Descendant

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Descendant

PG

2022

1h 49m

Documentary

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100%

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69 Reviews

65%

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100+ Ratings

Documentary filmmaker Margaret Brown ("The Order of Myths", "The Great Invisible") returns to her hometown of Mobile, Alabama to document the search for and historic discovery of The Clotilda, the last known ship to arrive in the United States, illegally carrying enslaved Africans. After a century of secrecy and speculation, the 2019 discovery of the ship turns attention toward the descendant community of Africatown and presents a moving portrait of a community actively grappling with and fighting to preserve their heritage while examining what justice looks like today.

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Critics Consensus

Descendant serves as a fantastically compelling example of how history can be reclaimed -- and a stirring tribute to a resilient community.

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Scott Tobias

The Reveal

12/19/2022

4/5

Has the self-awareness not merely to put Black voices at the center, where they belong, but to underline those moments when white people step up and intervene in the situation—sometimes as allies and advocates, sometimes to stake their own claim.

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Tim Grierson

Screen International

12/14/2022

Boasting a wealth of vivid subjects, this new picture illustrates in clear terms how the country’s past sins still stain communities, the damage perhaps permanent.

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Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

11/04/2022

4/5

We meet so many people in Descendant who could be the primary subjects of their own documentaries, and Brown deftly peels back the layers of all of their stories and makes them heard.

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Jonita Davis

The Black Cape (Medium)

03/14/2023

5/5

This one documentary even debunks the threats to remove Black history from schools. Watch 'Descendant' and then talk to me about the hazards of teaching Black history to white kids. Because the descendants of the Clotilda are not just Black people.

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Jared Mobarak

Hey, Have You Seen ...?

01/20/2023

8/10

The result is a powerful account of a living history. That which happened doesn't just end because time passes. The consequences and pain reverberate through generations.

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Sarah Boslaugh

TheArtsStl

01/03/2023

7/10

[Brown] finds a remarkable network of shared oral history, passed on from one generation to the next, despite repeated warnings to not tell their story.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 07/02/2025

Real footage in 1 hour and 49 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated PG for Brief Language, Thematic Material and Smoking Images!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Lorenzo G

@RT85901624 09/02/2024

I thought I was watching the disney movie for like 20 minutes, so confused.

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Renaldo D

@RT30888824 04/22/2023

Documentary rich in history, but it is slow and tiring.

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Dave C

@RT09838700 01/10/2023

Reeeaalllly slow. It felt like it was 3hrs long, That's not to say it isn't interesting and deserving of your attention, or that it isn't informative… it is

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Rubem N

@RT89266584 12/10/2022

Nice take on a subject that has yet to receive more attention.

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DD R

@RT53928228 11/14/2022

I loved it. Valuable investment of time.

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Margaret Brown

Director

Margaret Brown

Screenwriter

Kern Jackson

Screenwriter

Margaret Brown

Producer

Essie Chambers

Producer

Kyle Martin

Producer

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Synopsis

Documentary filmmaker Margaret Brown ("The Order of Myths", "The Great Invisible") returns to her hometown of Mobile, Alabama to document the search for and historic discovery of The Clotilda, the last known ship to arrive in the United States, illegally carrying enslaved Africans. After a century of secrecy and speculation, the 2019 discovery of the ship turns attention toward the descendant community of Africatown and presents a moving portrait of a community actively grappling with and fighting to preserve their heritage while examining what justice looks like today.

Director: Margaret Brown
Producer: Margaret Brown, Essie Chambers, Kyle Martin
Screenwriter: Margaret Brown, Kern Jackson
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Two One Five Entertainment, Participant, Higher Ground Productions
Rating: PG (Brief Language|Thematic Material|Smoking Images)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 21, 2022, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 21, 2022
Runtime: 1h 49m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital