Central Library Film Club: Back to School - Cooley High (1975)

High school seniors and best friends in 1960s Chicago navigate school, dreams, comedy, and tragedy along to a soundtrack of Motown hits. Each wants to make it big in his own way-- but not everybody they meet is looking out for them, as they learn when a seemingly harmless outing goes awry. In a 40th-year retrospective by NPR in 2015, Cooley High was called a "classic of black cinema" and "a touchstone for filmmakers like John Singleton and Spike Lee." In fact, Lee featured this film on his watch list for all filmmakers, titled Essential Films Every Aspiring Director Should See.