Should You Watch "Sankofa"?
- Iyana Garrett
- Mar 9, 2024
- 1 min read
To say the least, "Sankofa" a movie released in 1993 by Haile Gerima was a very interesting watch. By interesting I don't mean in a way that made me want to continue watching it, it was interesting in a way that was engrossing but disturbing.
The film follows Mona, an American model, as she goes to Africa for photoshoots but in a weird turn of events she is forced back in time and enslaved. I don't want to give away too much of the movie for anyone who decides they want to watch it so I think that short description is sufficient. I would honestly never recommend "Sankofa" to anyone without at least first providing a warning. Even as someone who typically has no problem watching movies about slaves I had to look away multiple times. People who are triggered by sexual and physical abuse should not watch this movie.
Watching "Sankofa" as a Black woman was hard but it definitely was not as hard as it would have been to live through those times. It was a very graphic and harsh movie but those factors also make it what I would presume to be the most realistic slave movie I've ever seen.
Despite how uncomfortable I felt watching some of the movies scenes I think it's creation and viewing is important, for those who decide to watch it, because of how history books and other movies tend to downplay slavery.
Here's a short movie trailer for more information on "Sankofa":
Wow, your review makes me think this movie is intense. Slavery is rough to think about, let alone watch in a movie where it seems to have really place emphasis on making it seem as close to reality as they could on screen. I am glad that you gave the warning to people that may be triggered by scenes that are too explicit to digest. However, you did leave me wanting more, so I may watch it.