HARRIET
Hello and happy new week to all of us in the Cine TV Community. We’re beginning this week with all the delightful movies that are sure to leave us either nostalgic for a different time, or at the very least, enjoying the goodness of properly produced and directed films. One of the movies I enjoyed immensely sometime in 2020, I’ll be sharing with you today.
Harriet (2019)
Directed by Kasi Lemmons, Harriet tells the story of Araminta Ross who is married to newly freedman John Tubman in the slave state of Maryland, 1849. Araminta, otherwise known as Minty, is a slave working at Bodess plantations. She and her husband approach Edward Bodess, the owner of the plantation with a lawyer’s letter stating that by virtue of Minty’s mother’s service, she is to be a free woman but he angrily tears the letter.
Minty regularly sees visions known as ‘spells,’ and in one of them, she sees herself freeing her people and leading them to safety. She sees this as a sign to escape to and begins the journey even as she is fiercely chased by Gideon, the dead Edward’s son. When she’s assumed to have died from drowning, she makes her way to Delaware and begins the fight for freedom of her people. Her mantra remains, “I go to prepare a place for you.”
This film puts you through a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the movie. From sadness to hope to lethal anger, to despair, and back to hope again. It’s beautiful even in its bitterness, and obviously deals with a subject matter that all of us are familiar with. Set deeply in a time when only a few states were being emancipated from the slave trade, Harriett highlights all the struggles of the slaves of that era, seeking, despite the odds against them, to be free.
I love that this historical film took slavery from a different light. Talking about Minty’s visions and her walk with God in a way that felt more spiritual and in-depth. It showcased the beauty of having hope and faith even with the impossibility of the obstacles before you. This woman was driven by a vision before her, and she didn’t relent till she achieved it. I remember having chills down my spine with the crossing of the sea and the people’s fear that they would drown, alluding to the biblical story of Moses.
The actors embodied the roles like their lives depended on it. I was especially pleased with Erivo's performance. All in all, a very decent film. A hard watch, definitely, but beautiful nonetheless. I should have faults to point out, but I was too immersed in the masterpiece this was to use the eagle eye over it. Hope you enjoy.
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I haven't watched Harriet yet but I've heard a lot about it, and reading your take just made me even more curious. I really like that it focuses not just on the historical facts but also Minty's spiritual journey and inner strength. The way you described the emotional layers and Erivo's performance makes it sound powerful
I'll definitely add this to my watchlist
!PIMP it