Harriet

“Harriet” is a long overdue 2019 drama about the adventures of the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman. The film’s greatest trait is Cynthia Erivo, a veteran of the London stage who brings spirit and emotion to the main character. Written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, “Harriet” celebrates life and freedom and reminds audiences of the price people long ago paid for the freedoms we enjoy today.

Harriet, known as Minty to her family and owners, was a God-fearing woman married to John Tubman, played by Zackary Momoh. Since they were planning on having a family, John and Minty wanted their children to be born free which only would have been possible if Minty was free herself. Both John and Minty’s father, Ben, played by Clarke Peters, were freemen, working at a nearby farm. Because the previous owner of Rit (Vanessa Bell Calloway), Minty’s mother, promised freedom at 45 but never followed through, they petitioned owner Edward Brodess (Mike Marunde) to honor the agreement and include Minty. Nothing happened. A prayerful but desperate woman, Minty prayed that God would take Mr. Brodess so that she could be free.

When Brodess suddenly passes, his son Gideon, played by Joe Alwyn, refuses to give Minty freedom and she decides to run away. Not wanting to risk John’s freedom if they were caught, she insists on going alone. I’m not giving anything away when I mention that she made it over the Pennsylvania border to freedom in 1849 and befriended William Still (Leslie Odom, Jr.) and Marie Buchanan (Janelle Monáe) to become involved in abolitionist activities.

Once Minty escapes and goes by Harriet (after her mother), the film starts dragging. Hosea Rupprecht said in her review, “Lemmons decided to keep the film family-friendly so there are no bloody slave beatings like the ones witnessed in “12 Years a Slave,” but along with that also went some of the tension that could have made this film worthy of its subject. The repeated trips Tubman heroically made back into Maryland to gather her family and other slaves seeking freedom begin to feel like been-there-done-that pretty quickly. Some added tension leaks into the story with the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, forcing Harriet to bring slaves all the way to Canada.”

Despite those flaws, “Harriet” due diligence to faith's role in Tubman’s life. Her head injury as a child made her have “visions” and spells but she said that was God’s way of speaking to her and guiding her on her way to lead the slaves to freedom. There is one moving scene when things appear useless but Harriet insists that God will not let the freedom-seeking slaves be harmed.

I agree with Rupprecht when she said, “We in the United States tend to take our freedoms for granted. This film reminds us that what we enjoy today came at a great price to those who lived before us and shaped our country and its history.” Harriet Tubman remains a huge figure in that mission.

I saw this film on Netflix and I loved it. I think it brought the life of Harriet Tubman to life on the big screen. If you haven’t seen this and you love the story of Tubman and her journey through the Underground Railroad, see this if it’s still on Netflix. You will fall completely in love with this film, I promise you that.

Sorry for posting this late. I have been really tired from not sleeping much this past week. Look out next Monday for the yearly “President’s Day Movie Review.”