Harriet
Ten minutes into Kasi Lemmons’ much-awaited Harriet Tubman biopic, and you may start to second guess where this film is going. The pacing of Harriet early on feels a little uneasy; perhaps unsure. We have Cynthia Erivo — the clear star of the show — to pull each and every scene together; where a tonal shift may fall flat, Erivo uses this chance to showcase character development. As the wheels start turning, Harriet slowly progresses into a much tighter result than you may have felt initially. The cut aways to Tubman’s various visions suddenly feel natural. The setting-hopping feels less janky. The entire journey begins to meld together.
Tubman’s influence in the Underground Railroad movement is a vital piece of American history, so telling this story is highly important (especially to get it right). With the film figuring itself out, you begin to get invested with all of the crazy little intricacies of Tubman’s achievements. Harriet somewhat skims past the surface on a number of these challenges, perhaps so it could fit as many as possible within a two hour span. Maybe more time with each little piece would sell the magnitude of how difficult most of these treks truly are; the most reliability we have is through Erivo’s performance, which sells every single instance.
Cynthia Erivo has recieved much acclaim for her performance as Harriet Tubman; rightfully so.
Otherwise, Harriet is fairly straight forward. Aside from its initial head scratching decisions, it begins to flow into familiar territory (albeit sometimes too familiar). Either way, the story of Harriet Tubman and her many quests to steal slaves and hide them in freedom granting states (including loved ones) is powerful enough to boost overly-conventional directing and storytelling. With Erivo carrying the weight of Tubman’s entire legacy — as well as the film — on her shoulders, you are granted a film that will at least move you, educate you, and keep you interested. With a longer duration, more coherent editing choices, and a unified nature, Harriet could have been a show-stopping film. As it is, it’s strong enough to at least skim the surface of Harriet Tubman’s unbelievable journeys.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.