An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.
Directed by Ava DuVernay
prison
politics
slavery
race politics
murder
conspiracy
racism
race
illegal drugs
political correctness
woman director
usa history
political debate
political documentary
social & cultural documentary
african american history
Rank
#5 in 2016·#244 overall
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Letterboxd
4.3 / 5
Where to Watch
Cast
Jelani Cobb
Self
Angela Davis
Self
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Self
Michelle Alexander
Self
Cory Booker
Self - U.S. Senator (D) New Jersey
Marie Gottschalk
Self
Van Jones
Self
Barack Obama
Self (archive footage)
Bill Clinton
Self (archive footage)
Jimmy Carter
Self (archive footage)
George W. Bush
Self (archive footage)
Donald Trump
Self (archive footage)
Crew
Ava DuVernay
Director
Ava DuVernay
Writer
Hans Charles
Director of Photography
Ava DuVernay
Producer
Angus Wall
Executive Producer
Craig Henighan
Sound Mixer
David Oyelowo
Thanks
Oprah Winfrey
Thanks
Karriem Riggins
Musician
Popular Reviews
551 reviews
a h
8.0★ · 04/19/26
everyone should see at least once
everyone should see at least once
t
8.0★ · 03/20/26
great documentary even though it was a bit overloaded in places i think it demonstrates its points very well
great documentary even though it was a bit overloaded in places i think it demonstrates its points very well
Maddie Alicia
10.0★ · 02/23/26
Tough watch but a must watch. ACAB, Fuck the Prison Industrial Complex, Fuck White Supremacy, and Fuck Fascism.
Tough watch but a must watch. ACAB, Fuck the Prison Industrial Complex, Fuck White Supremacy, and Fuck Fascism.
Jumana Rabie
10.0★ · 02/01/26
13th Amendment: Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.“History is not just stuff that happens by accident. We are the products of the history that our ancestors chose, if we’re white. If we are black, we are products of the history that our ancestors most likely did not choose. Yet here we all are together, the products of that set of choices.”
“There’s really no understanding of our American political culture, without race at the center of it.” * “If you look at the history of black people’s various struggles in this country , the connecting theme is the attempt to be understood as full, complicated human beings.”* * *“Creating a context where people are afraid. And when you make people afraid, you can always justify putting people in the garbage can.” * *“So you have then educated a public, deliberately, over years, over decades, to believe that black men in particular and black people in general are criminals. I wanna be clear, because I’m not just saying that white people believe this, right? Black people also believe this and are terrified of our own selves.” * *“I mean thats why, when someone asks me about violence, uh, I just uh, I find it incredible because. Because what it means is that the person asking that question has absolutely no idea what black people have gone through, what black people have experienced in this country, since the time the first black person was kidnapped from the shores of Africa.” * *“We have a criminal Justice system that treats you better if you’re rich and guilty than if you’re poor and innocent. Wealth, not culpability shapes outcomes.” * *“We have in this country, people pleading guilty for crimes they didn’t commit, just because the thought of going to jail for what the mandatory minimums are is so excruciating.”
“We got ask ourselves, ‘Do we feel comfortable with people taking the lead of a conversation, in a moment where it feels right politically?’ “ * * Justice too long delayed is justice denied. Justice. I can only pray I get to live to see the day where I can see justice served rightfully to its owners, human beings. And I mean all and every single human being who has ever been bullied, abused and harassed for any aspect of difference. Essential viewing.
R.I.P Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) R.I.P Malcom X (1925-1965) R.I.P Fred Hampton (1948-1969) R.I.P to Tamir Rice (2002-2014) and every other defenseless, unarmed kid that has been cruelly taken from us, for no other reason on this earth but the pigment of their skin. * * * * R.I.P George Floyd (1973-2020)
13th Amendment: Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.“History is not just stuff that happens by accident. We are the products of the history that our ancestors chose, if we’re white. If we are black, we are products of the history that our ancestors most likely did not choose. Yet here we all are together, the products of that set of choices.”
“There’s really no understanding of our American political culture, without race at the center of it.” * “If you look at the history of black people’s various struggles in this country , the connecting theme is the attempt to be understood as full, complicated human beings.”* * *“Creating a context where people are afraid. And when you make people afraid, you can always justify putting people in the garbage can.” * *“So you have then educated a public, deliberately, over years, over decades, to believe that black men in particular and black people in general are criminals. I wanna be clear, because I’m not just saying that white people believe this, right? Black people also believe this and are terrified of our own selves.” * *“I mean thats why, when someone asks me about violence, uh, I just uh, I find it incredible because. Because what it means is that the person asking that question has absolutely no idea what black people have gone through, what black people have experienced in this country, since the time the first black person was kidnapped from the shores of Africa.” * *“We have a criminal Justice system that treats you better if you’re rich and guilty than if you’re poor and innocent. Wealth, not culpability shapes outcomes.” * *“We have in this country, people pleading guilty for crimes they didn’t commit, just because the thought of going to jail for what the mandatory minimums are is so excruciating.”
“We got ask ourselves, ‘Do we feel comfortable with people taking the lead of a conversation, in a moment where it feels right politically?’ “ * * Justice too long delayed is justice denied. Justice. I can only pray I get to live to see the day where I can see justice served rightfully to its owners, human beings. And I mean all and every single human being who has ever been bullied, abused and harassed for any aspect of difference. Essential viewing.
R.I.P Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) R.I.P Malcom X (1925-1965) R.I.P Fred Hampton (1948-1969) R.I.P to Tamir Rice (2002-2014) and every other defenseless, unarmed kid that has been cruelly taken from us, for no other reason on this earth but the pigment of their skin. * * * * R.I.P George Floyd (1973-2020)
Rareș Sbenghe
6.0★ · 01/22/26
I wanted to watch this because I’m interested in the subject, even though I’m not a big fan of documentaries, this one it’s definitely well made.
I wanted to watch this because I’m interested in the subject, even though I’m not a big fan of documentaries, this one it’s definitely well made.