Natchez

At an antebellum home in Natchez, Mississippi, a group of older women convene as members of the local Garden Club. The charismatic mayor of Natchez, Dan Gibson, arrives and addresses the chatty and enthusiastic women: “I’m excited that Natchez is a new Natchez — one that appreciates and loves our city — all of it, even the bad, but it is our history. It is also a city that believes in coming together in love — and if we ever needed it in America, we need it today.” This proclamation sets off filmmaker Suzannah Herbert’s sharp exploration of the American South’s unreconciled history.The haunting Natchez is a potent choral portrait of a town reliant on its antebellum past to survive, and how its idiosyncratic citizens navigate — and reflect on — their town’s history and memory. With an observant lens, Herbert foregrounds a dynamic array of distinctive residents — from the outspoken and thoughtful “Rev”, a preacher who provides comprehensive tours of the town and is the self-ascribed “best tour guide in America”, to the charming hoopskirt-wearing Southern belle Tracy. With palpable intimacy, Herbert’s film reveals a looming reckoning that asks the question: who gets to tell America’s story?