Should you watch 'Descendant' on Netflix? Document review
– Reviews News
The latest Netflix documentary Oscar Hopeful, Descending, He's broadcasting now, but should I give him a watch?
Produced by Night Tide, Higher Ground Productions (the company run by Michelle and Barack Obama) acquired the rights with Netflix to this documentary in early January 2022.
Set in the small community of Africatown, Alabama, the film follows the descendants of the survivors of the Clotilda, the last known slave ship that illegally transported humans as cargo from Africa to America. The ship itself, a centuries-old open secret, is being sought by marine archaeologists to confirm its existence.
In 1860, decades after the United States outlawed the practice of kidnapping and importing human beings into slavery, five years before the 13th Amendment emancipated the already enslaved people from the nation, a ship called Clotilda docked in Mobile, Alabama. There he discharged over a hundred African souls before ordering their destruction and sinking to eradicate the evidence. Freed in 1865 but unable to return to their homeland, the survivors founded Africatown, a testament to their strength that persists today despite government neglect and the city's economic disparity.
“I don't want the momentum of this story to be limited to the boat. It's not just about this boat. – Africatown resident and Clotilda descendant, Joycelyn Davis
While the historical significance of the story and the discovery itself should be enough to draw the audience in, for me the main points of this film lie more in the current residents of Africatown and how Clotilda represents a model of arrogant, despicable and racist behavior. that has been imposed on this community.
In one of the central themes of the documentary, the family responsible for Clotilda's existence still remains in this area and owns industrial land that surrounds this small community on all sides. These factories have proven to be largely responsible for a substantial increase in cancer cases in this community and represent a form of environmental racism that is all too common in predominantly black communities in the United States, regardless of number of generations that have passed since Clotilda's journey. , the film shows the various ways in which systemic racism has harmed these families since their ancestors arrived in this country. Notably, none of the descendants of Timothy Meaher (the family of the man who orchestrated Clotida's trip) agreed to be interviewed for this film.
Another interesting perspective considered in the film is the impact of the ship's discovery, who will benefit from it, and how it can be leveraged to empower members of this community who truly deserve it. Flanked by white politicians and businessmen, the residents of Africatown do well to look beyond the emotional impact of the ship's discovery. Money from tourism can revitalize your community and help it fight against the mental and physical oppression it has languished under for almost 2 centuries.
“This story is still being written. It's happening right now. And we have dreams and hopes for the community,” said Joe Womack, co-founder of the Africatown Heritage Preservation Society. Descending New York Film Festival Q&A, “America loves a good story. It's a good story. You have bad and good. We are the good ones. You support the underdog. We are the underdogs. And that can really help us and what we do for the community because Africatown's story is America's story. »
This story seems to be resonating with critics across the country as it received impressive praise and praise. In January, Descendant premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won a Special Jury Prize for Creative Vision and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize for Documentaries. The film has since been officially selected for SXSW and the New York Film Festival. More recently, it was nominated for 3 Critics Choice Documentary Awards, including Best Documentary.
As a three-time Best Documentary Oscar winner, Netflix is uniquely positioned to bring Descendant to the big stage in 2023. One of its previous winners, American Factory, was produced by Higher Ground Productions, a company backed by by the former president. Barak Obama. and former first lady Michelle Obama. Descendant was acquired by Higher Ground and Netflix from Sundance in 2022. To add to their impressive line-up, Descendant was produced by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, who is a descendant of Charlie Lewis, one of The Clotilda's enslaved passengers. “I hope Descendant is one of those movies that you have to have a conversation about once you've seen it,” says Thompson.
Overall, Descendant is a well-constructed and moving film that makes you see the effects of slavery and institutional racism on all sides. It's not just about undiscovered historical discoveries, it's about community shutdown, corporate greed, environmental justice, history education reform and more. Again. It's the best film on the subject of these lingering effects since Ava DuVernay's 2016 Netflix documentary "13th" and should also be nominated for an Oscar like "13th" was years ago.
The clock Descending on netflix if you want
- the order of myths
- 13
- cripple camp
- american factory
Descending MVP
JOYCELYN DAVIS.
A direct descendant of Clotilda survivor Charlie Lewis, Joycelyn Davis is a permanent resident of Africatown. Growing up, he was steeped in the story of his ancestors told by members of his family and community, and is a living testimony to the ripple effects of the injustice that brought his ancestors to Alabama. Environmental racism has resulted in zoning that has allowed a number of industrial sites to encroach on Africatown, bringing pollution and disease to its residents. Davis herself is a cancer survivor. Working with the Clotilda Descendant's Association, Davis remains deeply involved in preserving the history and heritage of her community.
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TO PLAY.
Descendant is going to be a major player in the Documentary Feature Awards race for the coming months, and for good reason.
For more on upcoming Obama Production Company events, check out our preview.
SOURCE: Reviews News
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