Natchez
Introduction
During a particular passage in the English documentary Natchez (Winner of Best US Documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival ’25), you see a character exclaiming on how she is the first African-American woman to be a part of the prestigious Garden Club in the vicinity, otherwise comprising of all whites. And that tells you a lot about the small town of Natchez, set on the Mississippi that is home to 14000 people and is one of the oldest European Cities in the Mississippi River Valley. The format of the documentary remains that of a tour-guide, taking you on multiple tours through the pleasantly lit bylanes of the city, while also acquainting you with different characters along the way that have contrasting stories to tell about the history of the town that is marred by racism. In fact, the racism is so engrained within the veins of the people that you see an odd racist slur being casually pushed onto the fray, even while co-existing as a community in the area that essentially has a deep American history marred by slavery. Yet, the documentary directed by Suzannah Herbert doesn’t wish to take sides while intercutting opinions that are presented along the different tours of the city.
What's Good
One of the strongest aspects of the documentary remains the theme that it wishes to tackle through a format that is itself designed to divide people on their ideologies. I have always believed that History is that one subject that can easily be distorted based on the conditioning of an individual with respect to the society. Here in Natchez, you are immediately greeted with pretty looking houses that paint a pleasant picture. But should you choose to look at the descending shadows used to build them, then the picture drastically changes. Some characters in the documentary present a glossy part of the history of the town, something that remains more palatable to most tourists who are seen to hear the information dump in a state of awe. But in the same breath, there are also characters that are willing to touch upon the aspect of slavery that remained the chief contributing factor of American Imperialism through the 1800s, yet a chapter that has willingly been long forgotten in modern times, even though after-effects of it still exists in the form of racism.
Some of the tales narrated by the character of Rey are heartwrenching, particularly with the detailing that involved slavery due to the cotton trade. And that immediately added a different dimension in the Antebellum tourism that is a regular in the area. The contrasting picture of a character dressing up in a gown acts as a perfect metaphor for a coverup that actually has taken place with respect to the history of the town. One could talk about the beautiful old houses all day, but one of the darkest American chapters with respect to slavery would directly be tagged to it. In a scene, you see a character explaining how an illiterate child was enforced onto slavery by granting him duties of a ‘Pankhawallah’ (a fan operator).
The idea of racism being heavily injected in the veins of a few of the ‘White’ individuals could be judged from an elderly character who is openly gay and has no qualms about admitting the same (indicating his open thoughts), but still has a (shocking) issue of believing that the contributions of the Whites remained superior to the progress of the town. In the same breath he mentions, that the legacy of it (both in terms of the properties and the ideologies) must be gifted to more White people, while the ‘outsiders’ have no stake in it. Another character openly indicates his idelogy on White Supremacy by rallying against revitalizing the historical junction of the ‘Forks of the Road’, that holds a deep connect to the slavery-culture wherein slaves (including women and children) were chained, bought, sold and killed. Hence in many ways, Natchez can be classified as a documentary-horror that presents a nightmatish outlook to the American town that still grapples with bouts of racism.
What's Not So Good
The documentary asks some dark questions to the viewers along the way but the format of intercutting stories at times does get taxing, given that there are no quieter moments used for users to pause and reflect on the information provided. This is particularly true for folks like me who weren’t actively aware of the intricacies of slavery that played an active part in American History through the 1800s. I did wish that a little more context was provided, either through the visuals (on a consistent basis) or through re-enactments that would have made for a deeper emotional connect with the words of a few of the characters. But then that remains a subjective criticism that might be true just for me. Once I was able to grasp the broaded emotions, the documentary also had a lingering impact on me, staying with me long after the film had ended!
My Final Thoughts
It is now an open secret that slavery has been one of the darkest chapters in American History, that has contributed to American Imperialism just like it is shown (in a different context) in the English film The Brutalist (2024). The pain of racism is probably something generational, of being passed on from one generation to another, even as the acceptance in the society remains negligible. In a scene in Natchez, you witness a character being worried about how the Gen-Zs aren’t interested in the history of the town. It might have been a fleeting thought but it said a lot about how it remained a major worrying factor. If the new generation isn’t aware of the atrocities caused due to slavery, the empathy would never quite arise, and the gaze with which the world will be looked at, will never change. Change comes from acceptance, not distortion…and if History remains distorted, then it will further damage the future generations. That said, History is tricky too as a subject, and it can change based on perceptions. So my take on it is simple – don’t rely on just one source, do your research, learn about the culture of the past, highlight the mistakes made by public figures over the years, accept the bitter truths but learn to stay united in the present, as a mark of a better society. Trust your morality and try implementing it with people around you. And yes, fictional historical movies cannot be substitutes for history books – Don’t Make That Mistake! Watch documentaries like Natchez that will provide some level of documentation based on the claims being made!
Conclusion
Natchez (Winner of Best US Documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival ’25) marks a brutal deep-dive into the evolution of an American town marred by racism through the darkest chapters of history, that makes for a gut-wrenching watch!
