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The Island of Saint Matthews

Name: The Island of Saint Matthews
Director: Kevin Jerome Everson
Released: 2013
Duration: 70 min

No Poster Available

Representation Score

5.6/10

Fair

2013

Director

Kevin Jerome Everson

Runtime

70 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The Island of Saint Matthews serves as a vital piece of restorative media. By centering the Everson family and the inhabitants of Westport, Mississippi, the film provides a nuanced, non-Anglo-centric perspective on regional history and the systemic loss of Black heritage. While the documentary lacks explicit focus on LGBTQ+ or disability representation, its strength lies in its narrative structure. It avoids voyeurism, instead prioritizing the dignity of its subjects and their lived experiences. The film succeeds by allowing the community to drive the narrative of their own displacement and survival, using oral history to reclaim what was lost to the 1973 flood.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Island of Saint Matthews have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film focuses on the aftermath of the 1973 Tombigbee River flood and the preservation of family history. There is no explicit depiction of LGBTQ+ identities or stories that challenge the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.

How does The Island of Saint Matthews portray gender?

Fair

The narrative centers on family history and the preservation of lineage. Traditional domestic roles within Southern communal structures are highlighted, but specific gender dynamics are not detailed.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Island of Saint Matthews?

Excellent

The film highlights the ability to act of Black subjects by centering the Everson family and the inhabitants of Westport. It addresses the disruption of historical erasure by documenting a Black family's relationship to land and loss.

How does The Island of Saint Matthews represent religion and culture?

Good

The film prioritizes subjective, oral histories over institutionalized records. It explores how environmental forces can affect the continuity of underrepresented communities and the fragility of local heritage.

Does The Island of Saint Matthews include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no documented evidence regarding the portrayal of physical or neurodivergent disabilities within the film.

Present on Screen

Centers Black communal memory and ability to act through the Everson family history.
Disrupts traditional historical erasure by focusing on a specific Black community's experience.
Prioritizes authentic, subjective oral histories over institutionalized records.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation or narrative focus regarding LGBTQ+ identities.
Provides no documented evidence or portrayal of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Years ago, Kevin Jerome Everson asked his aunt where their old family photos had gone. Her answer - ‘they were all lost in the flood’ - sparked this trip to meet the inhabitants of Westport, a small town just to the west of Columbus, Mississippi. They reminisce about the great flood of the Tombigbee River in 1973, when some people lost everything. Many heirlooms and photos of the Eversons were swallowed up, and part of the family history disappeared.

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