Tessa Thompson is one of the most versatile actresses of her generation, taking on roles from a variety of genres and portraying a wide berth of characters with ease. In the past decade, she has appeared in big blockbuster movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, such as the Thor movies and Avengers, Tyler Perry’s book-to-film adaptation of Ntozake Shange’s for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf, and Men in Black: International. While these may have been the movies to bring her acting ability to wider audiences, some of her best work lie in science fiction and movies that tell the Black experience in America.
Thompson broke through into mainstream audiences with the films Mississippi Damned and For Colored Girls, two films that depict the everyday life and struggles of Black women in America. In 2022, Thompson is set to appear in Thor: Love and Thunder as Valkyrie, reprising her previous role from Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Endgame. She will also be appearing in Creed III to continue portraying Bianca Taylor. These are Tessa Thompson’s best movies so far.
8 Passing
The Harlem Renaissance produced many great works, but Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel Passing, largely based on her own life, is an underrated gem. The 2021 film adaption of the novel was distributed by Netflix and starred Tessa Thompson (Irene) and Ruth Negga (Clare) as childhood friends meeting after many years in New York City. Both women are light-skinned, but they choose to live completely different lives. Irene lives in Harlem and is married to a Black doctor, while Clare passes as white and has married a racist but wealthy white man. As their worlds begin to collide, this quiet film contemplates race, society, and personal decisions.
7 Dear White People
Tessa Thompson stars in 2014’s Dear White People as Samantha White. She is a Black student at a predominantly white prestige university. An art major, she uses her creativity to create a radio show titled Dear White People and self-publishes a book about her experiences, but the school's white community does not particularly enjoy criticism for their racism and microagressions. Dear White People calls out harder questions that are still common in everyday life in the United States about race and privilege, and Thompson’s character, Samantha, is one of the standout performances from the film.
6 Selma
Selma is based on events during the Civil Rights Movement, specifically the three protest marches held from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. The marches were led by Martin Luther King Jr. (portrayed in the film by David Oyelowo), Hosea Williams (Wendell Pierce), and John Lewis (Stephan James). Selma tracks the events leading up to the marches as Martin Luther King Jr. tries to secure voting rights for African-Americans. Thompson portrays Diane Nash, a successful civil rights activist who led students during the movement.
5 Sylvie's Love
Tessa Thompson stars in 2020's Sylvie's Love, a romance story set in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Robert (Nnamdi Asomugha) has just been hired to work at a record store in Harlem by Sylvie's (Thompson) father. He plays the saxophone in a quartet and wins Sylvie over with their discussions about music. When his career begins to take off, he must leave Sylvie behind, not knowing that she is pregnant with his child. Years later, they will cross paths again with the opportunity to rekindle the relationship they left behind. A true celebration of Black love, this film is not one to be missed.
4 Thor: Ragnarok
The third installment to the Thor saga was Thor: Ragnarok in 2017, directed by Taika Waititi. Ragnarok is said to be one of the best Thor movies released, although the world is waiting for the next Thor movie in 2022. Thor, now trapped on the planet Sakaar, has to save Asgard from Ragnarok, an imminent doom predicted in a prophecy said to destroy the realm. Tessa Thompson portrays Valkyrie, also known as Scrapper 142, the sole survivor of a group of female warriors.
3 Sorry to Bother You
Boots Riley made his directorial debut in 2019 with Sorry to Bother You. It is a black comedy where Cash Green (Lakeith Stanfield) discovers that using his “white” voice means he can excel at his telemarketing job. As a union begins to form at his work, led by his co-worker Squeeze (Steven Yeun), Cash is stuck between fighting for what is right and taking advantage of his situation. His girlfriend, Detroit (Tessa Thompson) knows her side and is willing to fight for what is right, including if it means breaking up with Cash. A mix of satire and black comedy, Sorry to Bother You is overwhelming at times, and a bit unpredictable, but a solid film.
2 Creed
Creed is the first of a spin-off of the Rocky franchise and was released in 2015 to acclaim. Michael B. Jordan stars as Donnie Creed, the illegitimate son of the original Rocky’s antagonist Apollo Creed. After spending time in and out of juvenile detention, foster care, and being adopted by Apollo’s widow, he becomes a successful worker in finance. He chooses to leave it all behind by pursuing his dream of becoming a professional boxer, leading him to seek out the legendary Rocky. A love story then begins to bloom with his downstairs neighbor (Tessa Thompson), a singer-songwriter suffering from hearing loss.
1 Annihilation
Annihilation is the moody science-fiction film the world never knew it needed. Natalie Portman stars as Lena, a professor and veteran, who retells the story of what happened in an area known as “Shimmer," which was created by a meteorite. When Lena’s husband disappears and reappears suddenly after going there, she agrees to venture there herself. Annihilation layers metaphor upon metaphor about death and destruction, and the world within Shimmer mutate rapidly. Like a cancer of the Earth, it exposes self-destruction in horrifying ways.