Amistad

A very important movie about such a contentious part of our history. I love this movie so much because it refuses to shy away from the horrors of what Africans were put through on these slave ships, the lives that were ruined. Rarely do I find a movie that talks about slavery that shows graphically the horror that these people went through, but Amistad does not shy away from that. This moment in history was incredibly important for the leadup to the Civil War in America, and also puts into context the extreme divide during this time period. I also appreciate it's depiction of Van Buren as president, and John Quincy Adams as a former president, and the kind of people they were. They do not glorify them as people, John Quincy Adams is not depicted as the 'white savior' people seem to think he is, they try to give a realistic depiction as best the can. In my opinion one of the better movies to watch if you want to learn about slavery, because of its brutal depiction of the torture endured by Africans who were kidnapped and put on these ships, as well as ensuring that the audience seems them as people. They aren't just people to be pitied, we see them celebrate their traditions, struggle honestly in this new and unfamiliar place, we get to see who they were before all of this happened.