Educational Media Reviews Online

Meltdown in Dixie is a well-executed documentary comprising a case study in the ongoing national battles over Confederate monuments and symbols. It focuses on a single battle over a Confederate flag on property adjacent to (but not legally owned by) a creamery, exploring how the flag got to the property, the ultimately fruitless battle to take it down, and the personal effects of the battle on the immediate stakeholders and the community. The film grounds the conflict in the greater context of the Black Lives Matter movement and the national progress towards taking down these symbols but keeps a constant focus on the local context.

While the film gives space for all participants in the events to have an equal say, it does have a clear stance on the subject. With that said, it never strays too far in actively demonizing the pro-flag agents, allowing their own words to speak for themselves. This approach serves Meltdown in Dixie well, as it allows people like the owner to be human without canonizing them, showing both the frustrations with the local community as well as a commitment to the cause of removing the flag. Likewise, the editorial approach allows supporters of the Confederate flag to air their views without sympathizing with them.

Crucially, the film does not attempt to create a sense of closure; it shows the progress that has been made in taking down the monuments, but the text crawl in the end makes it very clear that the work is not complete.

This film would be very useful for collections that focus on current history, monuments, public memory, or any other program that would benefit from primary source interviews on issues of national scale. As a case study tied to a broader context, it is unlikely to become obsolete as a historical primary source, and this creates ongoing value for a library to purchase it. Overall, Meltdown in Dixie is an excellent exploration of an important subject.

Awards:
Best Short, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival; Best National Short, AmDocs; Best Documentary Short, Ashland Independent Film Festival; Special Jury Award, Provincetown International Film Festival; Best Juried Short, San Francisco DocFest

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