American Violet (Tim Disney, 2009)

American_VioletA film that should have gotten much more attention than it did, Tim Disney’s fictionalized account of the real-life prosecution of innocent people in the name of numbers is a damning portrait of the collateral damage of the “War on Drugs” and the insidious nature of institutionalized racism.  It’s not a perfect movie by any means (sometimes it trades a little too heavily on simplistic demonizing), but whatever weaknesses it has are more than made up for by powerful, lived-in performances, particularly Nicole Beharie as a woman who risked standing up for herself rather than becoming another nameless victim. (Netflix Streaming)