I knew nothing about the new film, Antebellum, when it came across my desk for review. All I knew is that it starred the uber-talented Janelle Monae, and was set in the South during the time of slavery. And I’m glad that I went into this with ignorance of its plot, but arguably, the plot itself is the selling point. And to spoil it in any way does a major disservice to the film as a whole, which makes reviewing it a gymnastics routine that will demand all of my skill. I promise you, you can read this and not be spoiled, but if some things don’t make sense in this writing, it surely will once you’ve seen the film.
Antebellum opens up in a cotton plantation in Louisiana sometime during the Civil War. Monae plays a slave named Eden, who tried to orchestrate an escape and she and her conspirators were caught and brutally punished. The plantation is run by Confederate soldiers, and it is mentioned early that it is a reform plantation for troublesome slaves.
The plantation is run by the sadistic Captain Jasper (Jack Huston), who seems to thrive on his brutal treatment of his charges. Sounds of war can be heard in the distance, and Eden and the other slaves listen with hopes that the fighting will one day free them, even though Jasper says the south is winning.
Antebellum rolls out a few slave story tropes, including a subplot involving a slave woman named Julia (Kiersey Clemons), who is pregnant and wants nothing more than to try and escape again, even as she is singled out by one of the soldiers for his pleasure.
It’s here when the film takes the first of many twists, and while I won’t go into detail, Antebellum becomes a completely different film — for good or bad.
The lead acting is solid, with Monae flexing some muscles many haven’t seen from her before. On the flipside of that was Gabourey Sidibe (Precious), who turns in a performance so cliched and overwrought that it crosses the line of annoyance from the start and she never relents. She’s better than this.
The real star of Antebellum is the gorgeous cinematography and the directing by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz, who also wrote the script. The film opens on one continuous shot and doesn’t cut for a good 10 minutes or more, which helps the audience ease into this world of slavery and abuse, something that is always uncomfortable to visit, especially now in a world of protests and calls for social justice flooding the news every single night.
The script pulls off the twist, and much like 1999’s The Sixth Sense, viewers can spend plenty of time after the film thinking about all the seeds planted throughout — and trust me, they are there.
Antebellum is a very interesting film, especially right now, and its influences are easy to pick out. To even discuss them would dip into spoiler territory, and as I’ve said multiple times in this review, the less you know going in, the better the experience will be. With a strong lead performance by Janelle Monae and some amazing camerawork, this is a film I can easily recommend, I just can’t tell you much about it.
Antebellum is rated R and is available on VOD starting on September 18, 2020.
