From three-time Emmy nominee Rachel Boynton, “Civil War (or, Who Do We Think We Are)” explores the legacy of a defining moment in American history. The documentary examines how the story of the Civil War and what came after varies dramatically “depending on who you are and where you live,” a trailer for the film emphasizes.
While some don’t “see the pain the symbol” of the Confederate flag represents, others point out that “tension and anger [come] from the erasure of African Americans’ history.” One interviewee adds, “You don’t really hear the word ‘slavery’ or ‘slave’ in Mississippi. The simple term is whitewash.”
An investigation into history and racism, the doc focuses particularly on what’s being taught about the Civil War in classrooms.
“Civil War (or, Who Do We Think We Are)” was filmed from the last year of Barack Obama’s presidency through the present. Now screening in select theaters, the film will be broadcast on MSNBC October 24.
Boynton’s other directing credits include “Big Men” and “Our Brand Is Crisis.” The latter served as the inspiration for the dramedy of the same name starring Sandra Bullock.
