Descendant (2022)

Descendant

TOMATOMETER

Average Rating: 8.4/10

Reviews Counted: 19

Fresh: 19

Rotten: 0

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Average Rating: 8.4/10

Reviews Counted: 8

Fresh: 8

Rotten: 0

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

AUDIENCE SCORE

Average Rating: N/A

User Ratings: 0

Critic Consensus: No consensus yet.

Movie Info

Rating:

NR
Genre:

Documentary
Directed By:

Margaret Brown

Cast

Critic Reviews for Descendant

All Critics (19) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (19) | Rotten (0)

A yearning for a definitive history is the driving force of this heart-warming doc.

February 1, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

National Newspaper Publishers Association

Top Critic

A disquieting film with enduring significance [that] brings a sense of historical closure and validation to its [subjects].

February 1, 2022 | Full Review…

Harper's Bazaar

Top Critic

The movie delivers an emotionally jangled, collage-like rush of purpose and urgency.

January 29, 2022 | Full Review…

Top Critic

A sprawling tapestry of American lives and a buried truth.

January 28, 2022 | Full Review…

Top Critic

Margaret Brown's beautiful, haunting, and ultimately inspiring documentary charts living history just outside of Mobile, Alabama.

January 27, 2022 | Full Review…

Esther Zuckerman

Top Critic

History and the shame it carries transformed into a survivor's tale.

January 25, 2022 | Full Review…

Ty Burr's Watch List

Top Critic

In tracing the history of Africatown from 1860 to today, [director] Brown and her team broaden their scope and present an eye-opening look at environmental racism.

February 1, 2022 | Rating: 4/4 | Full Review…

Film-Forward.com

Descendant would already be worth watching for its awe-inspiring investigation into the whereabouts and historical legacy of the Clotilda. But the film's strongest attribute is that it is constructed with an eye toward to the future.

January 31, 2022 | Full Review…

"Descendant" becomes not just a vital account of history, but an example of William Faulkner's maxim that "the past is never dead. It's not even past."

January 29, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

The Movie Cricket

"Descendant" doesn't provide easy answers for how individuals and governments can begin to grapple with this history, but it begins with the acknowledgment that its history will live on.

January 29, 2022 | Rating: A | Full Review…

Christian Gallichio

Margaret Brown exposes one of America's darkest secrets in this indie doc, and tackles such sensitive matter with dignity and grace.

January 27, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…

Margaret Brown's new documentary thoughtfully considers how a victimised community can heal from its inherited trauma, while offering flecks of hope for the future.

January 27, 2022 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Flickering Myth

View All Critic Reviews (19)

Audience Reviews

There are no featured reviews for Descendant at this time.

Descendant Quotes

There are no approved quotes yet for this movie.

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