There’s an unwritten rule that film critics act as though they’ve already seen everything released prior to the current moment. And yet, part of the work of film criticism is going back and finding old treasures that perhaps older critics know well, but for some of us is a new revelation. This is bolstered in LA, where restoration cinemas play classics regularly. And this was my experience this past May when the New Beverly played Kasi Lemmons’ 1997 directorial debut, Eve’s Bayou, which after seeing for the first time, I can agree is a masterstroke of filmmaking. Roger Ebert declared it the best movie of 1997, and it has the right to be remembered as a new classic. 

Kasi Lemmons started out as a character actress in movies including The Silence of the Lambs and Hard Target before transitioning behind the camera. It’s no small feat to find work as a female director, even today, unfortunately; in last year’s documentary Half the Picture, Lemmons is prominently interviewed expressing the challenges of finding directing work despite being a top-tier talent and checking all the boxes with her first film.

Taking us to today, where Kasi Lemmons has directed a new feature, Harriet, it is worth getting excited to see a talented director, who for a myriad of reasons is not as prolific as some, releasing a movie about an important subject who has yet to get the cinematic treatment. Cynthia Erivo, last year’s breakout talent from Widows and Bad Times at the El Royale, gets a major star boost with the formidable role of Harriet Tubman, perhaps one of the most important historical figures of our country, and tentatively the future face of the $20 bill.

I remember the incredible stories of Harriet Tubman from my middle school history years. After escaping North to freedom herself, she led hundreds of other slaves to freedom through multiple treacherous rescue missions. The tactics she employed to pull off these dangerous journeys were so incredible it’s hard to forget once you’ve learned about it. While she isn’t featured as prominently in textbooks as US Presidents, it’s fair to say that those who know her stories rarely forget them. If you aren’t already familiar, it’s worth exploring these stories, some of which are included in the film, though many are not.

In this sense, the film Harriet feels more like an introductory course to Tubman rather than uncovering new and unique components of her larger than life story. There are more conventional biopics (even ones that have won the last few acting Oscars), but it’s still hard to view Harriet as anything but a fairly straightforward telling of a historical figure. This will work better for some audiences than others. There is a clear heroic structure in place, as we see Harriet start as a soft-spoken woman entrapped by a cruel system, make her own way to freedom, and then find the strength to lead others to a more hopeful future. The most compelling moments are Harriet’s abilities to foresee the future and the somewhat mystical ways in which she could avoid capture. However, many of the daring escape missions are frustratingly simple. Instead of showing Harriet’s full capabilities, most of the time we see her leading escape missions that make it all look a little too easy. There were numerous opportunities for escape sequences ripe for suspense and tension to be filled out further, but instead, they come across as more muted and ordinary. Perhaps I am more critical because I can recall exciting tidbits from history that could’ve propelled these moments to (nearly) Mad Max: Fury Road level suspense, and still done justice to the historical figure. 

One exciting thing that Harriet achieves is bringing Harriet Tubman to life beyond a photograph in a book. Nearly every image we know pictures Tubman as being an older woman, yet in Erivo’s performance we see her personified as a young, formidable woman in her late 20s and early 30s. Costume designer Paul Tazewell creates some dazzling (yet period-appropriate) outfits that showcase Tubman as a force to be reckoned with. The costumes are one of the film’s greatest achievements and hope to see them remembered come awards season. Erivo’s performance gets a few moments to shine, though I don’t see this as a star-making performance; some of my favorite moments were the singing voice she brought to the role, which is nicely incorporated into the fabric of the story.

Overall, Harriet is a solid, albeit traditional, biography of a historical figure worthy of being remembered. There are still more dynamic stories to be told of Tubman and her counterparts, and in an era where we are seeing both conventional and groundbreaking biopics exist in tandem, I will always gravitate toward the more boundary-pushing entries. Perhaps before we got an unconventional entry of Harriet Tubman’s life, we needed to have a straightforward outing solidly crafted, and that’s what this film is. From here, I hope to see more work from Kasi Lemmons sooner than later. In the meantime, Harriet will suffice. – H. Nelson Tracey

HARRIET (2019)

Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Janelle Monáe, Joe Alwyn

Directed by: Kasi Lemmons

Written by: Gregory Allen Howard, Kasi Lemmons

Distributor: Focus Features

Running time: 125 minutes

Playing: Opening this Friday in theaters everywhere