Antebellum

Antebellum
Starring Janelle Monae, Eric Lange, Jena Malone, Jack Huston
Directed by Gerard Bush & Christopher Renz

A movie trailer is something that should entice audiences to go see the film, offering something that's tantalizing and provoking in a neat two-minute package, but more often than not, trailers tend to show pretty much the entire movie, and you can look no further than 2018's abysmal "Black Christmas" to see that.  When I first saw the trailer for "Antebellum," I was blown away by what I didn't know - it didn't offer any insight into what the film was, where it was going, or how it was going to get there, and it hooked me in like a fish to a lure due to its mystery and seemingly alternate-reality bending.  Whereas some trailers are terrible for showcasing the entire film, other trailers are incredibly misleading, resulting in watching something you think you're going to see, and it being something totally different - which is what "Antebellum" was.  Instead of a horror, alternate-reality mind-bend, it was much more linear, offering a twist easily seen coming, and not at all scary.

On a plantation in the Antebellum period, Eden (Janelle Monae) is a slave to a slave-master known only as "Him" (Eric Lange), and she endures the hardships of slavery and being looked down upon as inferior, especially by "Him's" daughter Elizabeth (Jena Malone), and her husband Jasper (Jack Huston).  She tried to escape, but was caught and branded, and now she toils the fields like the other slaves, while still plotting another eventual escape.

Then one day Eden wakes up from her seemingly nightmarish world into the life of Veronica Henley, a successful professor, author, and civil rights activist living in the lap of luxury with her husband and young daughter.  She travels all over the country speaking about African American women's rights, which angers a certain population who wishes to silence her for good.  How these two women's lives seemingly interact is the main thrust of the film.

In 2017, Jordan Peele brought a brilliant blend of horror, comedy, and the issues of racism in America in his Oscar-winning film "Get Out," where he managed to shed light on the still-prevalent issues of racism and inequality in ways that were thoughtful, thought-provoking, and subtly powerful.   Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz took the concept of racism in America and pretty much literally kept banging it over our heads with "Antebellum," taking a not-so-subtle approach that was well-intentioned but a bit heavy-handed, and instead of providing a mind-bending thrilling horror, "Antebellum" instead was a very flat, simplistic look at racism and the haunting history of the past sins of America.

Janelle Monae shines as both Eden and Veronica, giving voice to a marginalized section of American society - the African American woman.  In a stirring speech as Veronica, she talks about how people want the African American woman to be seen and not heard, lest they be labeled as the "Angry Black Woman."  It's an obvious stereotype that they face, and Monae especially handles it as delicately as the overly-blatant script allows, as she is also a well-known champion for the African American community and African American women in particular.  You can tell she's giving it her all, and it's admirable since the script is highly unsubtle in its message.

The filming style is exquisitely done, with a pulse-pounding score and vivid imagery that drastically parallels the two parts of the story.  When Eden is on the plantation, the film is covered in hues of darker colors and even though the sun is shining bright, there's always a hint of despair and sadness mixed in, and the costume designs truly propel us to that dark period of time.  When Veronica is in the present, her home is lavish, coated in brilliant white, and even the night life is vivacious and lively, as she always sports colorful attire and is a stark difference from Eden's plantation life. 

While the script is a blatant telling of racism in America, it doesn't really bode well in providing any sense of uplifting message, as it seems to be written mostly from Wikipedia websites and sound bites from today's politics.  On the plantation, the slavery is highlighted as the drastic opposite of another Antebellum period film - "Gone With the Wind" - but doesn't really delve into anything more than the traditional slavery tropes that films like "12 Years a Slave" and "Harriet" wonderfully exemplified.  Likewise in the modern day, Veronica's life is so incredibly polished and privileged that it's hard to really connect to her character in any deeply emotional way, despite Monae's valiant attempt to draw out something more than what the thinly-written script provided.

This is all to say that, while I was greatly disappointed in the product that was delivered, I was still engrossed enough in the story to keep my attention and appreciate the direction the directors were going in, even if it wasn't as thoughtfully done as other films of the genre.  Basically, go into this film with an open mind, and you might be pleasantly surprised by what you see.

Shedding light on the important issue of racism in America then and now, "Antebellum" provides a nice little mystery that's propelled by the stellar Janelle Monae even though the script itself is a bit simplistic and heavy-handed.

The Score: B+