<\/a>Kalin Norman
\nPhotography Editor<\/p>\n

Someone once said that, \u201cIf you fail to learn your history, then you are doomed to repeat it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this psychological thriller, from the producers of \u201cGet Out\u201d and \u201cUS\u201d, \u201cAntebellum\u201d takes that quote and ramps it up to eleven for this adventure.<\/p>\n

\u201cAntebellum\u201d follows the life of a southern slave named Emma, played by Janelle Monae, in the antebellum south. Throughout the movie, Emma is trying to escape her enslavement and make it to the freedom of the outside world, but something isn\u2019t quite right with the situation she is in.<\/p>\n

I must say that even though this movie has the same producers as \u201cGet Out\u201d and \u201cUS\u201d, it is not directed by Jordan Peele. Instead, Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz take the director seats and produce a solid movie.<\/p>\n

This movie is actually very smart in its delivery of the story to preserve the tension and mystery of the plot, and the symbolism that it shows to draw connections to the modern day.<\/p>\n

Without spoiling the plot, an example of one of these connections is when Emma announces the night the slaves will run away. Eli starts to whistle \u201cLift Every Voice and Sing\u201d, the black national anthem, in the cotton field.<\/p>\n

This delivery of the plot is assessed by the performance by the cast, especially the performances by Monae and Tongayi Chirisa with their dynamic portrayals as Emma and Eli.<\/p>\n

Emma playing the role of a Harret Tubbman character type that is a quiet and a strategic planner, and Eli playing the role of an eager runaway ready to escape at any moment.<\/p>\n

The movie emphasizes this dynamic by showing you that separately they both are not likely to escape the plantation, with Emma being broken by the master and Eli being caught earlier in the movie with some very steep consequences, but together they just might make it out.<\/p>\n

Overall, the movie and characters are very aware about its story and the dangers that come with being black at the time.<\/p>\n

This movie isn\u2019t without its flaws however. Compared to the other projects that these producers have been a part of, \u201cAntebellum\u201d feels a little too violence-centered when it comes to certain scenes.<\/p>\n

Another problem I found was the ending the movie decided to have. SPOILER ALERT<\/strong>: the end consists of one big slow motion shot and not much else making it feel very cheap when it could have been more meaningful and come full circle. Instead the audience must settle for very loose clips of what happened after the events of the movie.<\/p>\n

All in all, \u201cAntebellum\u201d is a very ambitious and interesting movie with a very unique plot.<\/p>\n

It takes on a lot of current anxieties of black people and brings them to life in full force. It is a shame that as an audience we won\u2019t be able to see this on the big screen as intended, but the message and plot is still amazing and thrilling. No wonder it grossed $182,000 in its first weekend on video on demand.<\/p>\n

If you love thrillers and mysteries like \u201cUS\u201d and \u201cGet Out\u201d, this movie is for you with some hard to watch moments and you should pay to rent it, and if not you should still watch it at least once.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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