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Truly Dreadful Film

Boring

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

I try every year to watch as many, if not all, films nominated during Awards Season, especially the Oscar nominated movies, this documentary was one I had heard about, so I watched it when it was available on Netflix, directed by Ava DuVernay (Selma). The title is in reference to the 13th Amendment in the United States Constitution, this was responsible for the abolition of slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. Basically the film focuses the criminal justice system in America, specifically the "intersection of race, justice and mass incarceration in the United States". It also explores the fact that a majority of prisoners held in the various prisons around the States are African American, many of them have convicted for one crime that is perhaps not as serious as others, e.g. possession of drugs, vagrancy, and that the number of prisoners increases every decade. It also delves into how racism has played significant roles in history, in films (like The Birth of a Nation and 12 Years a Slave), and in the political climate, including the creation of the KKK (Ku Klux Klan), Martin Luther King and Malcolm X fighting for Civil Rights, and Barack Obama becoming the first black man to become President of the United States. Over the years, many have tried to combat race related issues in various ways, even Presidents have made statements about combatting the "war on drugs", a subtext for racial issues. It is a fact that the United States is 5% of the world's population, but it has 25% of the world's prisoners. Using archive clips, and interviews from politicians, activists, academics and former presidents, it really makes you realise that the treatment of black people is perhaps still being tackles, with protesting, militarisation of law enforcement, and police shootings becoming key issues. It does have disturbing images from the past, including about slavery, the original perceptions of black people, segregation (with "coloured" bathrooms) and other injustices, and the rules of imprisonment are harsh. Recently featured in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I can see why this is an important film, it really delivers its message that there are still changes to be made in America, especially when it comes to laws and racial equality, it is a shocking, fascinating and insightful documentary. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Very good!

An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.The film was written by Ava DuVernay, who wrote and directed "Selma" (2015), and Spencer Averick. Spencer Averick edited the film. Produced and filmed in secrecy, 13th was revealed only after it was announced as the opening film for the 2016 New York Film Festival, the first documentary ever to open the festival.This is a great film about segregation, racial disparity, and laws about crime. But it does meaner a bit. From private prisons to ALEC to drugs to Wal-Mart's gun sales... it seems like some of this is not really directly connected to the central thesis. Though much of this does support an important point that few seem to grasp: the 13th Amendment effectively legalizes slavery, so long as a crime exits.

13th is a great documentary about the history of race relations in the U.S. and the development of the atrocity that is the prison industrial complex. The only problem I have with it, is that it should have been a docuseries instead of a film. It's too short to properly delve into the subject matter. Race relations, the war on drugs, the war on crime, privatization of prisons, mass incarceration-these topics are too great and the history is too rich to adequately and thoroughly describe in just two hours.

In this eye opening documentary, the prison system is exposed as modern day slavery. The basis for this conclusion is a single line from the 13th amendment, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime...". Did you catch that? Slavery was made illegal, except as a punishment. In other words, the 13th amendment introduced a new form of slavery, the prison system. In regard to the films bias. The producer tries to remain balanced and nonpartisan, but it is clear that the there is a specific agenda at work. The first half of the film has a fairly balanced representation of both democrats and republicans as part of the problem, but the in the final 45 minutes the scales are woefully tipped to only spotlight liberal perspectives. This is the worst aspect of the film and the reason my review is not higher. I found that the heart of the film is not in a broken justice system, but instead in the value of people. Prisoners are people. Each has a story. The escalating number of prisoners has torn families apart and removed opportunity from otherwise productive members of our society. I am in favor of consequences for wrong actions, however the film highlights that there is a great deal of injustice in the system that results in unnecessary and overwhelming consequences. In a society that is built on treating people equally, the prison system with it's billion dollar economic system, often tramples on those values. Herein lies the tension. How do we honor and value all people and hold people accountable for their wrong actions? A prevailing value in our culture is that all people deserve fair and equal treatment. This is found throughout our justice system, but was born our of the Bible's text, "For God does not show favoritism." (Rom. 2:11; Acts 10:34), et al. The people in prison are fellow human beings that deserve dignity and respect. They also need someone to be their voice to stand up for the injustice in they system. Not just for them but also for their children and grandchildren. The voice of this film is a clarion call for justice reform on behalf of this generation and the next. I give my highest recommendation for this important work.