Margaret Brown’s The Order of Myths, is one of those rare docs that churned up my thoughts and emotions, really getting me thinking about all kinds of issues relating to race and the American cultural landscape. Besides the great cinematography and lavish soundtrack, the film never belies complexity and is all the better for its confusion.

My grandparents live in an upper-middle class neighborhood in New Jersey, which is basically a suburb of New York City. Though the area is quite diverse, their neighborhood happens to be a subdivision that houses mostly only white families. I spent a lot of time there growing up and my first vivid memory of racism happened there. A black family had moved in next door and there were children who I played with. I remember being mesmerized by their beautiful dark skin and what seemed to me then to be exotic features. I went home and said something about wishing that I was black and my grandmother’s response was, “You don’t wish you were black.” No explanation given but the tone and severity and abruptness spoke volumes more than the actual words. It’s a bad thing to be black, according to her but I recognized the prejudice and continue to think of her as isolated in her thinking. Maybe simply a product of a generation.

As I watched Margaret Brown’s superb film, I was struck with profound sadness. It explores the Mardi Gras celebration in her hometown of Mobile, Alabama where the black and white communities hold completely segregated celebrations to this day. Can it be that this kind of racism still exists in our country? Occasionally I wonder if I’m being totally naive and this is one such moment. The film illustrates palpable racism in a way I haven’t seen.

But the beauty of the film isn’t in a stark portrayal, it is in laying bare the complexities. Margaret grew up in Mobile and her mother was a one-time Queen. The filmmaker’s roots are in this world and yet she doesn’t identify with the traditions, the legacies of slave times, that others in her community hold so dear. Whites don’t want to admit that this segregation is a hold-over from slave owning times and can’t understand how black folks can still be effected by it, while the black community sees the legacy of slavery playing out in everyday situations, including Mardi Gras, and rightly continue to be astounded by the injustice of it. Yet all hope isn’t gone.

There have been other strong films recently on similar aspects to this ongoing American story, namely Marco Williams’ Banished and Katrina Brown’s Traces of the Trade, which premiered with The Order of Myths at Sundance. I haven’t posted a Trifecta in a long while, but here it is: three films about race in America that shine a much need light onto this important subject with modern perspective.

Elsewhere:
Cinematical review of The Order of Myths
GreenCine’s Sundance wrap of the film
Spout interview with Margaret Brown