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Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship

Name: Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship
Director: Lisa Feit
Released: 2022

Representation Score

9.3/10

Excellent

2022

Director

Lisa Feit

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Lisa Feit’s documentary is a powerful effort to reclaim history by centering the African diaspora. It challenges traditional Western narratives that often prioritize the perspectives of oppressors over those of the enslaved. The film excels in its deep exploration of racial and cultural themes, using a post-colonial lens to critique the structural violence of Western economic expansion. It provides a voice to descendants and survivors, moving beyond a narrow perspective. While the film doesn’t explicitly focus on LGBTQ+ or modern clinical disability issues, it addresses the systemic trauma and dehumanization inherent in the slave trade, emphasizing the human cost of historical oppression.

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Category Breakdown

Does Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film doesn't focus on LGBTQ+ stories as its main theme, but it avoids promoting harmful stereotypes.

How does Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship portray gender?

Good

The film challenges traditional views by highlighting the humanity and ability to act of enslaved individuals, moving away from the idea of great historical figures.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship?

Excellent

This documentary excels in representing the Black experience and the African diaspora. It gives characters of color a strong voice, reclaiming a history often ignored by dominant institutions.

How does Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film critically examines Western institutions and the connection between capitalism and the illegal slave trade. It breaks down colonial legacies using a nuanced moral framework.

Does Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship include disability representation?

Fair

The film highlights the severe physical and psychological trauma of the Middle Passage. It focuses on the dehumanization of bodies during the slave trade, presenting it as a core historical reality.

Present on Screen

Centers the Black experience and the African diaspora.
Uses a post-colonial framework to critique Western capitalism.
Provides ability to act to descendants and survivors.

Limited or Absent

Could include more focus on LGBTQ+ identities.
Could address disability through a modern clinical or social lens.

Official Synopsis

This new documentary special is about the most intact slave shipwreck found to date and the only one for which we know the full story of the voyage, the passengers and their descendants.

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