Film Review: Harriet Is One Of The Most Important Films Ever
Yes, that is a bold title, but American history, like most histories, is written by the ones that “won.” Hence, the pilgrims are represented as victims of religious persecution immigrating to a new land, and their whole mass genocide of Native Americans or slave-owning is deduced to a line about small pox blankets and the birth of hymns like, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” Yet, both these atrocities played massive roles in building this nation’s economy/policies, especially as a global superpower. I mention this history because Kasi Lemmons’ Harriet puts heart behind the tiny details we know about slavery, and America’s early history, by using one of the most powerful figures we all know: Harriet Tubman.
Written by Kasi and Gregory Allen Howard, this film is for the religious, and admirably embraces a fact about Harriet that gets swooped amongst the few details you might read about her: she spoke to God. Yes, Harriet Tubman, for America, was what Joan of Arc was for France, except her life started in chains where as the latter had hers ended by them. The reason I was surprised, but happy by the religiosity and spirituality of this film, is because, in showing God as Harriet’s literal guide, the film acknowledge her visions as a historical fact. To Harriet Tubman, personally, it was the most important factor to her historical rise as one of the first and only female generals of a militia and a key player in freeing nearly a 1000 slaves. Thus, for the sake of history, God is important.
HARRIET | Official Trailer | In Theaters November 1
In the movie, visions, spells, and meditations are interspersed as Harriet speaks to God and gets warned and led on how to free her fellows slaves. Part of why I think this aspect gets ignored in Harriet’s history is because A) America is still racist and B) if history is written by the “winners” then what winner wants to know God did not want them to win. This idea permeates through Cynthia Erivo’s performance, which I would not be surprised if it gets an Oscar or Golden Globe nod. She plays Harriet’s spirituality and connection to God with such humble conviction that it does not feel cheesy, which, at times, religiosity can be. Yet, because this is story of a life long gone but still remembered, Director Lemmons is able to connect how Harriet, herself, sees God’s hand even in the most PAINFUL of her situations, and perceives his assistance as holy intervention for an abominable sin: owning people like property.
Admittedly, I cried a few times during Harriet, and am shocked that SHE did not cry more. The beauty of Harriet is that it displays one of the harshest realities to accept; you fight on because you have to. Harriet loses loved ones, breaks her body, is constantly endangered by government officials and politics, and seemingly never gets the chance to rest and receive her glory. Erivo’s performance is built on positivity and how it is not about ignoring what is wrong but not letting such wrongs cause you to ignore what is right about you and what human rights you deserve. She exemplifies that you fight on because you can’t let your enemy win over you. They don’t deserve to see you buried, and you, definitely, feel this truth through Joe Alwyn’s Gideon Brodess.
Harriet Tubman’s road to freedom
I HAVE to praise Alwyn’s performance as Gideon because he perfectly captures the most integral part to any racist: self-pity. While he is beating, killing, selling, and separating black families from each other, he genuinely feels bad for himself. He was a sickly child with not many people liking or respecting him, which made him the bottom of the most privileged. Add on that his father dies, making him inherit a batch of debts and a farm/ economy sinkhole, and this young man, genuinely, believes he has it harder then anyone else. Yet, that is the point of prejudice and why it is born in educational systems as much as political; he was told black people are sub-human, which “allowed” him to vent his inner loathing on them. This made even his demented gratitude and deranged “love” for Minty, a.k.a Harriet, to be the equivalent of how a young man would treat a dog he loves to hit so as to hear it cry with feelings of betrayal. Such complexities are why I loved Harriet. It was a stunning film filled beautiful quotes of empowerment, gorgeous scenes of human perseverance, and an entire cast that evened the humanity of the master and the slave: for worse or better. Harriet Comes Out November 1.
