There’s always this disgruntled sentiment that black people are tired of slave movies. Of course, that thought-process does not apply to the wide spectrum of the black community, but mainly resonates with the younger generation that dreams of a Hollywood filled with films depicting the modern version of the black person that consists of a variety of stories stretching beyond the slave days.
They want to see the stories of the black entrepreneur, underdog, lover, action hero or CEO. Or how about the experience of black people before America? But, somehow, despite the many stories that Hollywood could delve into, they love the story of the black slave.
At first glance, Harriet can seem to be just one more slave film to add to the pile. However, it’s anything but another slave movie. Based on the history of legendary abolitionist and activist Harriet Tubman, Harriet is a scrupulous PG-13 account of Tubman’s triumphant story of survival and redemption.
This movie leaves you feeling good, depending on how you interpret it. If you can ignore the fictional storylines and distracting subliminal messaging sprinkled throughout the film and instead focus on the incredible acting of lead actress Cynthia Erivo, then you are likely to leave the theater pleased.
The film did quite well over the weekend, grossing nearly $12 million over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This may seem low in comparison to tentpole films, but when compared to other movies covering the slavery era, Harriet is a winner. 12 Years A Slave made $923,715 over its first weekend, Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained grossed $30.1 million, and Nate Parker’s The Birth Of A Nation made a little over $7 million.
A Focus Feature film produced by Debra Martin Chase, Harriet also won the ticket purchases of audiences mainly on the East coast, with the top performing theaters located in Harlem, Brooklyn, Atlanta and Washington D.C. Audiences scored the film at 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a 66 critic score on Metascore.
The cast of Harriet includes Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Alwyn, Clarke Peters, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Omar J. Dorsey and Janelle Monae.
The MouthSoap wouldn’t say that this film is true to history and should be taken as gospel, but we definitely recommend Harriet to moviegoers for the inspiring message of the film.
