The new documentary Natchez is blowing the lid off the carefully curated historical fantasy that has long sustained the tourism industry in Natchez, Mississippi. What this film really reveals is a town still grappling with the brutal realities of slavery that fueled its pre-Civil War prosperity - and a nation that has yet to fully confront its own dark past.

A Romanticized Vision of the Old South

For decades, Natchez has traded on its antebellum charm, inviting visitors to step back in time and experience the grandeur of the pre-war South. Tourists flock to the town for its historic homes, costumed reenactments, and even plantation weddings - all presented through a nostalgic, romanticized lens. But as director Suzannah Herbert's film makes clear, this picture-perfect vision obscures the ugly truth of slavery that undergirded Natchez's wealth and success.

Challenging the "Gone with the Wind" Myth

What the Natchez documentary reveals is a community deeply divided, with competing forces of nostalgia and historical reckoning at play. On one side are the tour operators, preservationists, and local elites who have long cashed in on the town's antebellum aesthetic - a "Gone with the Wind" fantasy that erases the realities of slavery. On the other are activists and community leaders like Rev. Tracy Collins, who are determined to tell the "real" story of Natchez - one that confronts the violence and oppression upon which the town's grandeur was built.

A Microcosm of America's Reckoning

In many ways, the tensions playing out in Natchez are a microcosm of the broader reckoning happening across America. As the film's director Suzannah Herbert notes, Natchez is "about America" - a nation still grappling with the legacy of slavery and the collective refusal to fully confront its own history. By holding up a mirror to this small Southern town, the documentary forces us to consider the ways in which we've allowed nostalgic fantasies to obscure uncomfortable truths. The bigger picture here is that until we're willing to reckon with the full, unvarnished history of this country, the healing and reconciliation we so desperately need will remain elusive.