Review of Harriet (2019) by Markhreviews — 22 Dec 2019

Most of all, “Harriet” is earnest. It doesn’t trade in metaphor. There are no deep explorations of human motivation. This is a film that’s quite content with a logical, linear, straightforward interpretation of historical events.

Although there are some liberties taken along the way for dramatic effect, “Harriet” fairly faithfully chronicles the life of Harriet Tubman. Tubman was raised a slave in Dorchester County, Maryland. In 1849, she successfully fled on foot to freedom in Philadelphia, over one hundred miles away, traveling alone for most of her journey. However, she was not content with securing her own freedom. Over the ten-year period following her initial escape, she returned 19 times to Maryland as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad (a network of secret routes and safe houses that helped escaping slaves make it to the North), eventually helping to free over 300 people, “without losing a passenger.”.

Cynthia Erivo (“Widows,” “Bad Times at the El Royale”) is mesmerizing in the title role. She imbues the character with a powerful ferocity, convincingly portraying how a slender black woman 5’2” could tower over much more “powerful” figures throughout her life. As abolitionist William Still, Leslie Odom Jr. (best known as Aaron Burr in Broadway’s “Hamilton”) is once again in “the room where it happens.” Singer Janelle Monae (“Moonlight,” “Hidden Figures”) is effective as the sympathetic manager of a boarding house who helps former slaves adjust to their freedom.

A great strength of the film is its thoughtful depiction of the causes and consequences of slavery. We learn, for example, about the economic value of owning slaves. In many cases, the slaves themselves were white owners’ most valuable possessions. When several slaves escaped at once, their owners often were left destitute, having to absorb the economic loss of the slaves themselves while also losing the laborers critical to their agricultural operations.

Another fascinating story element was the Northern states’ efforts to appease the South during the period leading up to the Civil War. Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act as part of the Compromise of 1850. This law allowed slave catchers to come to Northern states to reclaim their property and made the federal government responsible for the capture and return of slaves who had escaped the South. As a consequence, thousands of former slaves emigrated to Canada.

Most of all, “Harriet” powerfully portrays the consequences when white owners perceived their slaves as less than fully human. In several scenes, the casualness of the brutality inflicted was simultaneously upsetting and thought-provoking.

“Harriet” is as somber, sober and serious as the history and biography it depicts. It’s a tribute to Writer/Director Kasi Lemmons (“Eve’s Bayou,” “Black Nativity”) that the film is uplifting as well as educational.