13th (Netflix)

[brat-sampson]

I can't imagine a more relevant documentary for right now than this analysis of the history of prejudice the US justice system has had for Black Americans.

It was released in 2016, in the wake of Trump running for election while calling for protesters to be beaten up, and covers things from the end of slavery, through Birth of a Nation, Jim Crow, Civil Rights, Nixon's 'war' on crime and drugs followed by Reagan's War on crime and drugs, Clinton's introduction of minimum time and 3 strikes, private prison systems run for profit, ALEC, now more recent tracking and bail systems also run for profit and decades and decades of police brutality.

I hadn't heard of it before last week, but presently it's available for free to all and if anything it's harder to watch than at release, because it's been 4 years since its release and Nothing has changed.

[Non Stop Dancer]

Yeah it's absolutely gut-wrenching and enraging. Ten minutes in and you realise "Oh course there are fucking riots. They should have been happening every day for the last 50 years."

[thugler]

I agreed the hell out of it, but I didn't find it a great documentary. I watched it when it first came out and now again a couple of days ago, it's very relevant and all that but the doc itself is a bit annoying. Particularly dislike the panning around someone they interview as they are speaking to make it more dramatic. Also the rap songs with the lyrics appearing on the screen. Could have done with more of the focused stuff on details and how this shit happened. Fuck Newt Gingrich pretending to give a shit as well.

[Shit Good Nose]

14 Days In May is on YouTube in full.  Not great quality, but if you want something less tabloid-y than 13th...

[Josef K]

If you liked this I really recommend The House I Live In.
Focuses entirely on the war on drugs and how it's a cover for racist policies, and it's a more effective documentary than 13th