Love is in the air! On a day like today, physical intimacy might be at the front of your mind, but it’s important not to let everything else fall to the wayside. It’s okay to have fun during s*x! S*x can be fun! But it can also be the PERFECT time to have important and difficult conversations about the issues that might not impact you directly.
So, this Valentine’s Day, try getting hot and heavy to these films!
How can you truly love someone when this world is filled with hate? Luckily, The Birth of Nation is a silent film, so you and bae can grapple with our nation’s dark history.You might not know about this one, but Tru Confessions is a 2002 Disney Channel Original Movie that allowed Shia Labeouf to play a man with severe mental disabilities. He does so primarily by protruding his upper lip very far in front of his lower lip. You and your partner can interrogate why he does this, and why this is wrong. While you and bae are indulging in physical intimacy, remember that not all have been so lucky. In this 2008 film, Bruno and Smol’s friendship is separated by the barbed wire of a Nazi concentration camp. Sometimes love is inextricable from pain. As you and your partner reach for that “big O,” discuss the role of race and class in Precious’ struggles with money, food, teen pregnancy, AIDs, and illiteracy. You and bae might be getting kinky tonight, but Solomon sure didn’t want that whip.12 Years a Slave is available on Amazon Prime.
Ultimately, these films are important to watch on any day of the year, but Feb 14th is the perfect one to discuss them with a loved one. This Valentine’s Day, don’t be complicit.
Supplementary Viewing: (13th, Passion of the Christ, Hotel Rwanda)
