Old South

Filmed in a historically African-American neighborhood in Athens, GA, filmmaker Danielle Beverly's Old South centers on a predominantly white college fraternity that moves onto a street where black families have lived for generations. The first sign that things will not go well comes when the frat house hosts an antebellum celebration that includes a parade, costumes, and Confederate flags everywhere. In city council and zoning meetings, the white mayor is hostile towards any suggestion that she or this unfolding situation is tied to racism, while community activists fail to obtain a “historic site” preservation status for their streets. Meanwhile, the college students living in the unwanted frat house are rattled by these developments. One well-spoken young man pushes back against the racism charge by expressing his idealization of the stereotypical “Southern gentleman” as someone who values his good name and reputation. Eventually, some common ground emerges when the students—in search of volunteerism opportunities—are invited to help locals build a community garden, which results in people from both sides starting to talk to one another. A surprisingly hopeful documentary that begins with a portrait of a community dividing itself along polarized racial lines but ends on a symbol of possibility, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)