- [Narrator] Many of the most inspiring stories in cinema
aren't battles against orcs and dragons.
- This is what revolution looks like. Real revolution.
- [Narrator] But involve real people
who spend their lives challenging society's norms,
life's injustices, and through it all
have to face some more intimate, personal demons.
- Mommy please tell me what to do.
- [Narrator] Here are the inspiring stories
of five real people from films
that dropped on Netflix in 2020.
Stick around to see why we believe all of these people
have made a significant mark on history.
- Yeah.
- I never could stand no silence.
I always had to have some music going on
in my head somewhere.
Keeps things balanced.
Music could do that. It feels things up.
More music you have in the world, fuller it is.
- [Narrator] Known as the Mother of the Blues,
Ma Rainey was one of the first ever blues musicians
to be recorded.
Her lively, raw onstage energy,
along with her grandiose personality were powerful catalysts
in cementing her as one of the most influential musicians
of the early 20th century.
In the new film adaptation
of August Wilson's award-winning play
"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"
Viola Davis brilliantly portrays how powerful
of a figure Rainey was.
♪ Gonna see the dance they call your big black bottom ♪
Ma Rainey was decades ahead of her time in every way.
Even though this was a white man's world
she was unafraid to make demands
and fully recognize her value both as an artist
and as a human being in a time where most African-Americans,
especially black women were still considered second
or third class citizens.
- All they want, in my voice.
(gentle saxophone music)
But I know now.
And they gonna treat me the way I wanna be treated
no matter how much it hurt 'em.
- [Narrator] Her presence is the heart
of this powerful film.
- [Kirsten] He's a psychiatrist. I'm a camera person.
I suggested we make a movie about him dying.
He said, yes.
- [Narrator] Dick Johnson's daughter, Kirsten understands
as an artist that the best therapy
for dealing with life suffering is to use your chosen medium
to confront the most uncomfortable
and sometimes the most painful issues.
- I've always wanted to be in the movies (laughs).
- [Narrator] Just a few years after losing his wife
to Alzheimer's, Dick was forced to retire
after he began to develop dementia.
Kirsten's ambitious idea to document this process
could have been a solemn affair,
but Kirsten and Dick instead have chosen
to stage Dick's fake death in various outlandish ways
to make the journey a bit more interesting.
- Is it cozy in there?
- Nobody cares about comfort now.
- [Kirsten] (chuckles) You do.
- [Narrator] Of course, they also must confront
all of the true life discomforts
that came with Dick's deterioration,
but they still found a way to make his final few years
beautiful and full of joy and glory.
- My resurrection.
(chuckles)
My god.
- [Narrator] Though death is not a subject
to be taken lightly, "Dick Johnson is Dead"
is perhaps the most beautiful
and loving reflection one could ask for
in a documentary of this kind.
- The harassment,
the lack of equity
that has been provided for disabled individuals.
And that now it's even being discussed
by the administration.
It's so intolerable that I can't quite put it into words.
- [Narrator] The disability community
is one that is still too often ignored and marginalized
even in today's society.
But in regards to the advancements that have been made
in the last few decades,
Judith Heumann is an essential figure.
Heumann's inspiration for bringing this community together
all started with Camp Jeneda,
a camp for children and teenagers with disabilities.
- People were having fun. We were working together
as a whole unit washing and cleaning and showering
and doing things that we've never done before.
And it's really very different kind of a thing.
- [Narrator] "Crip Camp" follows the stories
of many different inspiring figures
from the disability community.
But Judith Heumann is without a doubt the glue
that holds the community together in their fight
for human rights.
Heumann is not just caring. She's eloquent, fierce,
and uncompromising. It's her passion and diligence
that have brought many of these issues
that most people sadly ignore to the surface
and forefront of public conversation.
But Heumann's early ambitions
were inspired by the sense of connectedness
with others in the community she found at Camp Jened.
- It made people feel like they were more a part of
what was happening.
It was more free and open
than certainly what I was experiencing
in my day-to-day life at home.
- [Narrator] And even though this camp
is sadly no longer around,
its impact on the campers and the world as a whole
is immeasurable.
- Mr. Hoffman, are you familiar with contempt of court?
- It's practically a religion for me, sir.
(laughs)
- [Narrator] Aaron Sorkin's court drama
follows the true story of several protesters
of the Vietnam War who were charged with conspiracy
and inciting a riot.
There are a few different noteworthy people
one can pick from this crowd,
but it's ultimately Abby Hoffman's charisma,
rebellious devil-may-care attitude
and a reverend persona brilliantly brought to life
by Sasha Baron Cohen that makes this story so unique
and compelling. From the get-go,
Hoffman isn't your typical protester.
- Are you stoned?
- Yeah. You?
- [Narrator] Though he has obvious conviction,
he also possesses a powerful pension for the theatrical
and he's not shy about causing a ruckus in public
even in a court of law.
- What are you wearing?
- It's an homage to you, your honor.
- Do you have clothes underneath there?
- Yes. Hold on.
Yes. (laughs)
- Take off the robes please.
(laughs)
(gavel raps)
- [Judge] Silence!
- [Narrator] Abby Hoffman's dramatic personality
was one of the strongest tools in bringing public attention
to this very important trial,
which would climax into a key element
that publicly indicted the US Government's
tragic mishandling of the Vietnam War.
- 1861, Lincoln said in his inaugural address
"When the people should grow weary
"of their constitutional right to amend their government
"they shall exert their revolutionary right to dismember
"and overthrow that government."
And if Lincoln had given that speech
in Lincoln Park last summer he'd be put on trial
with the rest of us.
- Think about me doing hip hop.
- Doing what to it?
- I wanna make a mixtape.
- [Narrator] Last but certainly not least,
Radha Blank has taken the world by storm this year
with her debut award-winning film
"The 40 Year Old Version".
She wrote, directed and starred
in the semi-autobiographical film.
As a black female playwright and teacher about to turn 40,
Radha reevaluates what she can do to make her mark
on the artistic world.
Rather than continue to accept the hand she's been dealt
Radha attempts to break out as a rapper.
Her journey has met with both skepticism and support
and she has to straddle the line
between compromising her art and sticking to her true self.
- I still need a writer for my Harriet Tubman musical.
- That's great.
That's great.
- [Narrator] As a character,
Radha presents herself very much as an every-woman
but the real life, Radha's talent as an actor,
comedic writer and visionary director shines through
at every turn.
- You just have to change your perspective.
- Tink nothing wrong with my damn perspective.
- Excuse me? Don't take that tone with me.
- [Narrator] It's quite easy to see how Radha Blank
is an inspiration since in this film,
we witnessed her talent both behind
and in front of the camera
and also grasp a raw part of who she is
as a human being during the process.
- 40 year old version, that's who I be.
I'm out.
(mic drops)
- [Narrator] These are but just a few inspiring
and powerful true life stories
that launched on Netflix this year.
Whose onscreen story has inspired you the most this year?
Sound off in the comments.
(audience cheering)