Review
This was a really tough watch, but I’m glad I prioritized this film on today of all days. This story is so important to our history, and I’ve been wanting to watch this film since it premiered in 2022, yet I never found the right time nor emotional state to sit down and embrace this story of horror, cruelty, determination, faith, love, and freedom.
To know the depths of what humanity is capable of is terrifying – and truly a dark reminder in our modern times that while we’ve made significant progress, we honestly aren’t that far away from living a life where humanity and empathy is not established as the foundation of our society. Equality is still something that we struggle to align with in this very day and age around the globe. And while it is sad to know where we are now, it is stories such as this that provide strong reminders of the importance of continuing forward, no matter the challenges nor if all hope is felt to be lost.
I thought this film was beautiful. I am not a history expert, so I cannot speak towards the truth of the journey presented, but I can say that the performances, the vision, and the messaging of this film should leave anyone with a heart left feeling in awe and in tears. As a fan of black-and-white media, the choice of this color palette was truly unique, and I believe added greatly to the history of the story, allowing for the details to shine and a distinctive and gorgeous, yet gritty and guttural style.
As a people, there is still more work to be done, but I’m glad I was in a mental and emotional place to sit and embrace this film on such an important day of the year. To celebrate Juneteenth is to recognize freedom for all. However, it is important to remember that it was not without being forced to fight and defend this freedom against those who want to take it away - and this fight will continue every single day because darkness will continue to exist, and thus we must continue to shine bright and give light and love to all every single day.
“It’s not a movie about slavery. It’s a movie about freedom, and the power of faith combined with love being invincible.”
— Will Smith, Emancipation Bonus Content “Channeling Peter”
