Born in Flames (1983) is a quasi-documentary/sci-fi film directed by Lizzie Borden that takes place in a political post-apocalyptic future in New York City. Though its low-budget scrappiness signals a different (pre-digital) era, its themes and tone couldn’t feel more relevant today. Perhaps that’s why it’s been making the rounds more recently—I watched it last week on Metrograph’s on-demand service—circling back after nearly 40 years since it was first released to remind us that there’s more work to do. It’s a film that refuses to back down, then and now. With a diverse cast of Black women and members of the LGBTQ community, it cleverly uses a variety of communication methods to deliver its message of defiance. Radio broadcasts, newspaper articles, and television talk shows take turns within the film, acting as complementary platforms for characters to speak their minds. Punk music exhilaratingly swells in between scenes, energizing and calling on the film’s audience to take action. Born in Flames is thus essential viewing, as it recognizes the persistence and crushing effects of heteronormative patriarchal power while illustrates the effectiveness of decentering whiteness, taking collective action, and productive resistance.