Where I Watched It: Netflix

English Audio Description Provided By International Digital Center

There are two very powerful documentaries that both succinctly and pointedly deliver a rich perspective on a history you may not be familiar with. One of them sadly did not make the Oscar Documentary shortlist this year, and that is Lacota Nation vs United States (which a review is coming soon), and this one actually did make the shortlist, and might go on to be rightfully recognized with a nomination.

Sometimes, in my YouTube reviews, I often joke that I’m probably not the target demographic for a film. I’m aware that I’m still a white male film critic, and whether or not I might be bringing my perspective as a blind critic (which is the whole reason I do this now), or additionally as a gay critic, I have a world of different experiences. Still, and this is something that has grown on me since watching this, I’m pretty sure this documentary about black people is not actually for black people exclusively. While I’m sure some younger future activists glean knowledge of the past, explaining to someone their life they already lead isn’t perhaps the most targeted demographic, but instead making a film that hopefully reminds and expands those that do not share your experiences, that might just be a thing. Maybe, this is for everyone else.

Stamped From The beginning is a feat of structure, starting at the point Africans started being exported like property, and exploring how the system has slowly continued to evolve and structure itself to consistently position black people at the bottom. In an age where people missed the point of Black Lives Matter, and Florida sees no value in AP African American Studies (which they did eventually slightly budge on), this feels like the kind of documentary that my favoritism gets me accused of supporting whatever woke-ism is.

The fact is, this film just outlines, and interviews, what it can prove, talk about, and summarize, because it is trying to be another documentary that explores the black experience in a palatable runtime. the greatest threat to this film, aside from people who continue to use woke all the time, is the fact that they are entering a crowded field of documentarians that have pointed out so many similar struggles. Whether it be the Oscar nominated I Am Not Your Negro, or Ava Duvernay’s excellent (and also on Netflix) 13th, Stamped From The Beginning has to make its own mark. It can’t just be the best because it’s the newest, so it can include a few more recent tragedies. It has to revolutionize something that is already producing strong content. And it has to do it in a year where one of the Oscar contenders is coming straight out of the Ukrainian war.

They incorporate what History Channel loves to do, which is cast people to read things that people who died long ago wrote. So, we get to hear the poetry of a groundbreaking black female poet, but as if it was her speaking from beyond the grave. It would be easy to cast a recognizable voice to play these historical icons, but then you lose that sense of originality, and it rings as Oprah reading someone’s work instead. The use of animation to fill in certain segments, where cameras weren’t around to capture the same history also helps.

I’ve been debating about the strength or the weakness of a choice to tell the story in linear form, but then stop at a certain point, and backtrack to highlight that black women had a different experience. On one hand, it breaks the linear motion, but on the other it puts a stronger focus on the struggle of specifically black women.

The audio description is really well rounded for a documentary, capturing a lot of the specific stylistic intent (like making a note of the use of animation), while also keeping track of the few people who have been chosen to speak throughout the movie. It is not a talking head film, and very much has a narrative thread, which allows the audio description to weave a lot more through than a typical documentary. The use of clips from more current forms of violence against black Americans is also highlighted through the audio description.

This is a staggeringly terrific film that had me from beginning to end. It’s not white guilt, because that would imply that I could be won over with a total lack of talent or skill, but Stamped From The Beginning tells a story that has been marinating for so long, that the film itself feels like it has been percolating for just as long.Considering many of the documentaries I enjoyed this year predictably missed the shortlist, like they always do, it’s nice to have something to root for still in the game. You can watch it before it gets nominated, or wait to make sure it does, but by not seeing this, you’d be doing yourself a disservice. Unless you think the Illuminati is attacking you with woke things. I’m so tired of hearing that word.

Final Grade: A