CSA: The Confederate States of America

Filmmaker Kevin Willmott's CSA: The Confederate States of America is a “what-if” nightmare presented as a faux (if authentic-looking) British television documentary chronicling America's political and cultural history after the Civil War—which, in this cinematic revision, is won by the South. After burning down New York, forcing Lincoln to flee to Canada, and making Jefferson Davis president of the CSA—the Confederacy embarked on an eventual Reconstruction of the North, which was based, in part, on tax breaks tendered to whites for reinstituting slavery (not so much a topsy-turvy idea as one that magnifies an ugly, real-world truth: racism can rationalize itself anywhere). Through mock interviews and film clips, creatively spun archival footage, and even fake commercials interrupting the presentation, CSA serves up an intellectually rigorous fantasia that should stir stimulating debate. Highly recommended. (T. Keogh)