14th

By turns inspiring and bleak, 14th uses a constitutional amendment to dissect the American experiment. Spoiler alert: things are not going great.

But while it may seem as though the country is unraveling in real time, this upheaval is not, as it turns out, anything new.

14th does feel like a natural follow-up to 13th, DuVernay's 2016 documentary about how the 13th Amendment’s exception clause paved the way for mass incarceration. Ratified in 1868, the 14th Amendment was a cornerstone of post-Civil War reconstruction, guaranteeing birthright citizenship, due process, and equal protection under the law, and barring officials who engage in insurrection from holding office again. As DuVernay expertly illustrates, every one of those provisions is under pressure, at minimum, today.  

DuVernay is clearly aware that the very notions of civics lessons and constitutional amendments are likely to put people to sleep. So she emphasises visual flair and narrative momentum, to keep her audience engaged as we're learning. It works: due credit to everybody on her graphics, archival, score, and soundtrack teams, who have juxtaposed past and present with considerable insight. 150 years of striking archival material shares the screen with biting comedy from the likes of George Carlin and Paul Mooney, backed by music from James Brown, Kendrick Lamar and even Fleetwood Mac. Rarely has a documentary felt so thoughtfully constructed.

Her longtime editor, Spencer Averick, deserves extra praise for pulling so many disparate elements together with both clarity and style. Even if you have no idea what ‘birthright citizenship’ and ‘due process’ mean going in, you'll feel like a scholar in these subjects coming out. 

This is also thanks to the vast array of talking heads she uses to walk us through potentially intimidating concepts. Scholars like Howard University law professor Sherrilyn Ifill incisively explain the history of the 14th Amendment, while politicians including Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former Republican Senator Jeff Flake tell us, in plain terms, exactly why it matters. We see firsthand, through chilling footage of the January 6th US Capitol attack and recent ICE arrests, how it is currently being challenged.

Regardless of where you live or how you vote, it should not be missed

There are more than 50 interviewees in all, and inevitably, some stand out while others feel underused. A thread about Devon Henry, the contractor who removed Richmond's Confederate monuments at great risk to himself and his family, could have filled an entire film. Yet even when an individual story leaves us wanting more, the parade of experts never feels excessive; everyone who appears either deepens or clarifies the subject.

What we learn, most of all, is how consistent human nature really is. Steve Schmidt, a campaign strategist for George W Bush and John McCain, notes that ‘there is nothing that is happening in America today that cannot be traced in a straight line back all the way to the Civil War’. And then DuVernay finds a dozen ways to prove it. 

At a time when competing interests so persistently overshadow true crises, she has handed us a master class in civic engagement. Regardless of where you live or how you vote, it should not be missed.

14th premiered at the New York Film Festival. In US theaters Nov 27.