Harriet Tubman. What a legendary American. We all studied her in elementary school and then again in high school. We know that she was born into slavery, escaped, and was an integral leader in the Underground Railroad that helped free slaves before the United States Civil War. Cynthia Erivo (Widows, Bad Times at the El Royale) pours her heart and soul into the title role and makes Kasi Lemmons’ (Eve’s Bayou, Talk to Me) Harriet a must-see for anyone over twelve. It is the first time Tubman’s story has been captured in biopic form. This film is so well told that it won’t need to be retold (in big production film form) for a long time. It’s one of the best history lessons you could hope for about another person. It’s brutally honest. It doesn’t drag its feet. It’s entertaining. It brings a real-life American hero to the big screen who deserves all the fame and glory she is due. Harriet is a 2019 big, big win.
The ideal subject for a biopic, Tubman’s story in Harriet begins in 1849 when, at the age of 24, she provides documents to her plantation owner, Edward Brodess, from a lawyer that prove that Harriet’s mother was supposed to be a free woman and, therefore, all of her children as well. Knowing he’ll lose money if Harriet and her siblings are freed, Brodess rips the letter and denies the request. Furthermore, his son, Gideon (Joe Alwyn – The Favourite, Boy Erased), decides to sell Harriet (then known as Minty) downriver, where she’ll never see her family or husband again. Knowing her only hope of freedom is to escape, Minty tries to do just that: flee from Poplar Neck (Caroline County, Maryland), walk 100+ miles to Philadelphia, PA, and gain her freedom.
It is there that Minty takes on the new name of Harriet Tubman, and it is here that she gains her folklore notoriety as a leader on the Underground Railroad, where she makes multiple trips, aiding a handful of slaves each time to escape to freedom, at first to Pennsylvania and, eventually, Canada. Her first trip back to her former slave plantation is to rescue her husband, John, her sister, Rachel, and her brothers. She learns that John has remarried and that Rachel won’t leave the plantation for fear of what might happen to her, but her brothers are ready to follow. Thus begins some harrowing, edge-of-your-seat sequences between Harriet and her escapees and the wealthy, white landowners who will do anything to prevent them from reaching their freedom.
Unlike masterpieces like 12 Years a Slave, we hear about many of the bad things happening to Harriet Tubman and the other slaves rather than see them. That’s not to say that this is a PG movie. There are certainly a few sequences that make us cringe and cry out, wondering how anyone could do what we see to another human being. But we see the whip marks on the backs instead of witnessing the lashings. It certainly isn’t a criticism or even a critique. It’s just to mention the approach that Lemmons decided to take. Combine that with characters outside of Harriet and Gideon who felt a tad flat and one-dimensional, and you get a movie that wouldn’t affect you in as many ways as it could. I wouldn’t suggest an R-rating, just to include more gut-wrenching scenes, but this movie is certainly toned down from what it could have been.
A slight criticism is that the protagonist/antagonist angle between Harriet and Gideon slightly overshadows the Underground Railroad. The (fictionalized) war between the two individuals takes precedence in ways it doesn’t need to. Sure, we needed antagonists, and we needed them to have a face. But if that was the goal, we accomplished the mission. I didn’t necessarily think that we had to keep coming back to this one-on-one battle each time Harriet came back south in her attempts to free more slaves.
Overall, Harriet is a great biopic that could serve as a substitute for, or complement to, the American history unit that focuses on Tubman and the Underground Railroad. It’s an educational and entertaining film that doesn’t necessarily need to be seen on the big screen (though your experience will be enhanced if you can see it at your local theater). Still, as many people as possible should see it. It’s a win.
Plot 10/10
Character Development 8/10
Character Chemistry 8/10
Acting 9/10
Screenplay 9.5/10
Directing 9.5/10
Cinematography 9.5/10
Sound 8/10
Hook and Reel 9/10
Universal Relevance 10/10
91.5%
A-
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