There is a scene in “Charm City Kings” – the new HBO Max film about a boy named Mouse navigating his way to manhood through the streets of West Baltimore – that acts like a sudden red light. Two of Mouse’s mentors, one a cop (played by William Catlett) and the other a former criminal (played by rapper Meek Mill), argue over who’s the better influence.

“I want to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen to any of these other Black boys,” the detective says while taking the recent parolee to task for exposing Mouse (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) to the game.

“Black boys? What about Black boys? You don’t give a (expletive) about Black boys,” replies Meek Mill’s character in an indictment that could easily include the film’s audience. Black boys. Who really cares about them?

“Charm City Kings” tries to answer that question with more than a clunky “nobody.” Actually, Black boys care about each other deeply. And they are, in fact, boys: giggly, filled with bravado and anxious to shed the plump innocence of their youth.

The film, which follows Mouse’s quest to join a grown-up crew of Baltimore’s famous dirt bike riders, is a love letter to the fading light of boyhood. “Charm City Kings” enters a short list of stories that center on Black boys and zero in on their interior lives, elevating their humanity by simply giving it screentime.

Below are other movies that do just that. Some are funny, some tragic, and others completely disarming, but each film gives Black boyhood its due.

“Moonlight” (2016)

The 2017 Oscar winner for best picture is based on Tarell Alvin McCraney’s play, “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue.” And like the blues, “Moonlight” is a cinematic call-and-response, exploring the links between childhood and adulthood as it follows lead character Chiron through different stages in his life, with the role played by three actors of varying ages. Written and directed by Barry Jenkins (who also wrote the story for “Charm City Kings”), “Moonlight” is an ode to the man Chiron could’ve been if his boyhood was given breathing room. (Stream on Netflix)

“The Wood” (1999)

Another story that plays with age, “The Wood” toggles between the adult story and childhood tale of three Black boys who stick together from the first day of middle school to one of its main character’s wedding day. The coming-of-age comedy (named for its setting, the Southern California city of Inglewood), showcases how friendship is the crew’s longest-running and most important romance. It also put folks on to Luther Vandross’ 1982 cover of “If This World Were Mine.” (Stream on Hulu with Starz add-on)

“Antwone Fisher” (2002)

A film about a Black man wrestling with the demons of his stolen childhood, “Antwone Fisher” is triumphant even in its tragedy. One of Fisher’s last lines – “I’m still standing. I’m still strong.” – feels like an affirmation. The movie is based on the true story of first-time screenwriter Antwone Fisher (played in the film by Derek Luke), who was working as a security guard at Sony Pictures before he met with producer Todd Black. The movie was Denzel Washington’s feature directorial debut. (Rent on Amazon Prime)

“Dope” (2015)

A mash-up of “Boyz n the Hood” and a classic John Hughes movie, “Dope” follows a trio of smarty-pants misfits from “the ghetto” who somehow turn into drug dealers. Shot in bold colors, the film is mostly a fun romp through South Los Angeles streets that are too often cast as dark, dreary and crime-ridden. (Rent on Amazon Prime)

“Fresh” (1994)

Twelve-year-old Fresh navigates the dichotomy of being a chess whiz and drug runner in ’90s Brooklyn in this film. “Only reason you not the man,” one crack dealer tells Fresh, “you too … little.” After witnessing too much violence – which too often pops up in plotlines starring Black boys – Fresh uses his chess-trained brain to set in motion a complicated plot to get revenge on the bad guys. Samuel L. Jackson stars as Fresh’s chess-hustling dad. (Stream on Pluto or rent on Amazon Prime)

“Cornbread, Earl and Me” (1975)

In this film, Cornbread (Jamaal Wilkes) is a neighborhood celebrity poised to get out and make something of himself with plans to become a basketball star. Earl (Tierre Turner) and Wilford (Laurence Fishburne) are the two youngsters who idolize him. (Yes, Fishburne was once a child.) But tragedy strikes and Wilford is forced to grow up quick. (Stream on YouTube)

“The Inkwell” (1994)

Set during a 1970s summer on Martha’s Vineyard, “The Inkwell” follows shy teenager Drew (Larenz Tate) as he grapples with disappointed parents, a too-cool-for-school cousin and the girl of everyone’s dreams, Lauren (Jada Pinkett Smith). It’s a celebration of Black love, Black boyhood, Black wealth and even mental health. (Rent on Amazon Prime)

“Boyz n the Hood” (1991)

It’s right there in the title. John Singleton’s confident directorial debut delves into the lives of a group of boys growing up in South L.A. in the midst of the ’90s gang boom – boys who are looking desperately for a road map of who to be and how to be it. The film stars Cuba Gooding Jr. as Tre, the one who might have the answer, and Laurence Fishburne as his invested father; Ice Cube and Morris Chestnut are half-brothers on wildly divergent paths. The film is a classic look at how circumstance and chance hand out separate futures. (Stream on Sling or rent on Amazon Prime)

“Roll Bounce” (2005)

“Roll Bounce” stars rapper Bow Wow as a boy whose local skating rink closes and is thus forced to head to the North Side of Chicago with his crew to win the big competition (there’s always a big competition). And while all this skating is going on, Bow Wow’s character is dealing with his mother’s death, his father’s tough love and the waning summer. But the film is all about the ’70s, the South Side and skates. There are no guns, no drugs and no tragic ends. (Rent on Amazon)

“ATL” (2006)

Speaking of rappers turned actors and skating, “ATL” stars T.I. as Rashad, a talented illustrator who had to grow up too soon to help keep his little brother out of trouble. But Rashad still finds time to skate in choreographed routines with his buds and fall for a girl from the other side of the tracks. The film is based on the adolescent experience of music producer Dallas Austin and TLC’s lead singer Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins. (Stream on BET Plus or Sling, or rent on Amazon Prime)

“Cooley High” (1975)

A classic set in Chicago’s infamous Cabrini-Green housing project, “Cooley High” follows besties Preach (played by Glynn Turman) and local celeb Cochise (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs) as the two go about regular ol’ teenage lives in the urban landscape weeks before they’re set to graduate high school. They chase girls, get into fights and cut class. Though the film eventually takes a dark turn, its rare and honest depiction of Black boyness is in sharp contrast to the 1960s blaxploitation films of the era. (Stream on Amazon with a Brown Sugar subscription)

“Attack the Block” (2011)

“Dats an alien, bruv, believe it,” exclaims one of the boys in “Attack the Block,” a U.K. movie about extraterrestrials invading a South London housing estate. A young John Boyega stars as the leader of a crew of 15-year-old “hoodlums” turned alien bashers. One of the most illuminating scenes in the film comes when the woman Boyega’s character planned on robbing, but is now somehow saving, ends up in his bedroom, and uncovers the cartoon sheets on his bed. She – and the rest of us – then realize just how very young Boyega actually is. (Rent on Amazon Prime)

Disclosure: Amazon chief executive and founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.

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