Essay On The Movie 13th

Ava DuVernay’s 2016 documentary, 13th, examines how the United States has globally acquired the largest prison population, majority of that population being African-American. The film is directed and edited by DuVernay and Spencer Averick, whose choices as a team have been called “powerful, infuriating and at times overwhelming” by the New York Times. 13th, named after the 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution, explores how systemic racism and dog-whistle politics in the United States has fueled the rapid growth of our current prison system, causing the mass incarceration of black and brown people. The 13th amendment, ratified in 1865, at first glance abolishes slavery. However, there is one circumstance in America that makes enslavement

In my opinion 13th can be categorized as a surrealist documentary, the film is filled with shocking imagery and imaginative juxtapositions. Early surrealist documentaries are said to have been antagonist to the original state of cinema and its traditionalism. Similarly, 13th is a retaliatory strike against the way in which we are accustomed to American history being told, in hindsight both are addressing the same breed of traditionalism. The documentary opens with an animation of the world map, the United States is highlighted. The 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, is the voice of god:

“Let’s look at the statistics in the United States is home to 5% of the world’s population, but 25% of the world's

DuVernay’s experts include intellectuals and activists, such as Michelle Alexander, Van Jones and Angela Davis to name a few. Throughout the film there are moments where the commentary serves as the voice of god to the previous image before there is a cut to the confessional style interview. The commentary, animation, and thoughtful combinations of audio and archival photos speak directly to the viewer throughout the film. The use of these techniques leads me to gather that DuVernay is taking a new age approach to the expository mode of