Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor plays Isabel Wilkerson, a writer who decides to research racism and ends up writing the bestseller Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. The process leads her to Germany and India before coming up with her revolutionary approach to the hierarchy of human divisions. Director Ava DuVernay (she also co-wrote the screenplay with Wilkerson) has created a hybrid of procedural documentary and personal journey. We watch the author as she discusses her findings with other characters. There are also scenes set in the segregated South, Nazi Germany and present day India that add human resonance to the subject. This is an ambitious summation of the book’s concepts and a drama that also focuses on the influential tragedies in her life. As such, it goes from somewhat academic to closely personal with an assured directorial hand. The movie makes challenging, powerful statements about the history of discrimination, which is not only socially important but deserves to be seen. NOTE: Look for Petersburg native Blair Underwood in the cast and hear him talk about the film on my podcast next week. 
(4 / 5)