Stamped from the Beginning

Roger Ross Williams's 2023 documentary starts from Ibram X. Kendi's book of the same name. The thesis it argues is this: racist ideas did not arise from prejudice; discriminatory policies were established first, and ideas to justify them were produced afterwards. The documentary traces that argument historically: religious justifications during slavery, nineteenth-century scientific racism, and twentieth-century narratives built on crime statistics. Black women scholars speak throughout, Angela Davis among them. The film uses animation heavily. Drawing and collage take over for periods with no archive footage, which moves the documentary away from lecture. The method was debated; some argued the animation lightens the weight of the subject. Who it's for: those who like documentaries about race and history in America. Who it's not for: viewers expecting opposing views to be given room; the documentary argues one thesis and does not hide it.