Natchez (2025)
The documentary Natchez, directed by Suzannah Herbert, ponders the history of the small town of Natchez, Mississippi, as filtered through tour guides in the city. Some individuals like to celebrate the Antebellum mansions in a romanticized version of the Old South, while others want to educate people in the town's true, dark past of slavery and racism.
The most charismatic subject in the film is African American tour guide Tracy "Rev" Collins. His stories about slavery and the cotton trade are informative and engaging. You also see in the documentary how the ugly racist history of Natchez personally affects Collins.
There is another Tracy in the mix: Tracy McCartney. She has always enjoyed dressing like a Southern belle and living that romantic notion of the South, but she is willing to confront the horrible slave trade of Mississippi's past.
Then there is David Garner, a white, gay, "Southern gentleman" who has purchased the historic Choctaw Hall mansion and turned it into a tourist attraction. At one point, Garner shows his true colors, and it's disturbing yet not surprising. True history—and not whitewashed history—should be preserved and taught, because history has a tendency to repeat itself. Just look at our current political climate.
Natchez is playing at The Broad Theater and the
Prytania Theaters at Canal Place.
