''Harriet'' is a 2019 American biographical film directed by

Kasi Lemmons Kasi Lemmons (; born Karen Lemmons, February 24, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter, and actress. She made her directorial debut with ''Eve's Bayou'' (1997), followed by '' Talk to Me'' (2007), ''Black Nativity'' (2013), '' Harriet ...

, who also wrote the screenplay with Gregory Allen Howard. It stars

Cynthia Erivo Cynthia Erivo (; born 8 January 1987) is an English actress, singer, and songwriter. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Grammy Award and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Awa ...

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross, March 10, 1913) was an American abolitionist and social activist. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 slaves, including family and friends, u ...

, with Leslie Odom Jr.,

Joe Alwyn Joseph Matthew Alwyn (born 21 February 1991) is an English actor. He made his feature film debut as the titular character in Ang Lee's 2016 war drama, '' Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk,'' and has since played supporting roles in films such as ...

, and

Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe Robinson (; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, rapper and actress. She is signed to Atlantic Records, as well as to her own imprint, the Wondaland Arts Society. Monáe has received eight Grammy Award nominations. Mon� ...

in supporting roles. A biography about Harriet Tubman had been in the works for years, with several actresses, including

Viola Davis Viola Davis (; born August 11, 1965) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Tony Awards, she is the only African-American to achieve the Triple Crow ...

, rumored to star. Erivo was cast in February 2017, and much of the cast and crew joined the following year. Filming took place in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

from October to December 2018. ''Harriet'' had its world premiere at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...

on September 10, 2019, and was theatrically released in the United States on November 1, 2019, by Focus Features. It received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised Erivo's performance and found the film sincere but formulaic, and was a moderate commercial success, grossing $43 million worldwide against its production budget of $17 million. The film received several accolades and nominations, particularly for Erivo's performance, which garnered her nominations at the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

Golden Globes The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

, and the

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...

. For the song " Stand Up," Erivo and Joshuah Brian Campbell received

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

, Grammy and Golden Globe nominations.

Plot

In 1849

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, a

slave state In the United States before 1865, a slave state was a state in which slavery and the internal or domestic slave trade were legal, while a free state was one in which they were not. Between 1812 and 1850, it was considered by the slave states ...

, Araminta "Minty" Ross is newly married to freedman John Tubman. Minty is herself still a slave on the Brodess farm, along with her mother and sister. Reverend Green finishes his sermon advising obedience and to follow the Lord's will. Her

father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...

, also a freedman, approaches her owner, Edward Brodess with evidence that Minty's mother Harriet "Rit" Ross was to have been freed when she was 45, and her children born free. Brodess angrily refuses to acknowledge this. In despair, Minty prays for God to kill Brodess and is caught by Brodess' adult son Gideon, who castigates her. When Brodess dies shortly afterward, Gideon offers Minty for sale. Minty, who suffers "spells" since being struck in the head as a girl, has a vision of herself escaping to freedom. She decrees these scenes as visions from God and decides to escape from the plantation. John offers to accompany Minty, but she leaves him behind, fearing he would lose his freedom if caught with her. Minty meets with her father who tells her to go to Reverend Green for help with her journey. Minty travels all night and is pursued by Gideon and other men on horseback. Eventually, Gideon corners her at a bridge over a river, where he appeals to her faith and even promises not to sell her. Minty jumps anyway, proclaiming her will to "be free or die". Minty is presumed drowned but successfully makes it to

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

, and locates the abolitionist

Thomas Garrett Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the ...

. He takes her to the

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

border and Minty walks the remaining 25 miles to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, where she meets

William Still William Still (October 7, 1821 – July 14, 1902) was an African-American abolitionist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a conductor on the Underground Railroad, businessman, writer, historian and civil rights activist. Before the Ameri ...

, chairman of the

Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society The Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society was established in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1838. Founders included James Mott, Lucretia Mott, Robert Purvis, and John C. Bowers. In August 1850, William Still while working as a clerk for the Society, ...

. William encourages her to take a new free name, and she chooses Harriet after her mother and Tubman after her husband. Harriet temporarily lodges at Marie Buchanon's, the daughter of a freed slave who was born free and is now a boarding-house proprietor. After a year in Philadelphia, Harriet begs William to assist bringing her family over. He tells her helping slaves escape have become harder and demands that she not go, fearing for her safety. Refusing to give up, Harriet successfully makes it to John's homestead only to find he has remarried and is expecting a child. Devastated, Harriet receives further visions and is found by her father. With the exception of her parents and sister, Harriet leads nine other slaves to safety. The next day, Gideon and the rest realises this and threatens Harriet's sister, who has just given birth, and her children. She reveals to Gideon that Harriet is alive and had recently returned. Meanwhile, Harriet is admitted to the committee of the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

for her actions. Harriet continues to guide slaves to freedom as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, and is dubbed "Moses". However, when the Fugitive Slave Act passes, the escaped slaves are in jeopardy of being brought back even from free states. Gideon is livid when he discovers that she is "Moses", pursuing her to Philadelphia along with the slave hunter Bigger Long, who tortures and kills Marie. Harriet then flees to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

with help from her friends. After receiving a vision that her father is in imminent danger, Harriet returns and takes both her parents north. Over time, the Brodess farm falls into financial ruin. Brodess' widow vows to catch Harriet, using her sister's children as bait, but Harriet's team overwhelms Gideon's siblings and retrieves the remaining slaves. In a final confrontation, Gideon shoots Bigger Long dead as he is about to kill Harriet. Harriet then traps Gideon, but allows him to live, prophesying that he would die on a

battlefield A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troops ...

fighting for the "Lost Cause" and the sin of slavery. Telling him that her people would be free, she takes his horse and rides away. Harriet later leads an armed expedition of 150 black soldiers into the Combahee River Raid. The epilogue describes some of her accomplishments: She personally freed more than 70 slaves and returned as a Union spy during the Civil War, leading 150 black soldiers, who freed over 750 slaves, and helped

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

. She died at the approximate age of 91 with the last words: "I go to prepare a place for you".

Cast

as Araminta "Minty" Ross / Harriet Tubman * Leslie Odom Jr. as

, a Philadelphia abolitionist who connects Harriet with the Underground Railroad *

as Gideon Brodess, Harriet's last owner *

Clarke Peters Peter Clarke (born April 7, 1952), known professionally as Clarke Peters, is an American-British actor, writer, and director. He is best known for his roles as Lester Freamon in the television series ''The Wire'' (2002–2008) and Albert Lambrea ...

as Ben Ross, Harriet's father * Vanessa Bell Calloway as Rit Ross, Harriet's mother *

Vondie Curtis-Hall Vondie Curtis-Hall is an American actor, screenwriter, film director, and television director. As an actor, he is known for his role as Dr. Dennis Hancock on the CBS medical drama ''Chicago Hope'' created by David E. Kelley and as Ben Urich in the ...

as Reverend Samuel Green, a secretly-abolitionist freedman *

Jennifer Nettles Jennifer Odessa Nettles (born September 12, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and record producer. Nettles is the lead vocalist of the duo Sugarland alongside Kristian Bush, and prior to this she fronted the Atlanta-based band ...

as Eliza Brodess, Gideon's mother *

as Marie Buchanon, the owner of a boarding house in Philadelphia who befriends Harriet *

Omar Dorsey Omar J. Dorsey (born December 22, 1975) is an American actor. He has appeared in films '' The Blind Side'' (2009), ''Django Unchained'' (2012), and '' Selma'' (2014) playing James Orange. In 2016, Dorsey began starring as Hollingsworth "Holly ...

as Bigger Long, a notorious black slave-catcher *

Tim Guinee Timothy S. Guinee (born November 18, 1962) is an American stage, television, and feature-film actor. Primarily known for his roles as Tomin in the television series ''Stargate SG-1'' (1997–2007) and railroad entrepreneur Collis Huntington AMC ...

as abolitionist

Zackary Momoh Zackary Momoh (born July 1988) is a British actor. He began his career in theatre and made his feature film debut in ''A United Kingdom'' (2016). On television, he is known for his roles in the Netflix crime drama '' Seven Seconds'' (2018) and th ...

as John Tubman, a freedman who's Harriet's first husband * Deborah Ayorinde as Rachel Ross, Harriet's sister * Henry Hunter Hall as Walter, a black slave-tracker who eventually switches to Harriet's side * Tory Kittles as abolitionist

Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 1817 or 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became ...

* Mike Marunde as Edward Brodess, Harriet's first owner and Gideon's father

Production

In 2015,

was set to star in and produce a Harriet Tubman biopic; however, it never came to fruition. Development on a new film began in May 2016. In February 2017,

was cast as Tubman, with

Seith Mann Seith Mann (born 1973)"March 14, 2007...At 33, the D.C. native is one of the youngest African Americans directing television dramas" is an American film and television director. He directed ''Five Deep Breaths'' and has gone on to direct for ''The ...

then set to direct, from a screenplay by Gregory Allen Howard. Further development on the film was announced in September 2018, with Focus Features set as the new distributor,

attached as director (the first feature film she directed after the box office failure of ''

Black Nativity ''Black Nativity '' is an adaptation of the Nativity story by Langston Hughes, performed by an entirely black cast. Hughes was the author of the book, with the lyrics and music being derived from traditional Christmas carols, sung in gospel st ...

''.), and Leslie Odom Jr.,

, and

, and others, added to the cast. Lemmons received co-writer credit with Allen on the final script, and Allen also had the film's "story by" credit. In October,

was announced as one of several actors newly added to the film, with filming beginning on October 8, 2018, and lasting through December. ''Harriet'' was filmed entirely in

, in Richmond,

Powhatan The Powhatan people (; also spelled Powatan) may refer to any of the indigenous Algonquian people that are traditionally from eastern Virginia. All of the Powhatan groups descend from the Powhatan Confederacy. In some instances, The Powhatan ...

, Tamworth, Petersburg, and Mathews.

Berkeley Plantation Berkeley Plantation, one of the first plantations in America, comprises about on the banks of the James River on State Route 5 in Charles City County, Virginia. Berkeley Plantation was originally called Berkeley Hundred, named after the Berkele ...

in Charles City County was used for

Auburn, New York Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States. Located at the north end of Owasco Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in Central New York, the city had a population of 26,866 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city of Cayuga County, th ...

Release

''Harriet'' had its world premiere at the

on September 10. It was theatrically released in the United States on November 1, 2019. Its release for Blu-ray and DVD sales took place on January 14, 2020.

Reception

Box office

''Harriet'' grossed $43.1 million in the United States and Canada and $200,000 in other territories for a worldwide total of $43.3 million, plus $4.2 million with home video sales, against a production budget of $17 million. In North America, the film was released alongside '' Terminator: Dark Fate'', ''

Arctic Dogs ''Arctic Dogs'' (also known as ''Arctic Justice'' or ''Polar Squad'' in the UK) is a 2019 computer-animated comedy film co-written and directed by Aaron Woodley and co-directed by Dimos Vrysellas. The film stars the voices of Jeremy Renner, Hei ...

'' and '' Motherless Brooklyn'', and was projected to gross $7–9 million from 2,059 theaters in its opening weekend. The film grossed $3.9 million on its first day, including $600,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to slightly over-perform, debuting to $11.7 million and finishing fourth. The film made $7.4 million in its second weekend, finishing sixth, and $4.6 million on its third, finishing tenth.

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critics' consensus reads, "''Harriet'' serves as a sincere tribute to a pivotal figure in American history—albeit one undermined by its frustratingly formulaic approach."

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

assigned the film a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a rare grade of "A+," while those at

PostTrak PostTrak is a U.S.-based service that surveys film audiences for film studios. History The service conducts surveys in the top 20 markets in the U.S. and Canada with the use of polling cards and electronic kiosks. A PostTrak report for a film ...

gave it an average 4.5 out of 5 stars and a 69% "definite recommend." Reviewing for ''

The New York Observer ''The New York Observer'' was a weekly newspaper printed from 1987 to 2016, when it ceased print publication and became the online-only newspaper ''Observer''. The media site focuses on culture, real estate, media, politics and the entertainmen ...

'',

Rex Reed Rex Taylor Reed (born October 2, 1938) is an American film critic, occasional actor, and television host. He writes the column "On the Town with Rex Reed" for '' The New York Observer''. Early life Reed was born on October 2, 1938, in Fort Wo ...

wrote: "With enough terror to satisfy modern audiences and enough underplayed plot movement to save it from conventional biopic trajectory, Harriet holds interest and invites respect. It is still not the great Civil War epic it could have been, but it’s solid enough to work, and Cynthia Erivo's valiant and committed performance is a wonderful achievement."

Richard Roeper Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American columnist and film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times''. He co-hosted the television series '' At the Movies'' with Roger Ebert from 2000 to 2008, serving as the late Gene Siskel's success ...

gave the film three out of four stars in his review for the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago ...

'', applauding Erivo's "convincing" and "powerful" acting as well as Lemmons' approach to the story. He wrote: "The crackling historical fiction frames ubman'sharrowing rescue missions in fast-paced, quick-cut style." Some reviewers were less positive. Eric Kohn of ''

IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...

'' gave the film a "B−", writing that "''Harriet'' doesn’t attempt to reinvent the biopic, relying instead on a poignant turn by rising screen talent Cynthia Erivo as its soulful centerpiece, against the gorgeous backdrop of John Toll's cinematography and Terence Blanchard's euphoric score. As a sentimental tribute, it hardly transcends expectations—but Erivo's performance injects a palpable urgency to the material that makes up for missed time." In ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', Owen Gleiberman wrote, "Cynthia Erivo plays the escaped slave Harriet Tubman with a mournful fury, but the rest of Kasi Lemmons' biopic is more dutiful than inspired."

Accolades

References

External links

* * * *
Harriet
' at '' History vs. Hollywood''
''Harriet''
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harriet 2019 films 2019 biographical drama films 2010s historical drama films African-American biographical dramas African-American films American biographical drama films American historical drama films Cultural depictions of Harriet Tubman Films about American slavery Films about racism in the United States Films directed by Kasi Lemmons Films scored by Terence Blanchard Films set in 1849 Films set in 1850 Films set in 1858 Films set in the 1850s Films set in 1863 Films set in Baltimore Films set in Maryland Films set in New York (state) Films set in Ontario Films set in Philadelphia Films set in South Carolina Films shot in Virginia Western (genre) films based on actual events Focus Features films Perfect World Pictures films Works about the Underground Railroad 2010s English-language films 2010s American films