*It is 1933, and by accident some mobsters from Chicago drive up to a secluded old plantation in Alabama by the name of Manderlay. Rather than finding a relic of the ante-bellum South, the gangsters make the disturbing discovery that this is a plantation where slavery never ended.
This is the provocative point of departure of Manderlay, a moving melodrama with talented cast topped by Danny Glover, Oscar-nominees Lauren Bacall, Willem Dafoe, John Hurt and Chloe Sevigny. Still, the real star of the movie is Bryce Dallas Howard, as Grace, the conflicted daughter of a Mafia don. For although her father has a hands-off attitude, the young girl summons up the gumption to do something about it, stating that, "We whites have committed an irreparable crime against an entire people," concluding, "We have a moral obligation" to undo it.
Grace thus serves as the story's social conscience, a cleansing force intent on confronting America's defining divide. In this capacity, she challenges the residents of Manderlay to reassess their ingrained beliefs about the indelibility of the color line. She exhorts the whites to abandon their ingrained arrogance, while imploring the blacks to shed their equally deep-seated sense of low-self esteem.
Though ostensibly about events occurring at a mythical mansion in the Thirties, Manderlay is, nonetheless, an eloquent exploration of present-day black-white relations. Directed by Lars von Trier who shot the picture on a shoestring budget in his native Sweden, this minimalist theatrical-style production rises far above its modest means. Relying on a daring script as executed by A-list actors, it offers a potentially transformational experience for any inclined to contemplate an introspective, gut-wrenching meditation on the intractability of the legacy of slavery.
Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 133 minutes
Studi Genius Productions, Inc.
DVD Extras: Deleted scenes, gag reel, and a theatrical trailer.