Long-overdue but flawed drama chronicling the exploits of
the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad, Maryland-born Harriet
Tubman (Cynthia Erivo). When her owner (Mike Marunde) dies suddenly and his son
(Joe Alwyn) threatens to sell her South, she successfully escapes. Connecting
with other abolitionists (including Leslie Odom Jr. and Janelle Monae), she
takes numerous trips back across the Pennsylvania border hoping to liberate her
family and others. Director and co-writer Kasi Lemmons' film, which also
features Zackary Momoh as Tubman's husband, celebrates life and reminds
audiences of the price some of our forebears had to pay for the freedoms we
enjoy. And Erivo, a veteran of the London stage, breathes spirit and pathos
into the titular character. Yet the pace lags and the tense moments that could
have made this portrayal worthy of its heroic subject are mostly absent, though
the script, on which Lemmons collaborated with Gregory Allen Howard, does pay
due attention to Tubman's deep religious faith. Probably acceptable for teens.
Watch out for: Racial slurs
and a few crude and crass terms.
Rated: A-III, adults; MPAA:
PG-13
© Arlington Catholic Herald 2019