Heartbreaking and illuminating, all at once. You might think a movie about a more academic leaning book might be boring and dry, but this film is quite the opposite. It's full of emotion, as we get the story of Isabel Wilkerson's personal life and the trials she faced leading up to the publication of Caste, as well as reinactments of significant historical events that inspired the thesis.

Some parts of the movie lost my attention, but for the most part, I thought this was extremely well done. The acting was, all around, fantastic. The breakdown of the thesis at the core of the movie made sense, and the storytelling about the author herself kept the movie compelling.

I hope you leave the move also looking for ways to defy caste.

First off, Aunjanue Ellis Taylor deserves an Oscar as does the movie's director, Ava DuVernay. I don't use this sentiment lightly. The pacing of Isabel Wilkerson, her work, the research and her findings are all laid out. Books are different from films. I'll admit, I had not read it before seeing the movie so I do not have any prejudices about the story. I wrote that "It Broke Me" because I not only learned about Ms. Wilkerson but also more about myself. She is alive folks! Not an imagined character or a dead one either. Relatively young. I hope she continues her work. Opening people's eyes is worth the entire trip of emotions this adventure took me on. Wake up folks! I sure have.

I saw this movie in AMC screen unseen, and I only share that so you get that I had zero clue what I was walking in on.

With that I have to say at first the movie was slow, I understood that it started with the retelling of Travon Martin, then just bounced between time periods to show injustices during Nazi Germany and the following times from many different points of view. The main character went through a lot of personal turmoil but her purpose was clear, she felt there was an underlying connection between a lot of the injustices and mistreatment among many different sect of people. I have to say this is not an "easy" or "light" movie but it needs to be shown.

When leaving the showing I often go to see the reviews, and to my dismay there was clearly a person who just didn't get it. It is based off a book and I plan to read that more. Do yourself a favor and see this film, it's an important one.