Aaron Loves Angela

Spike Lee gets semi-autobiographical in this singular 1994 film about family life in 1973 Bed-Stuy, depicting hopes, conflicts, and losses in a close-knit neighborhood populated by memorable characters.

Director Woodie King Jr. portrays a young boy living in Harlem, who wanders the streets of the city one night, trying to earn the $27 he owes his mother while pondering what led to his father’s disappearance.

Four Harlem friends spend their days skipping school, getting in fights, and casually shoplifting, until conflicting views of the future lead them toward an inescapable path of escalating violence.