Mobile, Alabama has held some form of a Mardi Gras celebration since 1703. Times haven’t changed much, except for inventions like the movie theater, and documentary. Documentary film maker Margaret Brown embraced her southern roots and filmed The Order of Myths as a funny, thought-provoking vision of Mobile today. A truly objective film, she showed the segregated world from as many sides as possible, from the littlest girl to the oldest mystic, from the house kitchen to the dance hall. Watching The Order of Myths (shown at BAM) is a learning experience on many levels, because it sucks you in to a world with its own set of unique customs.

The beauty of The Order of Myths is that it leaves the viewer to form his or her own opinion. The message of segregation is not a documentaries construct: it’s history. The conversations onscreen are purely chitchat in private homes and public schools. With the right cameras and the right people skills, Brown makes it seem as if anyone could see what she saw.

The Order of Myths is a truly powerful film, and the power if in your hands. Every fact or conversation is its own truth, and the viewer can laugh or cry at will. This film is a masterpiece, because it shows Mobile’s Mardi Gras at its most honest—smiles, secrets and all.

-Alexandra Bregman