2008) (G)

Wall-e is another Disney film and shows what the world could potentially look like in the near future. Earth has become uninhabitable, trash filled and abandoned by humans. Now humans live a spaceship where technology does everything for them. They even sit in hover chairs and have become morbidly obese. The scary thing is that this movie is not even that far fetched. The United states is one of the most obese countries and we continue to let technology take over our lives. This is a good film for students to see because it shows them current social problems and what they can potentially lead to. Hopefully this film can open people’s eyes to the harsh reality that we need to do something to change how we live.