Antebellum (2020)

By: Mike Ward on Saturday, September 19

R Running Time: 105 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

  • Janelle Monáe is among the most talented artists in our world right now. She is committed here and I cannot wait to see her continue her evolution as an actor and performer.

  • Acknowledging the star rating, Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz are adeptly skilled behind-the-camera and have implemented many great touches to Antebellum that have me curious what they will do next.

  • Gabourey Sidibe is a treasure. I don’t know what movie she’s acting in when she’s on screen in Antebellum, but when she is on screen… she is everything.

NO

  • Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz should probably never write another screenplay.

  • Antebellum hurtles itself off a cliff, undermining an intriguing commentary on covert, blatant, and systemic racism by deciding to deliver an ending which is all anyone will focus on and talk about.

  • This will likely be remembered for all the wrong reasons.


OUR REVIEW

Say what you will about Antebellum, but it is most definitely a movie. With actors. Stories. Dialogue. And other stuff. It looks fantastic, has a game and fearless Janelle Monáe in her first leading role and makes choices which undermine the very intent of the movie's apparent purpose.

Specifically, this horror film is about racism - obvious, systemic, and covert - balancing past with present to offer a commentary depicting how racism is woven into the fabric of our daily lives, and has been a part of our history since slaves first arrived in Virginia in 1619.

That said, it is almost impossible to discuss the film from first-time writers and directors Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz and not divulge spoilers. But, like, I mean…this movie is like a magician who has an audience in the palm of their hand, but then start making unforced errors. Simple tricks begin to fail. First, the dishes get pulled off the table with the tablecloth. Then the rabbit gets stuck in the hat. Then the lady gets sawed in half...but like for real.

Antebellum begins in the South, with a beautiful, but ominous, four-minute tracking shot showing us the setting, scope, and horror of what will unfold. We are on a plantation in Civil War-era Louisiana. White Confederate soldiers and families live a life of luxury, abused Black slaves tend to the cotton fields and perform all tasks. Black women are abused, sexually and physically, and murdered without provocation when they try and escape.

For the first 35-40 minutes, this is where Antebellum lives. Monáe plays Eden, kept and grotesquely branded by an unnamed plantation owner (Eric Lange). There is a ruthless Confederate General (Jack Huston), a couple of young soldiers, and we are also introduced to Julia, a newly acquired pregnant slave (Kiersey Clemons), and Eli (Tongayi Chirisa), a Black man plotting to make his escape after a first attempt ended in tragedy.

Suddenly, we experience a complete time shift into present-day. Monáe now portrays Dr. Veronica Henley, an author and academic who is staying in the Jefferson Suite of a five-star hotel, preparing to deliver a keynote speech in Louisiana. She is speaking to an audience of largely Black women, empowering them to shed the coping process and find their voice. The speech is a hit and she is eager to get back home to her husband and young daughter in Washington, D.C. First, she is catching up with her old friend Dawn (an amazing Gabourey Sidibe), having a night out on the town before an early-morning flight.

Saying more reveals too much. Other critics have shared what comes next in the final minutes of Antebellum, but that’s a shame - even though it proves to be one of the more inane conclusions to a movie in quite some time.

Part of makes Antebellum so fitfully frustrating is that it is very clear that Bush and Renz are talented filmmakers. The cinematography is gorgeous, and in an admirable and notable flex, Pedro Luque Briozzo shot some of the scenes using lenses from the cameras used from the shoot of Gone with the Wind.

Bush and Renz also get a committed performance from Monáe, as talented an entertainer as we have in this world right now. She balances her two roles perfectly, and is fearless and all-in. Sidibe stands strong, providing the film’s lone comic relief with cutting, sharp stabs of truth dripping out of nearly every line.

Little touches throughout the movie are important to note: Many of the white people’s faces in present-day are not in the frame, but you hear them speak. Only specific and intentional people get face time. One character, played by Jena Malone, also appears in both time periods. There are reasons why Antebellum is such a distinct and fascinating curio to spin around and analyze from lots of sides and angles.

Until it isn't. By the end, Antebellum undoes everything for a disingenuous cheap pop. When Eden orchestrates an escape, and the full story around what’s happening here is finally revealed, the optics of her efforts, in the context of everything that has come before these moments, rings incredibly hollow. As does the twist. It’s a laugher for sure, not at all original, and easy to figure out if you have been paying close attention.

All of which begs the question: Is Antebellum a treatise on the destructive history of racism in America, or is it essentially using the very real horrors of racism to make a “Gotcha!” movie with a twist?

Regardless, the reveal is so over-the-top and aggravating, it dominates the conversation. Antebellum then becomes no longer about the message of racism, or a movie with strong performances, or beautiful cinematography, or a stunning score by Nate Wonder and Roman GianArthur. Nope, instead it becomes another movie ruined by a howler of an ending.

What a missed opportunity. What a waste.

CAST & CREW

Starring: Janelle Monáe, Eric Lange, Jena Malone, Jack Huston, Kiersey Clemons, Gabourey Sidibe, Marque Richardson, Tongayi Chirisa, Robert Aramayo, Lily Cowles, London Boyce.

Director: Gerard Bush, Christopher Renz
Written by: Gerard Bush, Christopher Renz
Release Date: September 18, 2020
Lionsgate