Manderlay (2005)

In the shadowy corners of 1933 Alabama, gangster Mulligan (Willem Dafoe) and his sheltered daughter, Grace Margaret Mulligan (Bryce Dallas Howard), stumble upon the grim specter of a time long past at the Manderlay cotton plantation. Struck by the chilling sight of a slave on the brink of punishment, Grace's conscience is set ablaze. She is revolted by the anachronistic existence of slavery, a cruel institution supposedly abolished seventy years prior, and the reprehensible edicts of 'Mam's Law', enforced by the dying matriarch Mam (Lauren Bacall). Refusing to continue their journey, Grace opts to stay behind, commandeering half of her father’s gangsters to stand as her guard against the archaic regime of Manderlay. A naive savior, she dispossesses the plantation's heirs, reducing them to mere 'staff', and embarks on a mission to instill democracy into the hearts and minds of the enslaved and their former masters alike. Despite her noble intentions, most of her democracy pupils prove to be fickle, selfish, and ignorant, exempting the wise old Wilhelm (Danny Glover). As harvest season approaches, Grace's ignorance of Southern planting techniques and the cunning Dixie ways create more problems than they resolve. She is confronted by the harsh social and economic realities of Manderlay, a world far removed from her own understanding. When Mulligan returns, Grace has to face her own transformation, a testament to her time at Manderlay, forcing her to question if she is the savior she aimed to be, or just another oppressor in a different guise.

Manderlay is a drama movie featuring Virgile Bramly.

Manderlay is currently streaming on MUBI and MUBI Amazon Channel.