Daughters of the Dust (1991)

• Year: 1991
• Released: 27 Dec 1991
• Country: United States, Germany
• Adwords: 4 wins & 2 nominations
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104057/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/daughters_of_the_dust
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/daughters-of-the-dust
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English, French
• MPA Rating: TV-PG
• Genre: Drama, History, Romance
• Runtime: 113 min
• Writer: Julie Dash
• Director: Julie Dash
• Cast: Cora Lee Day, Alva Rogers, Barbarao
• Keywords: woman director, rape, island, slavery, mystic,

	6.6/10
	81/100
	94% – Critics
	66% – Audience

Daughters of the Dust Storyline

Languid look at the Gullah culture of the sea islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia where African folk-ways were maintained well into the 20th Century and was one of the last bastions of these mores in America. Set in 1902.

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Daughters of the Dust Movie Reviews

Don’t Believe the Hype

I’ll start by saying that I usually like non-linear movies, and that I’m interested in African-American history and the Gullah people. That said, this movie was one of the all-time worst I have ever seen. There’s no plot, no character development, and no way to determine what the relationships between most of the characters are. It’s as if you were dropped from the sky into the midst of this somewhat unsympathetic bunch of women (the men are ciphers, no personalities at all, merely an afterthought), and during the time you are there they don’t speak to you and reveal nothing about themselves. The Gullah dialect is almost impossible to understand, and there are no subtitles. Yeah, the cinematography is nice, but save yourself a couple bucks and watch a PBS show. It’s obvious that the ONLY reason many people are so entranced by this film is that it was the first independent film by an African-American woman.

Notable

Languid look at the Gullah culture of the sea islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia where African folk-ways were maintained well into the 20th Century and was one of the last bastions of these mores in America. Set in 1902.

Allegedly, this is the first feature film directed by an African-American woman distributed theatrically in the United States. That, in and of itself, makes it culturally important. But more so, I have to say I was not really aware of the Gullah people or that there are islands off the coast of South Carolina. I guess maybe I should know that from pirate lore or something, but it’s so foreign to a Midwesterner.

Anyway, this is an interesting look at that culture. And even though it may be fictional, I believe it captures the right feeling, or at least close enough to get those who are interested to look into it more.

close-up look at a family

Period piece showing an extended family meeting on the beach, off the coast of the carolinas. Cora Day is Nana, telling the story of the various generations, some of whom are moving away. The opening cards describe the “gullahs”.. .the group of people descended from slaves who typically live isolated lives near the mid-atlantic coast; according to wikipedia, they are also known as Geechees, probably so called from the name of the Ogeechee River. co-stars Barbara-O and Trula Hoosier. The women do all the talking and laughing. The men just sit and watch. Takes a while to get going..in fact, i’m not sure a plot line ever really gets going. we see various people “preparing”.. but everyone is doing their own thing, and we’re not at all sure how everyone is connected. lots of flashbacks, and people seeing visions of their ancestors ? a bit confusing for me. screaming now and then for no reason. laughing. reading to a group on the beach. Seems to take place in one day. i think most of us are so far removed from this that having a few more things spelled out would have been helpful. Written and Directed by Julie Dash, who also did Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl and Rosa Parks.