'13th' A Review

13th is a Netflix documentary by Ava DuVernay which focuses on race in the US criminal justice system. The title is in reference to the 13th Amendment which abolished slavery however with the provision "except as a punishment for crime". Through archival footage, contemporary news, and talking-head interviews DuVernay investigates and elucidates the systemic and ever evolving ways the US government suppresses and monetises minorities and the poor. The film covers 1865-1968 rather quickly and digs in starting in the 70's with the War On Crime, War On Drugs, and the beginning of the prison industrial complex. The film gradually moves forward chronologically marking the increase in the US prison population along with the institution of mandatory minimums, the privatization of the prison system, special interest writing legislation, profiling, police violence etc.

The film relates a vast amount of information with clarity and momentum. It breaks down complex issues in a relatable understandable way. As the title suggests the film acknowledges that although slavery was abolished by the 13th amendment those in power simply reframed the rhetoric and policies that were utilized in order to profit on and subjugate minorities, African-American's in particular and African-American males in specific. This was done by capitalizing on stereotypes, with rhetoric and legislation, and making criminality, in the public mind, synonymous with blackness.

13th is vital in our current time. It provides a concise and propulsive summation of our current state of the nation. It gives us the what and the why in no uncertain terms. And although it does not provide a website for us to go to and donate or a piece of legislation to call our congressmen regarding it is a loud and compelling call to action. We must participate, we must protest, we must hold our elective representatives accountable.

Important and inspiring.

See It.