13th
A forceful historical documentary exposes how racial oppression in the United States evolved into mass incarceration.
Overview
A powerful exploration of America's prison system and its historical roots.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- incendiary
- urgent
- infuriating
- political discussion
- history study
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a meticulously researched, calmly controlled, and incendiary examination of America’s racial history and prison system.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film traces a historical line from chattel slavery and the 13th Amendment through convict leasing, segregation, the war on drugs, and mass incarceration.
The film juxtaposes archival footage, political speeches, news material, and excerpts from The Birth of a Nation with contemporary interviews.
Interviews and historical analysis connect Nixonian law-and-order politics, Reagan's war on drugs, and prison expansion to racial politics.
Angela Davis, Jelani Cobb, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Michelle Alexander, Cory Booker, and other speakers interpret data and historical events.
Films like 13th, and why
I Am Not Your Negro
shared focus on systemic racism, american history, and institutional injustice through archival documentary evidence
The House I Live In
shared investigation of race, criminalization, and the social consequences of the american justice system
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
shared examination of black political history, state power, and the struggle for civil rights through interviews and archival footage
Movie Details
- Director
- Ava DuVernay
- Release Date
- 2016-10-07
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 7.8 / 10 (815)
Cast
- Jelani Cobb
- Angela Davis
- Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
- Michelle Alexander
- Cory Booker
- Marie Gottschalk
- Michael Hough
- Gina Clayton
- David Keene
- James Kilgore
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is 13th about?
- A forceful historical documentary exposes how racial oppression in the United States evolved into mass incarceration.
- What is 13th like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of 13th as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is 13th violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in 13th as mild.
- What did critics think of 13th?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a meticulously researched, calmly controlled, and incendiary examination of America’s racial history and prison system.
- Which films are like 13th?
- Films with a similar feel include I Am Not Your Negro, The House I Live In, and The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution.
- How long is 13th?
- 13th runs 100 minutes.
- Where can I watch 13th?
- In United States, 13th streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
