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Avatar<\/em> is one of the most obvious examples of the white savior trope, as the white men with all the firepower come in to save the day, according to them. It’s easy to dissociate from this trope because the natives being oppressed are blue aliens, but the narrative is no different than white savior movies focused on other communities of color. Jake Sully is always the one to save the day. It’d be easy to pivot the narrative away from Sully to focus on the Na’vi perspective, removing Sully as the audience stand-in.<\/p>\n This critically acclaimed film has received substantial backlash concerning its portrayal of racial issues<\/a>. The movie doesn’t highlight the main black character’s struggles as much as it focuses on the white man’s journey to understanding his own prejudices better. While he fights against his biases, he also helps the black man connect more with his culture. So, we have a white man teaching a black man how to be black. We’re not sure if it gets more condescending than that.<\/p>\n As much as we enjoy The Help<\/em>, filmmakers boosted the heroic narrative of Emma Stone’s character. There are numerous scenes where the lead white character gets on her soapbox and lectures her racist white friends, coming to the black maids’ rescue. Much of the movie highlights the risk and difficulty of the white character writing her tell-all book, but the black maids take the true risk and stand up for themselves. Ultimately, Emma Stone’s character was nothing but a mouthpiece, but she was depicted as a heroine.<\/p>\n Freedom Writers<\/em> is an emotional and powerful movie, but it didn’t strike the right tone when developing these characters. The film tries to place the focus on minority students, but the movie still paints Hilary Swank’s character as the catalyst for these students to find their drives and passions. She teaches them all about themselves through her lessons and inspires them to reach their full potential. The movie explored racial issues, trying to find a balance, but it still leaned too heavily toward the white perspective<\/a>, making it the central narrative.<\/p>\n One of the most egregious examples of the white savior narrative is in The Blind Side<\/a>.<\/em> Lately, people have been tearing the movie apart, and rightfully so. Oher is an unintelligent and lost kid, while Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy are the most virtuous and holy people on earth. This tone seems distant from the truth and unapologetically paints the white characters as righteous saviors. The entire movie implies that Oher would be in jail or dead if it weren’t for his white rescuers. To fix this, we’d need to rewrite the whole script, making every character more authentic and shifting the focus to Oher.<\/p>\n The white teacher saving the troubled black students is all too familiar in Hollywood. In this movie, Michelle Pfeiffer’s character is the only hope for her students to find their way. The movie shows white characters as mannerly and thoughtful, while minority characters are rage-filled, stubborn thugs. Oversimplified issues, cringe-worthy scenes, and imagined dialogue all contribute to this film’s off-kilter tone that belittles people of color. A clear strategy to fix this is to make it a better reflection of the actual events, as it took many artistic liberties<\/a> with the true story.<\/p>\n To Kill a Mockingbird<\/em> was ahead of its time and forced viewers to question their biases. But analyzing it over 60 years after its release, some unsavory themes jump at us. Atticus Finch is a commendable character, but maybe too righteous and preachy. Finch’s intentions seem pure, making him the obvious hero in the story. He’s been the blueprint for many white liberals ever since, leading these white people to think they are the heroes in the black people’s stories around them. Finch’s actions show basic human decency and fairness, which aren’t enough to crown him the Hero of the Black Community.<\/p>\n Gran Torino<\/em> is another powerful movie that moved many viewers, but the white savior trope is bold. Again, we have a racist white lead character who is the hero simply because he manages to put his prejudices aside. To further the issues with this movie, it uses racial slurs in humorous contexts and enforces harmful stereotypes. Clint Eastwood’s character plays the classic white savior who, through tackling his racist demons, saves a person of color. Even cast members have spoken out<\/a> about the movie’s tone-deaf approach to racism.<\/p>\n Django Unchained<\/em> is one of the tougher movies to talk about here. The movie does more for the black perspective than other films, but not enough. The film still props up the white characters<\/a> as saviors with shiny halos. Django’s freedom and safety are all in the hands of a racist white man. The white character checks all the white savior boxes as he rescues the black characters, turns against white characters to do so, and sacrifices himself for them in the end. This martyrdom does more to praise white people for being decent than acknowledge the self-saving actions of the black characters. If we rewrote this flick, King Schultz’s role would be drastically minimized, if not somehow eliminated.<\/p>\n Amistad<\/em> unapologetically takes on the white savior trope, with Matthew McConaughey’s character stealing the narrative and playing the hero. This depiction of historical events focuses completely on the white man saving the black men. But the beginning of this series of events is a black uprising that shows the characters’ bravery and heroism as they fight to free themselves. The story should’ve followed those courageous characters throughout rather than shifting to the white lawyer’s<\/a> perspective. It’s difficult to understand why the script didn’t take this approach from the jump.<\/p>\n This movie is divisive when it comes to the white savior trope, as many don’t think it fits that category. But Brad Pitt’s appearance toward the film’s end brings in the white rescuer narrative. This example is brutally frustrating because we go through almost the entire movie without taking the power away from the black characters. Brad Pitt<\/a> enters just before the buzzer to give us the taste of the white savior<\/a> that Hollywood seems to love. While the movie is based on true events, the white savior’s appearance in the end detracts from Northup’s journey and could’ve been cut or minimized.<\/p>\n There’s nothing new to say here. Unfortunately, 42<\/em> settles into this trope comfortably. Chris Rock said it well<\/a>, expressing his frustration with the film, “Any civil rights movie, there’s two heroes: there’s the black hero, and the white person who’s ‘equally’ as important.” By positioning Harrison Ford’s character as just as significant as Chadwick Boseman’s, the film’s subject, the movie downplays Robinson’s heroic actions and journey. The movie is not the worst example of the white savior trope, but seeing it in a movie centered around a historical black figure disheartens us. Ideally, Robinson should’ve heavily outweighed Ford’s character.<\/p>\n It’s difficult to pick apart the unsavory aspects of childhood movies like this one, but Cool Runnings<\/em> is not innocent in this conversation. The movie did the black athletes a severe disservice, portraying them as goofy people and relying on stereotypes<\/a>. John Candy’s character, a white man, is the one to pluck them from their low-class lives and help them rise to their potential and find great success. Like in The Help<\/em>, the white hero is nothing but the catalyst for the black characters’ success, not the driving force in their success. Sadly, much of the script would need to be changed to rectify this story, starting with the superficial depiction of the athletes.<\/p>\n The Greatest Showman<\/em> relies on the white savior trope to make the lead character likable, and he’s not the only one to act as a hero toward the minority characters. While we get glimpses of the minority perspective, most of the movie follows the white men’s narrative<\/a> and how wonderful they are for accepting minorities. A scene or two address Barnum’s performative and shallow acceptance, but by the end, all the minority characters are thanking him. Zac Efron’s character has his white savior moments, too. The only paths we see to redemption for The Greatest Showman<\/em> are to take the narrative away from Barnum or to give a more honest depiction of his abuse.<\/p>\n Hidden Figures<\/em> is the story of three black women at NASA. The movie depicts these women well, showing their brilliance and innovation but not their courage or steadfastness. The worst example of white saviorism in the movie is the white male boss “saving” the black female employee, Katherine Goble Johnson, by allowing her to use the conveniently located white-only bathrooms. The narrative here isn’t great, but it becomes unacceptable when you know the real Johnson used the white-only bathrooms<\/a> without asking for permission or hesitating. To avoid the white savior trope, all this movie had to do was tell the true story. Instead, they added heroic moments for white characters, taking away the power of the black characters.<\/p>\n Making a movie based on Tarzan<\/em> is tough without falling into the white savior narrative. But The Legend of Tarzan<\/em> seemed to embrace it. At the film’s end, Tarzan frees the black slaves, unites the tribes, and saves the Congo. The movie simultaneously holds up Tarzan as the white savior while giving the viewer a remedial history<\/a> of the oppression of black people. It’s like they think acknowledging the oppression makes the movie progressive despite the rest of the narrative. We’d love to rewrite this movie, and maybe all Tarzan<\/em> movies, to show Tarzan as the one who needs help.<\/p>\n This one is tricky because President Lincoln did make great efforts to help black Americans. While Lincoln<\/em> aims to be historically accurate, it paints Lincoln as a righteous man fighting tirelessly for justice. The reality is a little different, as Lincoln has a hidden history of violence<\/a> toward other minorities. The movie strongly supports the imaginative version of Lincoln, which many of us have been taught, using black characters as mere props and inspiring reminders for the main white characters. Rewriting this film to drop the white savior trope would involve an earnest and controversial dive into the real Lincoln, which many people would reject.<\/p>\n Many white savior movies are glaringly obvious in their lack of self-awareness, but we want to highlight some of the more subtle white savior narratives. The Matrix<\/em> is an excellent example of a white savior movie we often forgive because racial issues are not at the forefront of the film. But Neo, the white hero, being the only one who can save the minority characters in need of help, is blatantly white saviorism. The black characters seem expendable and are in awe of Neo, who they plead with to rescue them. Recasting the movie with minority actors is one solution, but another is to rewrite the black characters as more than just sideline supporters of the white savior.<\/p>\n The Principal<\/em> is another classic white savior movie with a white teacher who rescues a bunch of inner-city minority students. A white screenwriter and a white director came together to show their idea of the inner-city school and person of color experience, two things they seem to know absolutely nothing about. The lead character is reminiscent of Eastwood in Gran Torino<\/em>, as he saves the minority characters with a gruff demeanor and wise, no-nonsense attitude. The white saviorism here is plentiful, and the best way to redeem the story would be to remove the white savior characters completely. A narrative shift to tell the story of the students<\/a> would be impactful and compelling.<\/p>\n Radio<\/em> has similar issues as The Blind Side<\/em>, with the main black character being unintelligent and hopeless without his white hero. The film simultaneously patronizes black people and disabled people. Ed Harris’ character is practically a saint in the movie and becomes a hero by helping Cuba Gooding Jr.’s character. The movie tries to be progressive, but the black characters become props for the white characters to pat themselves on the back. To fix this movie, we’d have to start by editing out all the harmful stereotypes, which might leave us with 20 minutes of content.<\/p>\n As gripping as this film is, it fits the bill for this trope perfectly. A white man plucks a struggling black man from the depths of despair to change his life for the better. The story is anything but original, and the white character’s righteousness is overwhelming at times. We think Jaime Foxx’s acting chops were completely neglected here, and the obvious fix is to switch the narrative from the white character to the black character. It’s truly incredible that anyone would hear this story and immediately see the white man as the main character when the black man is the inspiring, impressive, and unique one.<\/p>\n The intense racism and offensive stereotypes in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom<\/em> are disturbing. Even while putting aside these unfair depictions of people of color<\/a>, we can still criticize Indy’s role as the rescuer of these uncivilized people. His character is even painted as an angel because he chose not to steal artifacts from these communities. We believe this movie could be rectified but with a lot of editing. Indy needs to get off his high horse of privilege, and Spielberg needs to do literally any basic research on other cultures so we can ditch these ridiculous and dangerous stereotypes.<\/p>\n This brutal film positions Leonardo DiCaprio’s character to swoop in and rescue the struggling black characters. DiCaprio’s character is bad enough, comfortably fitting the white savior mold, but the depiction of black characters is the worst part. They are all either victims or villains<\/a>, while DiCaprio plays a character who falls in the middle. This narrative is particularly horrible because it manages to dehumanize, villainize, and infantilize an entire race of people all at once! Frankly, rewriting this movie to drop the white savior narrative would be easy. You just have to develop the black characters to be actual<\/em> characters and not just background props.<\/p>\n One of the most famous white savior films, Dances With Wolves,<\/em> is about a white man who joins the Lakota Sioux tribe. You probably know where this is going: he accepts these uncivilized folks and saves them all through his sacrifice. The native representation<\/a> here is pretty disgusting, while the white characters are lifted on pedestals as their saviors. The film implies that the native characters don’t have the reasoning or orderliness to resolve their issues. Instead, they need a random white guy to show them his ways of peace and justice. The movie could be saved by making the white lead more of a bystander to the native’s conflicts.<\/p>\nGreen Book (2018) <\/h2>\n
![\"Green](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Greenbook-2018-Viggo-Mortensen-Mahershala-Ali-e1706713557327.jpg\")
The Help (2011)<\/h2>\n
![\"Bryce](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_6124.jpeg\")
Freedom Writers (2007)<\/h2>\n
![\"Hilary](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Freedom-Writers.jpg\")
The Blind Side (2009)<\/h2>\n
![\"andra](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/The-Blind-Side.jpg\")
Dangerous Minds (1995)<\/h2>\n
![\"Michelle](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/dangerousminds.jpg\")
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)<\/h2>\n
![\"To](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/To-Kill-a-Mockingbird.jpg\")
Gran Torino (2008)<\/h2>\n
![\"Gran](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Gran-Torino-e1699627835314.png\")
Django Unchained (2012)<\/h2>\n
![\"Christoph](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/django-unchained.jpg\")
Amistad (1997)<\/h2>\n
![\"Amistad](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Amistad-e1707318659864.png\")
12 Years a Slave (2013) <\/h2>\n
![\"12](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/12-Years-A-Slave-e1699017755496.png\")
42 (2013)<\/h2>\n
![\"Hamish](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/IMG_8993-e1694840813190.jpeg\")
Cool Runnings (1993)<\/h2>\n
![\"Cool](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/slike-2023-09-10T013533.108.jpg\")
The Greatest Showman (2017)<\/h2>\n
![\"Hugh](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/hugh-jackman-the-greatest-showman.jpg\")
Hidden Figures (2016)<\/h2>\n
![\"Hidden](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Hidden-Figures.jpg\")
The Legend of Tarzan (2016)<\/h2>\n
![\"Alexander](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_6802-e1706244840118.jpeg\")
Lincoln (2012)<\/h2>\n
![\"Daniel](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/daniel-day-lewis-lincoln-e1691094048750.png\")
The Matrix (1999)<\/h2>\n
![\"Keanu](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG_3482.jpeg\")
The Principal (1987)<\/h2>\n
![\"Jim](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/theprincipalmovie.jpg\")
Radio (2003)<\/h2>\n
![\"Cuba](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/radiofilm.jpg\")
The Soloist (2009)<\/h2>\n
![\"Jamie](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/thesoloistfilm.jpg\")
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)<\/h2>\n
![\"Temple](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Temple-of-Doom.jpg\")
Blood Diamond (2006)<\/h2>\n
![\"Blood](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Untitled-design-2023-11-21T000817.925.jpg\")
Dances With Wolves (1990)<\/h2>\n
![\"Kevin](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9564-e1695880819365.jpeg\")