Descendant (2022) User Reviews

History as a nightmare.

[irvingwarner · 8/10 · 27 October 2022]

If a person knew very little about slavery and the slave trade, this documentary would be a great shock and revelation. Since my earliest student days, however, the slave trade between Africa and the "Americas" stood high profile with me. It still does.

By focusing on the voyage of the "Clotilda", it being the last or one of the last slavers, and the descendance of its human cargo, it manages to cover the utterly dismal topic sufficiently. Grinning white people in suits referring to the reconstructive drawing of the "Clotilda" as "Wonderful" have no place in this story. This story belongs to African Americans, and how they were so late in history, abducted to the Americas by greedy white men.

These same men, and they were men, who now hold all the money and land from this outrage now are riding a gravy train of financial advantage. Overall, the abomination against humanity that was the entirety of the Africa-Americas slave business will remain a bleeding sore on our society until reparations are made. Now that would be a wonderful picture.

(Irving Warner)

A Revelatory Piece of Filmmaking

[brentsbulletinboard · 8/10 · 6 February 2023]

Contrary to widely held belief, just because the US slave trade was outlawed in 1808, that didn't end attempts to continue to import African slaves thereafter. It wasn't until 1860, when the last slave ship, the Clotilde, entered American waters with a hold full of slaves that the practice finally came to an end. And, to conceal this crime, which was punishable by death, the perpetrators scuttled the ship by burning it upon arrival. The location of the wreckage long remained a mystery until a diving team found it in shallow water just north of Mobile, AL in 2018-19. But the discovery was more than just an archaeological curiosity; it was also significant to the descendants of the Clotilde slaves, many of whom settled in a nearby community called Africatown when they achieved freedom after the Civil War in 1865. Those living today now have actual proof of their African lineage, as well as evidence of the crime that was committed against their ancestors. Director Margaret Brown's fourth feature outing explores this story from multiple angles in terms of its historic and personal importance, as well as from all of the fallout that stemmed from their ancestors' experience that has carried through to this day. Given the myriad threads presented in this documentary, the focus admittedly could have been a little tighter in spots, particularly in terms of how the narrative's many dots connect. But, that aside, the film effectively chronicles a little-known story that represents a significant benchmark in African-American history and a potential turning point in terms of how the American public at large views the question of this appalling institution and its after-effects, some of which have lingered but have gone virtually unaddressed and, arguably, even unrecognized all these years. This is a fine film that should be part of every grade school history class and a welcome addition to African-American History Month viewing.

I ignore 1, 2, and 3 star reviews and I'm glad I did on this one.

[manleygurl · 10/10 · 23 October 2022]

The polluting factories and the highway that destroyed the Downtown area of Africatown are just other facts that help validate what the descendants are saying. Historians use oral histories as part of their research - this is a common practice. A lot of people don't want you to see this documentary. They are afraid of how it will make them look. They are afraid that it will explain someone's situation. This is one of the reasons I watched the documentary. It explains so much about the Bible Belt south. If you care about American history at all, you will find this documentary rewarding. Watch it and decide for yourself.

Tremendous History That Should Never Be Forgotten!

[Maxax777 · 9/10 · 26 October 2022]

This is truly, deeply, sincerely an important piece of US History and an amazing story. The Clotilda and Africatown are remarkable and should be revered. The Clotilda is an extremely rare find that should be a National Monument. But of course - this represents a lot more than just the story of a ship!

I live in Mobile. I know these places! There have been a couple of documentaries now, about the Clotilda - and I have been excited to see them both; however, unfortunately - I don't think anyone has quite hit the mark yet when it comes to telling and presenting this story with the impact it deserves, but this wasn't bad - I enjoyed it - the story and the people are incredible - but I'm still waiting for a Clotilda show that tells it all with the passion and excitement to do this justice.

Interview Descendants Before It's Too Late

[mbellwas · 9/10 · 23 October 2022]

This documentary is top notch. As anyone who has ever looked into their family history can tell you, the single most important resource genealogists have available to them is descendants. Many of us remember family stories passed to us from our parents & grandparents and many of those stories were passed to them by their parents & grandparents. In many cases the only historical records available are those stories passed generation to generation. The Christian Bible is a prime example of the importance of those stores passed thru the generations. The first Bible began taking shape about 600 years after the death of Christ so one can reasonably assess that the entire Christian Bible is based on stories passed down from generation to generation to generation. Is it possible that one, or more, of those story tellers might have exaggerated a bit? Probably - Just as the story of Lincoln scribbling the Gettysburg Address on the back of envelope isn't true. It is even possible the person documenting the story exaggerated for some reason - maybe even to make their story more appealing or even to satisfy a financial sponsor as with Washington's cherry tree story. In any case, the slaves brought over on the Clotilda deserve to be remembered and as with the Bible, each of us is free to determine what we believe.

A fascinating documentary

[richard-1787 · 9/10 · 9 January 2023]

I found this to be a fascinating documentary, that held my attention throughout.

That said, it left me with some unanswered questions, in part because of its format, which focused on interviews with people who lived in Africatown, near where the Clotilda, evidently the last slave ship to arrive in the United States, landed.

I can completely understand why the director and producer would want to give these people a chance to express their views and feelings. They had been ignored for so long.

And I know that documentaries can only be so long before viewers start to turn out and off.

But I would have liked more background about a variety of issues. Do we know anything about the Clotilda's route to the States? Do we know where in Africa it left from? Have any of the descendants taken DNA tests that would help with this?

What was life like for the descendants of the original slaves between the time of Emancipation and today?

And on and on.

None of that is a criticism of the movie, which I enjoyed very much. But because the story it told is so interesting, it left me wanting to know so much more.

Just a bit dull really

[scaryjase-06161 · 5/10 · 25 September 2023]

I've never heard of this - I've got no real expectations, but it doesn't exactly sound like a giggle.

It tells the story of the Clotilda/Clotilde (the spelling seems uncertain), a slave ship organised for a bet by a white landowner after slavery had been abolished. This brought 110 Africans to Alabama - and was then burned and sunk leaving no evidence it ever existed, except for a load of people who'd been threatened with lynching if they ever spoke about it. But they told their children, and their children's children, and - well, you get the idea! And now their 6x great-grandchildren are telling us their stories.

Unfortunately, because the ship was burned and sank, there's absolutely no physical evidence that any of this happened - so part of the film focusses on efforts to find the wreck, but when you look at a map of the Mobile river you can't help but feel their chances are somewhat limited (no spoilers as to whether they found it though!). And they also interview quite a few people that have no interest in finding it - as one lady puts it "how do I put this? I just don't care". But might she change her mind?

The film also considers other elements of the history of the community - it makes an interesting point that a lot of the surrounding land is used for heavy industry which has resulted in various health issues - and the land is owned by the descendants of the landowner that originally brought the slaves over, so history (once again) shows its nasty habit of repeating itself. And then talk turns to reparations...

What are reparations supposed to provide? Justice? Punishment? Closure? Whilst crimes can't be inherited by descendant, assets and hardship certainly can, so what value should be placed on them? If reparations are made, who do they go to? And given that the landowner's descendants have absolutely no interest in engaging in any dialogue, how could they even be possible?

The film certainly poses some interesting questions although it probably won't surprise you hear that it doesn't answer them - that's probably asking a bit too much from a 109 minute Netflix documentary. The film does manage to end on a positive note though - various people have hope for the future, whatever it might hold.

However, I also have to report that the interesting questions don't fill up a huge amount of those 109 minutes either - it's all very worthy, but unfortunately it's not exactly thrilling. It's most a lot of people just talking about stuff that means something to them but not a lot to anyone else or reading from a book. There's also a lot of repeated use of the same historical footage - it feels unfortunately like filler.

I feel a bit mean being nasty about what it obviously an important film for a lot of people - I know it never hurts for me to be educated in this stuff, but I'm afraid that just didn't really do it for me. It's diverting in places with some nice countryside (balanced by some very ugly urban scenes), but it's no more than that, I'm afraid. If, after that glowing recommendation, you still fancy watching it then it's on Netflix but there's much more interesting stuff on there.

The most verified/truthful movie in the Hollywood for history lovers

[muhammadadilaneesadil · 10/10 · 31 October 2022]

Hollywood fan of history and true events movies. This is for you dear. It elaborates the most tragic event in the history of United States of America, despite of being war with the Latin Americans (Red Indians) there is also a painful history of black Africans who were brought from Africa forcefully into the strange lands of America and become the slaves of white people. Most of them were also killed and separated from their families and even the children of africans faced these traumatic events at that time. After that a long struggle was started which gives them a little bit freedom but there are still lives who are waiting for justice.

Thee best

[redskinnbone · 10/10 · 13 December 2022]

I'm so happy to see people came together as one to put this beautiful documentary together it's truly a blessing but sad to see what happened was kept secreted for a long period of time but I am here to say what have been kept secret was also brought to light It's crazy to see how all theses stories that have been talked about among us still haven't had the clarification it needs today together we will stand up and fight for them to be heard no matter how long it might take us 💯✊🏾 It's important for us to know our history and for our younger generation to know who we are and what we stand for.

something's down there

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 6 September 2023]

Slavery was one of the most important, and most disgraceful, parts of US history. Most of the focus on it emphasizes the plantations, the whipping of the enslaved African-Americans, and the Underground Railroad. A lesser known part is the slave trade itself. Outlawed in 1808, it continued in secret. The last ship to bring kidnapped Africans to the United States was the Clotilda, which docked in Mobile, Alabama, before getting sunk to hide its violation of the ban on slave-trading.

Margaret Brown's "Descendant" focuses on this, as well as the descendants of the enslaved people on the Alabama coast. It's a fascinating look at the aftermath of slavery, and how the descendants of the slaveowners are the biggest landholders in the area. Not to mention the chemical refineries dumping all sorts of toxins.

This is not a documentary that you'll forget anytime soon. I recommend it.

Gold Coast Slaveship Bootlegger Style

[lu_lou_belle · 9/10 · 20 January 2023]

Very well done. Enjoyed this story so much, and have been curious about Mobile's geographic history since asking my "but why" questions when driving underneath the Mobile River as a child, on family trips to see my grandfather in Point Clear. Mobile is such an odd patchwork of communities, commercial and industrial developments, surrounded by hardwood swamps, river deltas and marsh. It is also an older community on the coast with certain gentile traditions that are barely visible through the crust of heavy industry and commercial sprawl, all you will see on the interstates that ring it. This film tangentially deals with a bit of the economic history of the north end area known as Africatown. While at heart it is another story of dispossessed people, exploitation and dehumanization, it becomes very real through the lens of the people who gathered their resources to find the wreck of the Clotilde and through it reinvision their community and history.

First time I saw signage for Africatown, i made the basic assumption of Alabama being Alabama, like Memphis TN has a suburb called Whitehaven. The truth is far more complex and interesting, truth revealed by both oral tradition and scholarship, home video and underwater archaeology.

So the story of bootlegger overseas slave smugglers decades after the practice was outlawed, on a whim and a dare of a powerful family is riveting on its own. In spite of numerous stories of smuggling along the gulfcoast's river delta's, the idea of slave bootleggers never occurred to me until viewing. The story of a community Bringing forth the means for restorative justice is handled delicately but assertively with a deft hand, considering the implicit controversies it forces the larger community and viewers to confront, whatever their POV, given our interesting times. Every time I drive the coast between TX and FL, I will be looking at the back bays, river deltas and adjacent development with new eyes.

So many truths are brought up and exposed in this celebratory masterpiece

[petrelet · 10/10 · 23 December 2023]

This is a film which unflinchingly exposes truths, not only of enslavement, but of the cover-up of enslavement and of how the enslavers have held on to their profits to the present day. But those aren't the only truths shown here. There are inspiring truths, triumphant truths, about a community of descendants of survivors - and survivors in their own right - who are inspired by their ancestors on a daily basis, who are hopeful and undefeated, and who are making their ancestors' voices and their own voices heard today.

So, this film is not like an episode of "Secrets of the Dead" (which I love, btw) where the focus is on archaeology. The discovery of the remains of the "Clotilda", which was used to smuggle 110 human beings into Alabama in 1860 so that they could be sold into servitude, is the least of it. There is so much else that is brought to light here, so many rediscoveries of which the unearthing of the "Clotilda" crime scene is a symbol and metaphor:

There is the silent film footage of the last survivor of the "Clotilda", shot in 1928 by the young African-American filmmaker, Zora Neale Hurston (No, I hadn't known she did that!), who wrote down his testimony in his own words and dialect as the book "Barracoon" which did not see the light of day until it was published in 2018! (No, I hadn't known about that either!)

There is the Africatown community, a village that exists today nearly within walking distance of the site of the scuttled ship - despite the polluting and carcinogenic industries which encroach upon it from every direction, having even taken a piece of its graveyard, and the busy highway where cars and trucks whiz by where homes and stores used to be.

There are the whites who appear in the story, filling out a spectrum from sincere allyship through white saviorism to political opportunism. The flawed specimens are generally not called out in words. They are on film. You can see it.

There are the whites who "refused repeated requests" to appear in the film: the descendants of the man who chartered the kidnap ship and successfully sold the African survivors. You do not see them in the film, but you see their names on the stone property markers that border Africatown. They prosper today on the proceeds of that sale and the aforementioned industries that hem the village in. When the discourse about reparations turns to whites saying "but it wasn't me, it wasn't my family", these are the ones you will never hear.

But the great revelation of this film is the descendants themselves. They are bold. They can celebrate. Their voice is the voice of the film. They are the reason why you can watch a film occasioned by horrible crimes extending into the present day and still come away, not depressed, but uplifted. The film is not centered on the criminals, or the historians, and certainly not on the filmmakers themselves - you barely hear their voices at all except in the occasional pithy explanatory text card. The community of descendants has been put in the center of the film and the filmmakers are letting them talk, in their diversity, in good moods and bad. So, on top of everything else, this film is a teaching model for aspiring documentarists. My own viewpoint is from a limited northern-US white perspective, but, such as I am, I see no flaws in this work, and I am very glad to have seen it.