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We are all familiar with the many movies about slavery. From award-winning movies like 12 Years a Slave (2013) to Glory (1989), slavery has remained an important common theme in today’s film industry. It is important for us all to remember these horrible, barbaric times. These films highlight the suffering and tragedies that Black people faced and continue to face in the world today. Although Antebellum is a movie about slavery in the present day, it also depicts the current social and political issues plaguing our country today. Warning: spoilers ahead!
Antebellum, The Story
Antebellum’s opening scene is powerful. The first scene in the movie shows a White family living in a nice manor but quickly cuts to something much more horrific. A woman, who is a slave, is running away from her captors. We do not know what is going on but are thrown into the middle of a scene where the woman runs away from men on horses while another man, presumably her partner, is restrained around the neck, unable to run towards her. The woman has no chance of escaping as a man on the horse throws a rope around her neck, pulling her to the ground. She is then shot and killed, right in front of her helpless partner.
This scene sets the tone for the rest of the movie. We follow Veronica, played by Janelle Monáe, as she navigates her current reality as a slave in modern times. We get a glimpse of her past. She was a powerful Black woman who spoke out against inequalities and injustices she and her people continue to face. She had a large following, and many people looked up to and respected her. For this very reason, she is later kidnapped by Elizabeth, one of our main antagonists. Elizabeth is a modern-day white supremacist who was not happy with the following Veronica was amassing. For this reason, she, along with our other antagonist, Blake Denton, kidnap her after Veronica’s dinner with her friends.
After Veronica is kidnapped, viewers are left shocked. She is kidnapped from her Uber, taken away from her loving husband and young daughter, taken away from her lavish home and beautiful family, and thrown onto a plantation. There she becomes Blake Denton’s, the leader of the plantation, favorite slave. He spends every night with her in her bed, against her will. Once a new group of slaves arrives, one slave, in particular, gravitates towards Veronica. Julia admires Veronica and asks her when they are planning on revolting or escaping. Veronica tells her to be patient and wait. Julia is left perplexed at why Veronica allows the plantation leaders and family to treat her and the others this way. Still, Veronica knows that it is important to wait for the right moment to escape.
Doing just that, there are a couple of deaths along the way. Julia hangs herself after losing her baby. Eli, a good friend to Veronica and the same man who lost his partner in the opening scene of the movie, also dies as the two work together to escape. He is killed by none other than Blake Denton. Veronica manages to escape from Blake, killing him in the process. She steals his horse and runs. She is chased and shot after by Elizabeth, who is on her own horse after Veronica. Even though she gets shot, Veronica manages to take Elizabeth down. In an ironic twist of events, she ends up dragging Elizabeth behind on her horse until Elizabeth finally gets hit head first by a statue and is killed instantly.
The biggest plot twist comes at the end of the movie when Veronica rides off on her horse. Viewers are left even more shocked and outraged at a sign that reads: “Antebellum Civil War Reenactment Park.” We think Veronica and the others are hidden away somewhere unreachable by others during the movie. However, that was not the case at all. In fact, the complete opposite was true. They were out in the open, just disguised as a reenactment park. There were even people right outside the park who were arriving to see the show for that day!
The Meaning Of The Word “Antebellum”
Antebellum does a great job at portraying our current character’s story while also giving us backstory through flashbacks. There is no confusion as to whether we are in a flashback or the present. Along with this easy-to-follow storytelling, there is also a lot of symbolism in Antebellum. The biggest example of this is the painting on top of Veronica and, her captor, Nick’s bed. This painting depicts a woman with a crown. Although all we see is her head, she appears powerful and confident as she gazes at the viewer. This painting signifies Veronica. Not only is Veronica a powerful, outspoken Black woman, but her resilience shines through when she is forced into slave labor and rape after she is kidnapped.
The audience continuously sees Veronica patiently waiting for the right moment to strike and escape. Even Julia gets frustrated at waiting and enduring all the pain and suffering, but not Veronica. Veronica waits and suffers in silence until it is time to strike. Once she does, she is able to succeed. After killing her captor, Blake, Veronica drags his body into a small shed so others would not find it before she is able to escape. However, right as she is about to run, another captor finds her. Veronica convinces him that Blake has been hurt and leads the new captor to the same shed. With both of them trapped in the shed and yelling for help; Veronica walks away with the torch and her head held high, mirroring the painting we previously saw above her bed.
Along with the significance of this beautiful scene, the word “antebellum” itself has meaning. It means “existing before a war” and comes from the Latin phrase “ante bellum.” The word was not associated with the Civil War until after the war was over. However, Antebellum brings irony to the word as well as hints at the ending. The painting that Veronica mirrors symbolizes the power and confidence of Black women. The painting above the bed shows a woman wearing a crown while holding her head high, unwavering. Similarly, Veronica walks away from the shed with her head held high and without looking back. She does not regret any of her actions. In a way, this painting could also foreshadow the scene where the shed is on fire. Both images depict a confident, unapologetic, strong woman.
Antebellum also portrays many current issues in our country and our world, along with the significance of events or objects within the movie itself. Black people are continuing to face injustices and inequities in our world today, as is seen in Antebellum when Elizabeth and Blake Denton kidnap Veronica during her rise to power, to Veronica and her friends being given a table corner in the restaurant despite them having a reservation. This can be seen in police brutality, which has resulted in the deaths of innocent Black men, women, and children, which is deeply rooted in the racism that continues to exist even in 2021. Veronica is an exemplar example of a powerful, admirable Black woman who brings about the change that we all need to be a part of. She speaks out against the horrible things that are continuing to happen to Black people and is not afraid of speaking her mind, no matter who she offends or pisses off. She demands equality and respect for all of her people, and her positive, powerful attitude brings her many admirers together.
The Twist (At The End)
Viewers could not have expected the twist ending in Antebellum. We find out that this whole time, Veronica was being kept at a Civil War reenactment park. This explains why nobody was suspicious of the plantation they were on. Everybody thought that it was all an act. Nobody knew that Veronica and the many other people there were being held against their will. It isn’t until the very last scene in the movie that the audience becomes aware of this.
As Veronica rides to freedom on her horse, we see soldiers in uniforms, firing grenades and other weapons towards the direction Veronica was running from. We are left confused, but the scene slows down as Veronica screams in triumph at reaching freedom. She continues riding past the soldiers, and this is when she exits the park, and the audience sees the sign for the Antebellum reenactment park. There is a line of people approaching the park with coolers, food, chairs, and anything else they might need to watch a reenactment. Again, they think that Veronica is an actor who is part of the reenactment they are meant to see. They don’t realize that she just killed her captives and escaped forced slavery. It is both a chilling and astonishing conclusion.
What To Make Of Antebellum
Although Antebellum received many negative reviews, this was a good movie depicting the current political and social situation in the U.S. Many people do not want true equality for all. Many horrible, racist people do not believe in the mission we should all be striving towards. This was evident when the Capitol building was attacked earlier this year in a “protest.” Antebellum depicts the scary reality for many people of color. Although we are united now more than ever, we still have a long way to go before we can say that “all men are created equal.” Although I would have liked more closure at the ending of the movie, I believe Antebellum mostly wrapped things up in a way that made sense. The audience is left surprised at the ending while also seeing police infiltrating the camp in the credits. We are left to assume that all enslaved people were set free and reunited with their families, Veronica included.
What sets Antebellum apart from other slavery movies is the fact that it takes place in modern times. Veronica is quite literally snatched out of her normal, successful life and thrown onto a plantation where she is forced into slavery. She is forced into silence, only to speak when spoken to. She is forced to work on the plantation and raped night after night by Blake Denton, all while knowing her husband and daughter are back home waiting for her and wanting her to come home. This movie is different because it tugs at our heartstrings in a way that other movies don’t. We know what freedom was like for Veronica. We were rooting for her, and in just seconds, she is taken away from all of it.
Antebellum leaves viewers wanting more. From the flashbacks depicting what a wonderful life Veronica had to the night she escapes, the movie closely follows her as she navigates first her struggles being a powerful Black woman and later an enslaved, captured prisoner. The audience can’t help rooting for Veronica at the end of the movie. We are left holding our breath as we watch Veronica try to escape. Not only is she almost caught, but she is also almost killed. From Blake Denton trying to stop her to Elizabeth shooting after her, Veronica embodies the resiliency and strength that many Black women, men, and children continue to show. This courage is something to be admired, but also something to be desired. We should all strive to be a part of the inevitable and overdue change in making the world a better, safer place for everybody.