Set It Off Is The Perfect Feminist Film 

I love how Weekes was basically crying when she said "I love when friends do crime together".

"We do not wish to be included in a racist society", damn that hit me hard.

"empowerment is not feminism" is a really good quote/reminder

"They're British, and we cannot trust them at this time" 💯💯💯

Fantastic video!!! I was 17 years old and pregnant with my oldest child when Set It Off was released on VHS. This movie has stayed one of my all time favorites since the first time I watched it. I applaud your observations on class, women and particularly lesbians. While I’m white, I was also born disabled and in poverty and can say this movie really did capture how desperate it was to be a woman in those situations at the time. One of the reasons this movie likely hit so hard for me was just weeks late I gave birth to my first child and when released from the hospital went directly to an office building, new born in tow, to clean it because I had to get back to work. The scene between Cleo and her girlfriend on her car had me questioning all kinds of things about myself, my identity and my sexuality. Doubt I’m the first (or last) to ever say that!! Found myself so very attracted to Cleo but at the same time I wanted to be her. That was definitely the first time I ever saw lesbians in a non fetishized view. Just a real relationship. Queen Latifah is criminally underrated in that movie. And just right now as I’m thinking about Cleo in her car, lighting a cigarette… has me tearing up… 😭

i just SCREAMED this movie is my everything

I don’t think I’m alone, but I am BEGGING you to do a 2-hour epic essay on Jackie Brown. 😅 It’s Tarantino’s best film, imo.

Good movie. i struggled thru it. It's difficult to watch good people going thru the bullsh*t this system puts on you. Anyone saying there's nobility in poverty doesn't know what the F they're talking about. Anyway great essay as always. Happy birthday, and keep doing it. You're necessary.

Yes, agreed. Patriarchy is more than one man or just men in general. It's partially an understanding about the relationship between power and gender and we tend to engage in it unconsciously, regardless of gender. Love this feminist look at "Set It Off" which is so haunting and beautiful and brutal. Love seeing my Libra sister bell hooks being quoted so extensively during a Libra full moon. R.I.P.

Yessss I love this movie! (But seeing latifah getting sprayed as a kid gave me nightmares 😭) Your topics are always the best!!

I loved the set it off soundtrack as a kid. I had it on cd. I feel bad that it took Queen Latifah (and Da Brat) forever to come out.

Every Princess Weekes video reminds me that I really need to read bell hooks.

Besties doing crime together is a genre I want more of. I've never heard of set it off before (even when I was specifically looking for female friendship movies to watch) so now it's on my list! Love this essay, same as all of your work

You: "The concept of the gaze" Me: "huehuehue the concept of the gays, that's me."

Queen Latifa is an ICON. Absolute childhood crush. Set it off was so good. Great video.

I loved that movie. Always bawling my eyes out at the end! Seriously, wished more people saw it!

The way this movie lowkey traumatized me as a kid because it was constantly re-run on TV and I would somehow always come in at the last 3rd of the film.... THAT WHOLE END. I haven't been able to bring myself to watch it from the beginning as an adult because of it but man even this video makes me emotional.... I think I'll suck it up to re-watch.... soon.

How do I not see this under the "Good for Her" subgenre but I see Bridget Jones's Diary under it, it's not mathing

Love this movie so much, my old ass seriously got teary eyed just from your recap, especially when talking about Cleo going out. Why have I been living my life thinking Queen Latifah came out decades ago while Living Single was still on? Swear to god, I've been saying I wanted to marry a lesbian like Queen since I was 11 or 12. Hell Living Single is what made me realize I loved WOMEN period. Big, small, tall, short, loud, quite, exertive or reserved, if you're a woman, there's something about you that I love.

Set it Off is etched in my heart and mind. I've watched many many many heist films and none moved me like this one. I raged, I perved (Blair is indeed at his finest here 😅) and I wept. That ending...I ugly cry Every.Time 🤦‍♀️. It doesn't matter how many times I've watched it. And the soundtrack *chef kisses* As a writer I can honestly say it's one of the ones that greatly influenced the kinds of stories I want to tell.

you're making me want to reread hooks. I miss her writing so much 😭

This was such a thoughtful analysis! Black people have known for years that this is an excellent film, but I've never heard an academic deep dive like this for it, tysm🎉

You are not a bad plant mom! Never say that! I'm sorry you're in a bad place and I just wanted you to know that this was yet another incredible video! Please don't discredit the praise and success coming your way. You deserve it!

I’ll never stop laughing at the gaze the gays jokes. 😂

Thanks for sharing both parts of Rita Mae Brown's quote. I'd only seen the first part, not the part that also tells me my responsibilities

Happy Birthday Princess and congratulations on 200,000 subscribers!!!🍾🎉🎊🎈👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽😊

my problem with female heist movies as the one showed at the beginning of this video is that i never get to see the being cool and successful and just walk away without consequences (or at least very little). In short they are relentless and not fun. Even tv shows are like that, like 2 broke girls had a great premise on female friendship but they never become successful, same for that other one called Good Girls. I just want to watch women rob banks and not die/get in shit in the process

Already liked, super excited

I ain't even watched the vid yet, but I already love it. I was just watching clips of Set It Off a few months ago and talked about how this movie and its characters still hold in demonstrating society's neglect.

Holy shit where did that Phyrexia top come from I need it

I haven't even seen this video yet and I'm beyond excited for it ❤ Set It Off is one of my absolute faves and I'm so eager to hear The Princess' take on it. Yay!

I have a breakdown every single time when I watch Set It off. I think Color Purple is the only other all black movie that breaks me down in the same way.

QUEEN LATIFAH love of my life fr

that jada pinkett smith run in the mid 90s, especially demon knight and set it off was FIRE

i've only seen bits and pieces of this movie, especially ending, but man do I love it. i need to rewatch it. i'm OBSESSED with the Set It Off movie soundtrack, I've spent many a late night being driven to tears lol

I just love how this movie portrays female empowerment within an oppressive system but also how it shows from the very beginning, how those oppressive systems in place have an impact on the black experience. Frankie is fired for just knowing the dude that robbed the bank she worked at and the manager even outright suggested she might be in collusion with the robbers. Stony’s brother was shot dead by police before even confirming whether or not he had a gun on him. All because he had the AP freshly buzzed on the back of his head, but they didn’t even get a good look at him before singling him out. Prime example of racial profiling and the dangers of being a POC in America. Tisean gets her child taken away by CPS because of an accident at her place of work when she had no choice but to bring him because her boss docked her pay and couldn’t afford a babysitter. A toddler getting into chemicals is an incident that ANY parent can experience. So why did cps have to be called when they took him straight to the hospital to get detoxed? Why is neglect the first thing that comes to mind when a black woman’s child is poisoned after having no other choice but to bring their child to an unsafe work environment out of NECESSITY. That doesn’t make anyone immediately suspect to child neglect, it’s an accident. And in this case, an accident that was treated with no hesitancy whatsoever. Little bit of a long winded comment, but Fr tho. Being an average black person in America is like living in hell. As sad as it is to say

i used to love this movie when i was a kid i watched countless times

Thank you for these videos!

great video! happy birthday and happy 200k subs ❤

Yessssss I'm so ready for this🙏

Good stuff as always!

This was so good, thank you! Happy birthday!!!!!

Loved learning about this classic!

girl this essay is so good they're always so good ❤️‍🔥

Thanks for the new video! It's been a terrible mental time for me as well and different video essays really cheer me up!

I absolutely adore your content. So thoughtful. Thank you so much ❤️

thank you for keeping the essay in the video essay 😍

Hello!! This airs at one in the morning for me!!!

excited for those pins

Excellent work!

Happy Birthday, Princess!🎉🎊

ugh every single line in this is so true and so on point thank you for your service PrincessWeekes

This is an EXCELLENT analysis. I have never seen the film, but you have perfectly encapsulated all the reasons why it is such an important and empowering piece of art. This film is definitely the next one I'm going to watch. Great work and PLEASE keep it up (as long as it doesn't negatively impact your physical and mental health). You have such talent when it comes to film analysis. I can't wait to see more.

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAV MOVIES AND INSPIRES MY CURRENT ART HEAVY. WAS JUST HYPING THIS CHANNEL UP HEAVY YESTERDAY IRL TO A FRIEND SO THANK YOUUUUUU🎉🎉

This was great, commenting for the algorithm, great work!!

Incredible essay as always! ^_^

Thanks for this video! ❤

I'm sorry that you've been in a rough space mentally, I know how hard that can be, and I'm so glad that you're taking steps toward feeling better. I love your work. This video was wonderful.

I hadn't heard about this movie. It looks awesome! Thanks!

This was absolutely brilliant and fascinating. I’m going to try to watch Set It Off as soon as possible now. You’re an incredible video essayist and this has to be one of my new favorite video essays ever.

I really appreciate the perspectives you give me. Can't believe you only have 200k subscribers, honestly. Your content should be watched by so many more.

Loves this movie. I watched it when it first came out and bought the soundtrack on CD the next day. Thank you for the great trip down memory lane.

Can’t believe I’ve never seen this movie! Thanks for your amazing work, as always ❤ hope you start feeling better soon

Happy belated Birthday, Princess!

I've really loved your work for a long time and finally got around to subscribing to your patreon. It's incredibly impressive that you create such consistently excellent work, but especially if you are going through a hard time as you say at the end of the video. I wish the best for you and always look forward to whatever you work on next.

Your analysis is insightful, thoughtful, and incredibly thought provoking! I truly appreciate the work you put into your content

Wow I'd somehow never heard of Set It Off. Sounds amazing, gonna have to watch it right now!

Great video as always and Happy Early Birthday!

Great vid! I was in high school when Set it Off came out and I really only knew the movie through the En Vogue music videos that were for the soundtrack (which I was OBSESSED with through high school). I didn't get to watch the movie uncensored all the way through until 5 years after its release. The movie, the characters, and all the deaths stuck hard with me afterward. It was one of those movies that I thought about constantly in the years after seeing it. I haven't really watched it since, it left me too disturbed the first time, but seeing this made me want to revisit it now.

Of all your videos this is my favorite by far. I have two daughters and I plan to rewatch this with them one day.

Great video!!!

Thank you so much for making such wonderful works like this even while battling w mental health. I can imagine how challenging that is and it doesn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated. You’re a beautiful soul and I hope you find peace and treatment that makes sense for you ♥ ♡ ♥ ♡ ♥ ♡ ♥

This is such a great video!

Oh my gosh! You'll look so amazing as Kaya!!!!

Thank you for the video. I really need to go watch that bell hook talk, as those clips you included are amazing. As a side note, I really appreciate you being open about/touching on your struggles. FWIW I think you are really good at what you do, and I put on my "thinking" cap to watch yr vids (I know, silly, but I like it) (Also thank you for apologizing to momo, as one who speaks affectionately to my plants I get it)

Best mtg merch I've seen. Excellent video as well.

Fantastic video. I've been circling Audre Lorde and Bel Hooks' writing for some time. Thank you for a short, contextual preview of her work. Now I need a part two where you dive into WIDOWS (2018).

You are a phenomenal young woman!! Your intellect and passion is a thing of beauty. You are so pretty as well! With love and solidarity from an older black not entirely straight (43 on April 15th!) woman from Bermuda- your content is top tier

Fantastic video as always. I became so excited when I realized set it off was the subject matter. I love this movie, so complex each character has a motivation that are relatable.

This was a really insightful one, and I now really need to watch Set It Off! Also I'm really feeling for you with the mental health journey, glad you're feeling a little more back on track, but I hope you take that ending note to heart too and keep being kind to yourself. I know the algorithm can be fickle, but your subscribers will still be here even when you need to take breaks. Wishing you the best.

This was a phenomenal video! The analysis was well thought out, and explained in an easily digestible way. I walked away with some great points to ponder over later. Set it Off is one of my favorite movies. It doesn't get enough shine. Thank you Princess Weekes! 💕

This is a fantastic essay! Set It Off is such a brilliant film and every time I see it, it makes me as emotional as I was upon first viewing. The performances are all so good. And I love what you said that the film shows us as opposed to telling us and by doing that, it makes the leads enormously sympathetic.

Great video and I'm glad you're doing better. Off topic, but the Phyrexia top is amazing. I took a double-take when I recognized the script-as-pinstripes.

I've been planning on watching this movie for a while now and when I saw you were going to review it I decided to put some time out of my day to watch it. This movie did not disappoint. The fact this video premiered on my birthday makes it 10 times better. Great analysis as always Princess 💖.

Great commentary! Love this movie. Agree with your take, especially juxtaposing it with Thelma and Louise, another great movie.

Really enjoyed this video! I haven't watched this movie in a long time and was good to be reminded just how great it is.

this video was so interesting and well-thought, i wish i was completely fluent in English to fully understand everything. it made me realize how much i need to research/read about feminism! thank you ❤ i hope you’re feeling better btw

I love your videos. Your work brings me joy and gives me hope. Be well. ❤️

I just watched it for the first time. My heart aches, yet my heart is also heard. The fact it had queer Black representation as well? And my favorite part, the hair. May TT's son Keith do well and Frankie live on for the best crew.

Very intelligent thoughts as usual 👍

Loved this video!

Truly appreciate your strength and courage. I was a fan for a couple years before, but in particular: I am admittedly a pretty invested supporter of AH and activist for the societal implications there. Our community has not forgotten who spoke when it wasnt popular(or even safe). Saw your twitter was discourse-less, so I thought Id drop a thanks here. And noooow, I have a movie to watch with a few friends...

Set it off is so good. Your recap alone of the movie has me BAWLING at work 😭😭😭

I missed an outdoor screening of this movie yesterday because I went to help a friend unpack and to cook together. While I would do that again I'm glad that youtube put up this video, which I had missed when it came out. Having watched your video I want to watch this movie more than any movie I can remember since I went to see Portrait of a young woman on fire in theatre for the second time inside of two weeks 😄

Sending big love and hugs!!!! I hope your therapist is great and helps you a lot!!!!! Please remember to be gentle with yourself!!!!!

Dang, I grew up watching Set It Off. It's so memorable and this took me back. Def going to watch it again soon.

such an interesting and well researched video !

I am going to watch the heck out of this movie, thank you so much for this video and just generally for sharing.

As always your videos are amazing!! I watched the movie before this video I couldn't stop crying🥲Honestly, one of the best movies I've watched in a while. You perfectly put into words what problems I have with a lot of shows or movies that include feminist/progressive issues. Like I watched Disney's Prom Pact with my sister yesterday and they just shoved all these serious topics into a few lines with no interest or care in exploring them. The MC's main goal was to "change the world" but we never got to see why she believes this; it was more of this empowerment narrative while also trying to be like "'look at this smart character that says things like 'patriarchy' or 'gender wage gap'...etc" I kid you not at one point she said "the only thing I hate more than slow dancing is the gender wage gap" 🤭but anyway again great video.

I loved this video!!