Pinky

Pinky (1949) is a racial drama directed by Elia Kazan — watch it online on iFILM. Jeanne Crain plays a light-skinned Black nurse who spent years passing as white in the North. Back home in the South, she has to tell her grandmother (Ethel Waters) the truth — and figure out what to do about the white doctor she fell for, who has no idea.

The story pivots when an elderly white woman (Ethel Barrymore) dies and leaves her estate to Pinky. Her relatives take it to court. What follows is less a courtroom drama than a portrait of how two worlds — one white, one Black — close ranks against anyone who won't stay in place.

Released while Jim Crow was still the law of the land, the film drew Oscar nominations for all three lead actresses. Kazan shot the Southern setting on location, and the discomfort is real. Stream Pinky (1949) online on iFILM.