The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Past imperfect
‘Antebellum’ built on bold idea and gets strong starring performance but falls slightly short of full potential
Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz are a filmmaking duo worth watching closely. ¶ Their debut — “Antebellum,” a psychological historical thriller originally set for theatrical release in April but, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, now landing on video-rental platforms — is a fairly bold work for a first attempt. ¶ The duo, aka Bush + Renz, have crafted an intriguing tale of a modern Black woman trying to escape a 19th-century Southern plantation where she, like others, is put to work as a slave and treated horribly by the whites in power. ¶ Bush + Renz, whose background is in fashion and luxury advertising, couldn’t have known just how relevant “Antebellum” would feel by its eventual release due to the social justice movement that has erupted in the United States. ¶ Yet as relevant and clever as it is — even as it borrows fairly heavily from a well-known mid-2000s film — it leaves you wanting a bit more.
Given their background, it is, perhaps, unsurprising that they are more successful as directors than as writers in this first attempt at a feature film.
“Antebellum,” starting with the elaborate opening tracking shot that introduces us to the plantation and some of its gruesome goings-on, is quite strong visually. It’s artistically captivating despite what is happening within the frame.
Yet, when the twisty, occasionally scary affair is over, you wish it had one more story element that brought it all together in a more impactful way and more character development for the characters aside from its lead.
Speaking of its lead, “Antebellum” benefits from a strong performance from Janelle Monae (“Hidden Figures”), as Veronica, a Ph.D sociologist whose bestselling books explore the disenfranchisement of Black people in this country.
“I’m here to tell you,” she says to an older white man hosting the talk show on which she is the guest, “this vicious cycle of inequity will soon be broken.”
However, we are introduced to Veronica in period-appropriate clothing during that opening elaborate shot at the plantation, after which, she is beaten — and branded — by the white man (Eric Lange, “Narcos”) until she identifies herself the way he wants, as Eden, through her wails and sobbing.
“Say your name, girl,” he demands before her compliance and takes off his belt. “It brings me no joy to do this.”
Life on this plantation is particularly rough, the slaves being told in no uncertain terms they are not to speak unless given permission. And, of course, the women expected to fulfill any desire a man has.
Also on the plantation is Elizabeth (Jena Malone), a white woman in a position of power whom we encounter more as “Antebellum” progresses, and the sadistic Captain Jasper (Jack Huston, 2016’s “Ben-Hur”).
In the modern world, Veronica has a loving husband, Nick (Marque Richardson, “Dear White People”), and an absolutely adorable young daughter, Kennedi (London Boyce), as well as a fun, force-ofnature friend in Dawn (Gabourey Sidibe), who’s desperate for Veronica to have a wild night on the town with her and their friend Sarah (Lily Cowles, “Roswell, New Mexico”).
So how and why does Veronica end up as plantation slave Eden? Revealing that would take us firmly into spoiler country, so we’ll stop there.
Given the themes and subject matter of “Antebellum,” it doesn’t feel quite right to say it’s exactly “fun” to put together the pieces of this puzzle, but the movie does engage with your mind in that way.
Plus, Monae — whose recent credits include “Homecoming” and “The Glorias” — offers portraits of strength in both settings, as Veronica and Eden. While as the former she argues on behalf of her important cause; as the latter she fights for survival and works to find a means to escape.
Perhaps with the possible exception of Sidibe — star of 2009’s “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” — who’s a joy, no one really merits a mention given that their roles are ultimately fairly small and one-dimensional. That said, it’s nice to spend even a little screen time with Malone (“Inherent Vice”), whom we haven’t seen much in recent years.
And maybe this is asking too much, but you wish “Antebellum” had a bit more to say about the current state of America. It does identify some problems — and some of the metaphors Veronica uses in the modern world, such as chains, tie directly to this ugly past — but it does not go much beyond that.
Still, we definitely want to see more of Bush + Renz, who, working with director of photography Pedro Luque Briozzo (“Jacob’s Ladder”) regularly dazzles the eye.
The pair of filmmakers aren’t saying much about their next film, but even with the weak points of “Antebellum,” we’re greatly looking forward to the coming of “Rapture.”