Daughters of the Dust Movie Review

Daughters of the Dust (1991)

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Written by: Julie Dash
Directed by: Julie Dash
Starring: Cora Lee Day, Alva Rogers, Barbara O. Jones
Rated: TV-PG
Watch the trailer

Plot
A languid, impressionistic story of three generations of Gullah women living on the South Carolina Sea Islands in 1902.

Verdict
This is not the typical plot, as it instead spends a couple of days with a family on an island. It doesn't look like America, but this portrays an American history never discussed. This family is at a crossroads, considering their traditions and a burgeoning civilization. Both cultures can't coexist, one will eventually overtake the other, and that's what's at stake. That's secondary to seeing this family live. Through that we see their beliefs and values. We wonder if they will leave this island, and by extension their culture, behind. The reason they've maintained their culture is the isolation, but the younger generation wants to modernize. While I enjoyed this movie, I think many will be dissuaded by the lack of plot and ambiguous themes.
It depends.

Review
This is set just fifty years after the civil war on an island off of Georgia. The movie feels outside of time and place as it mixes early twentieth century stylings with Gullah customs. These are Gullah islanders whose ancestors were enslaved centuries ago. They've created their own culture, a blend of history and contemporary, on this isolated island. That's what has kept their culture intact, but most of the family is planning to leave for the mainland for a more modern lifestyle.

This creates conflict between the older and younger generation. The older generation realizes that moving to the mainland and embracing the new will alter their culture. The elders urge them to remember the old ways, and that desire for preservation transcends time and culture.

These themes are secondary to exploring this culture as we see that through small moments that provide insight into their life and values. This creates a context that allows us to reasonably assume what the world is like off this island, creating an unseen contrast with the languid pace of the island and what occurs in the city. Through these scenes we learn the importance of culture and family. All the while, the story is narrated by a future child of this family, giving us a sense that the narration is stories the child was told at family gatherings.

This lacks a traditional plot yet it still explores an idea and an neglected piece of American history. I have to imagination several cultures abandoned their traditional customs to assimilate. While the lack of plot will unfairly alienate viewers, it's still an intriguing and valuable story.