Civil War (or, Who Do We Think We Are)

Directed by Rachel Boynton

★★★★

CIVIL WAR (OR, WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE) -- Pictured: “Rumors of War” by Kehinde Wiley was temporarily in Times Square in late 2019 -- (Photo by: Nelson Walker III/Boynton Films/Peacock)

Civil War (or, Who Do We Think We Are) sheds a light on things that are talked about, but never necessarily discussed past a certain level. Slavery, Reconstruction and how these things still effect our country to this day.The film takes a step back and tries to give you the argument from every possible view point.Even from an academic standpoint, they cover the whole spectrum, showing interviews from middle schoolers all the way to college professors and everything in between, giving a vast array of opinions that definitely don’t always align.

A pair of older men, who are caretakers of a civil war graveyard are interviewed and say that they are just preserving history, causing one to wonder “how could someone live in a place and not know all of the horrible history?” Hell, I live in Oklahoma and did not hear about the Tulsa Riots until a few years ago. This is proof that things of this nature are not discussed in our schools, specifically in the South, to the extent that they should be. I think a line from the film says it best “ in all other wars the winners write the history, but in the civil way the losers do”

From a technical aspect this doc is nothing special. It has a ton of interviews and no crazy cuts or gorgeous scenes, but if that’s what you're looking for you have completely missed the entire purpose of this film.It’s meant to be bare bones, the topic itself is enough to make you take notice.

I will say I was worried about the hypocrisy of this film early on. We are being told about black history and the civil war, portraying everyone from the south as racist, that is, until we meet Melissa, a professor who has worked hard to get a landmark put up to acknowledge white violence against black peoples. She grew up in a “racist household”, but now dedicates herself to bettering herself and helping others acknowledge their racist tendencies and encourages them to enact a more positive future for their families and themselves.

Documentaries like this one are a personal favorite of mine. No special effects or wild soundtracks. Just an honest look at something that people are afraid to address. Hopefully, the film opens a dialogue for people to finally examine our nation's history in a more open and accurate way, and I hope more films like this get made.