The White Girl (1990)

The title of this earnest anti-drug drama from distinguished black television journalist Tony Brown, the long-time host of the PBS show Tony Brown's Journal, has a double meaning: it refers to a slang term for cocaine, and also to the deeper problem of the lead character, a woman who has lost touch with her African-American heritage. Kim grew up in a middle-class neighborhood with plenty of love and material things, including a drop-dead gorgeous wardrobe. She was an exceptional high-school student and dreamed of becoming an attorney. She goes to college, discovers cocaine, and finds her life falling apart. Eventually she is convinced to become a member of the Black Student Union and there she meets good-hearted and handsome Bob, a pre-med student who helps her move away from drugs and back to her studies. He is the first African-American boyfriend Kim has ever had. Things look up, until the driven, conniving, drug-addicted Vanessa becomes Kim's dormmate. Vanessa desperately wants to become a TV anchor woman and will do anything, even sleep with studio execs, to get there. She has a terrible influence on the weak-willed Kim and gets her involved in a rapid downward spiral of humiliating sex and increased drug use that results in tragedy for both girls. Ultimately though, it leads to Kim's redemption.