Black Barbie

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Black Barbie

2023

1h 40m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

26 Reviews

61%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Through intimate access to a charismatic Mattel insider, Beulah Mae Mitchell, Black Barbie delves into the cross section of merchandise and representation as Black women struggle to elevate their own voices and stories, refusing to be invisible. This film is a personal exploration that will tell a richly archival, thought-provoking story that gives voice to the insights and experiences of Beulah Mae Mitchell, the aunt of the Los Angeles-based filmmaker, who spent 45-years working at Mattel. Upon Mattel's 1980 release of Black Barbie, the film turns to the intergenerational impact the doll had. Discussing how the absence of black images in the "social mirror" left Black girls with little other than White subjects for self-reflection and self-projection. Beulah Mae Mitchell and other Black women in the film talk about their own, complex, varied experience of not seeing themselves represented, and how Black Barbie's transformative arrival affected them personally.

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Critics Consensus

It took 20 years for a Black Barbie doll to appear next to white ones on shelves; this inspiring and insightful documentary spotlights the women who persisted to make this possible.

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Richard Roeper

Chicago Sun-Times

06/27/2024

3/4

Writer-director Lagueria Davis delivers a comprehensive look at the history of Black Barbie and her forerunners and poses poignant and timely questions about the importance of diversity in dolls.

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Carla Renata

RogerEbert.com

06/24/2024

4/4

[A]s elegant and enriching as the doll that inspired it.

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Concepción de León

New York Times

06/21/2024

The documentary is about what led to the 1980 release of Black Barbie, but the issues it explores run much deeper: the harm of lacking a “social mirror,” the slow pace of progress and the tensions around darkening a white fictional character.

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Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

06/21/2024

[An] expansive, informative, and thought-provoking documentary, which is part cultural anthropology, part corporate history, part sociological study, and part playful experimental art film

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Radhika Menon

Decider

06/20/2024

The documentary is a touching, personal look at the impact of the Black Barbie doll.

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Peter K

@Vacadoug 06/21/2024

Fascinating topic but even as an important documentary was much too long and repetitive.

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Salim H

@RT35682880 06/20/2024

It was really bad, really non necessary

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Kristofer G

@RT68668562 06/20/2024

Great Doc! Never knew the “doll test” was used in the Brown vs Board of Ed ruling.

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Last K

@RT43329202 06/19/2024

It's hard for a lot of people that benefit from representation to understand the position of those who do not. This isn't a condemnation and this isn't an opportunity to divide people but to bring us together-- and that's what this documentary does. Well made, well shot, well mixed and with a great message in times that often feel like it's always getting worse, this is well received and well timed.

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Lagueria Davis

Director

Beulah Mae Mitchell

Self

Kitty Black Perkins

Self

Stacey McBride-Irby

Self

Ashley Blaine Featherson-Jenkins

Self

Gabourey Sidibe

Self

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Synopsis

Through intimate access to a charismatic Mattel insider, Beulah Mae Mitchell, Black Barbie delves into the cross section of merchandise and representation as Black women struggle to elevate their own voices and stories, refusing to be invisible. This film is a personal exploration that will tell a richly archival, thought-provoking story that gives voice to the insights and experiences of Beulah Mae Mitchell, the aunt of the Los Angeles-based filmmaker, who spent 45-years working at Mattel. Upon Mattel's 1980 release of Black Barbie, the film turns to the intergenerational impact the doll had. Discussing how the absence of black images in the "social mirror" left Black girls with little other than White subjects for self-reflection and self-projection. Beulah Mae Mitchell and other Black women in the film talk about their own, complex, varied experience of not seeing themselves represented, and how Black Barbie's transformative arrival affected them personally.

Director: Lagueria Davis
Producer: Aaliyah Williams, Lagueria Davis
Screenwriter: Lagueria Davis, Lagueria Davis
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Lovely Day Films, LinLay Productions, Just A Rebel, Lady & Bird Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 19, 2024
Runtime: 1h 40m

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