Harriet

Whenever my Mom and I would see the trailer for the movie Harriet, she would whisper to me that she really wanted to see it.  Of course I told her that I would take her the week it came out and we made plans to see it last Wednesday.  When I went to pick her up, I realized that she wasn't feeling up to going out but she was really distressed at the thought of missing the opportunity to see it.  I promised her that I wouldn't see it without her and we made new plans for last night.  We both loved it!  Araminta "Minty" Ross (Cynthia Erivo) is a slave owned by Gideon Brodess (Joe Alwyn) in Dorchester County, Maryland in the mid-1800s.  When she learns that Brodess intends to sell her further south, she decides to run away to freedom.  After a harrowing escape, she makes it hundreds of miles on her own to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she meets abolitionist William Still (Leslie Odom, Jr.) and a boardinghouse owner named Marie Buchanan (Janelle Monae).  She begins a new life (and changes her name to Harriet Tubman) but she is uneasy about the fact that she is free while her husband and family are still slaves.  Against the objections of William and with the help of Marie, she returns to Maryland to get her husband John (Zackary Momoh) but she learns that, thinking her dead, he has remarried and is expecting a child.  She wonders why she was directed by God to save her husband and decides to rescue her brother instead but he brings eight other people with him.  She ultimately leads all nine to safety.  William is astonished by what she has done and introduces her to members of the Underground Railroad where she becomes one of the most successful conductors.  This is an amazing movie about the courage and tenacity of one woman who believed that she was being directed by God to save as many people as she could and I love that it didn't shy away from portraying her faith.  Even though I was familiar with Harriet Tubman's story, I found the scenes where she and the other slaves are being pursued to be incredibly intense because of the quick-cut style in which they were edited.  I found myself holding my breath many times.  Erivo gives a powerful and heart-felt performance that is definitely worthy of the Oscar buzz it is generating.  The scene where she learns that her husband has remarried is gut-wrenching.  I also love the beautiful song "Stand Up" performed by Erivo in the final credits.  It gave me goosebumps.  This is an inspirational movie about a courageous woman that both my Mom and I highly recommend!

Note:  After the Fugitive Slave Act was passed, Harriet had to lead the escaped slaves to Canada.  She brought many of them to St. Catharines, Ontario which is where my Grandma Johnson lived!