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13TH

Play trailer 2:16 Poster for 13TH 2016 1h 40m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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97% Tomatometer 105 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay explores the history of racial inequality in the United States, focusing on the fact that the nation's prisons are disproportionately filled with African-Americans.
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13TH

13TH

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Critics Consensus

13th strikes at the heart of America's tangled racial history, offering observations as incendiary as they are calmly controlled.

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Critics Reviews

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Thelma Adams AARP Movies for Grownups 11/30/2021
Ava DuVernay's 13TH is essential viewing on the history of racism in America - and how the warehousing of black men in contemporary corporate prisons is rooted in the slavery of the past. Go to Full Review
Bob Mondello NPR 09/24/2018
In her documentary, 13th, Ava DuVernay cites the wording of the 13th amendment, which outlawed slavery and involuntary servitude "except as a punishment for crime..." but DuVernay gives the argument enormous cinematic force. Go to Full Review
Ann Hornaday Washington Post 09/24/2018
DuVernay creates a cogent, compelling argument in 13th, which balances attractively filmed talking-head interviews with alternately heartbreaking and infuriating archival footage. Go to Full Review
Brett Michael Dykes Uproxx 12/29/2021
DuVernay boldly explores how prisons and detention centers are making a profit off of free prison labor, most of it done by black men which begs the question, is slavery really dead? Go to Full Review
Dorothy Woodend AWFJ.org 11/30/2021
Ferociously intelligent, rigorous and impassioned, DuVernay's film is a battle cry for democracy. Go to Full Review
Victor Pineyro Seventh Art Studio 03/01/2021
9/10
Silence is oppression, and by being silent we become tolerant. Impressive documentary, terrifying truth. Ava DuVernay channels understanding today through the knowledge of the past. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Conner L 09/19/2024 I really liked this film. The way it describes what African Americans have been through has really showed me what life was like for them back then. The images and videos they used In the film also makes It come to life. It's crazy that those videos weren't made that long ago. Only in the 50s and 60s. That's not that long ago if you think about it. See more CaDarius F 02/09/2024 In my Intro Social Justice class, we watched the "13th." This movie was very emotional in a sense that I have experienced this or, saw these situations happen firsthand to others. Truthfully, I was extremely upset knowing the obstacles and limits we've been through. There is beauty in the struggle, and we are waking up and breaking these mental chains. See more darius b 02/09/2024 In my social justice class at Philander Smith University we reviewed the film The 13th and my initial thoughts on the film are that there are several valuable lessons to be learned while watching the film. Several Lessons in the film that should be learned but are not talked about throughout educational systems. The several injustices against African Americans in the United States are thoroughly discussed and explained through historical facts and present-day news. The film is a great source of information for the youth. See more Jojo P 02/09/2024 We watched this movie in my Social Justice class at Philander Smith University, and the film was very enlightening film to watch. It showed the persisting issue going on in America's society in the minority groups especially. I would recommend that other classes and teachers watch this film to get insight into the problems still occurring in today's world. See more Justin D 02/09/2024 I watched this movie in my social justice class at Philander Smith University and it was a very informative movie that dives into the experiences of African Americans in the United States. I learned a lot about how the different presidents made decisions that directly impacted minorities. They started to arrest African Americans for minor crimes, which stigmatize their community making them feel unwanted and disgraced. I also learned that there were important factors that made it easy for the African American and Hispanic communities to be arrested, such as the war on drugs. Overall, I enjoyed this movie, and I learned a lot about what African Americans had to go through, throughout history. See more A W 01/04/2024 Absolutely eye opening See more Read all reviews
13TH

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Movie Info

Synopsis Filmmaker Ava DuVernay explores the history of racial inequality in the United States, focusing on the fact that the nation's prisons are disproportionately filled with African-Americans.
Director
Ava DuVernay
Producer
Spencer Averick, Howard Barish, Ava DuVernay
Screenwriter
Spencer Averick, Ava DuVernay
Production Co
Netflix
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
May 23, 2017
Runtime
1h 40m
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