Has the self-awareness not merely to put Black voices at the center, where they belong, but to underline those moments when white people step up and intervene in the situation—sometimes as allies and advocates, sometimes to stake their own claim.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 19, 2022

Boasting a wealth of vivid subjects, this new picture illustrates in clear terms how the country’s past sins still stain communities, the damage perhaps permanent.

| Dec 14, 2022

We meet so many people in Descendant who could be the primary subjects of their own documentaries, and Brown deftly peels back the layers of all of their stories and makes them heard.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 4, 2022

What Descendant initially renders into something of a suspenseful hunt for the truth barely lasts for half of the movie -- alerting us to the fact that it is not the only thing on the movie’s mind.

| Oct 31, 2022

While it tells a powerful true story, it could have benefitted from a tighter running time.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 26, 2022

[A] fascinating film...

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 23, 2022

Brown... lets audiences make what they will of a rich tapestry.

| Oct 22, 2022

One of the best films of the year... Brown roves across the land, crowding her film with a wide spectrum of voices for a living oral history that reckons with the long shadow of slavery.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Oct 21, 2022

Descendant is worth seeing no matter who you are. For viewers like me, however, it engenders the reality that, no matter how hard anyone tries to whitewash history, our stories will forever continue to be told in full, by us and for us.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Oct 21, 2022

We’re in for something different here, is the film’s opening gambit. It’s an unspoken promise that Descendent lives up to.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 21, 2022

A feat of cinematic non-fiction storytelling, about the importance of storytelling itself.

| Oct 21, 2022

If you’ve ever wondered what “holding space” looks like in practice, the director Margaret Brown’s deeply attentive documentary “Descendant” provides moving examples.

| Oct 20, 2022

Brown knows this is not her history to tell but rather an unfolding story about storytelling she can diligently observe in meetings, get-togethers and intimate interviews.

| Oct 20, 2022

“Descendant” isn’t just necessary. It’s urgent.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Oct 19, 2022

A bit slow-moving at first, the history gives way to a thoughtful conversation about how best to remember this history and honor its victims, while simultaneously highlighting the modern science surrounding identifying the ship.

| Oct 19, 2022

With Descendant, filmmaker Margaret Brown finds poetry where most would see the opportunity for a polemic.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 1, 2022

Descendant is an infuriating and enlightening look at how often white supremacy alters the truth in its favor.

| Aug 9, 2022

The movie might have felt more comprehensive and compelling if driven by a single person. Rich community and uncovered history still make this documentary a must-see.

| Mar 14, 2022

Despite finding Clotilda and the attention brought to Africatown, there is still so much to unpack, and many truths remain buried.

| Feb 22, 2022

It is, frankly, terrifying to watch. What Descendant demonstrates is how ignoring the real story doesn’t just steal people’s history from them. It impoverishes the future.

| Feb 14, 2022