“Unmarked” – Lost [MOVIE REVIEW]
“Unmarked,” a well-intentioned short documentary that seeks to shine a light on heritage lost and heritage found, focuses primarily on the unmarked and abandoned graves of African Americans in Virginia. The discovery of unmarked slave graves on the property of a preserved plantation, prompted a more in depth look at where other similar graves might be located and who the deceased were. For, as one interviewee stated, “When you know where you come from you know who you are.” Directors Chris Haley and Brad J. Bennett, for better or worse, cast their net a bit too wide. The finding of the slave grave sites, so hidden from view and previously unrecognized, could have opened a wider discussion on more of the stories they uncovered. There are records, few as they may be, about some of these slaves and their histories. Moving on from the discovery of slave graveyards, the directors then focus on the uncared for and seemingly abandoned graveyards of African Americans who were born well after the end of slavery; graveyards overgrown with weeds and broken headstones. They too, more than likely, tell a story. It might have been interesting to know who those more recently deceased people were…
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