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Antebellum (film)

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Antebellum
A woman's face. A dripping red painted silhouette of a butterfly covers her mouth.
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Written by
  • Gerard Bush
  • Christopher Renz
Produced by
  • Raymond Mansfield
  • Sean McKittrick
  • Zev Forman
  • Gerard Bush
  • Christopher Renz
  • Lezlie Wills
Starring
CinematographyPedro Luque
Edited byJohn Axelrad
Music by
  • Nate Wonder
  • Roman Gianarthur
Production
companies
  • QC Entertainment
  • Bush+Renz
Distributed byLionsgate
Release date
  • September 18, 2020 (2020-09-18)
Running time
106 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10 million[2]

Antebellum is a 2020 American black horror thriller film[3][4] written and directed by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz in their feature directorial debuts. The film stars Janelle Monáe, Eric Lange, Jena Malone, Jack Huston, Kiersey Clemons and Gabourey Sidibe, and follows a 21st-century African-American woman who wakes to find herself mysteriously in a Southern slave plantation from which she must escape.

Antebellum was released in the United States through premium video on demand on September 18, 2020, and theatrically in several other countries. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who criticized the depiction of on screen violence.

Plot

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In a Louisiana slave plantation run by Confederate soldiers, slaves are treated harshly and not allowed to speak unless spoken to. Those who attempt to escape are killed and their bodies burned in a crematorium. After a failed escape attempt, a black man named Eli watches as his wife is murdered and her body placed in the crematorium. A woman who had been assisting them is brutally beaten and branded by the general until she submits to being called Eden.

A group of new slaves are brought to the plantation. Among them is a pregnant woman whom the general's daughter Elizabeth names Julia and places in the care of Eden. Julia asks Eden to plan an escape while Eden urges her to keep her head down. That evening during a dinner where Julia and Eden are forced to wait on soldiers in the army, a shy Confederate soldier named Daniel is attracted to Julia and arranges to go to her cabin later. When Julia tries to play on his kindness and asks him to help her, he beats her for speaking when not spoken to, causing her to miscarry.

After being raped by the general in her cabin, Eden hears a ringing cell phone. In the modern era, a cell phone rings, awakening Eden, who is a renowned sociologist named Dr. Veronica Henley. She is preparing to take a trip to speak and promote her book, which is particularly hard for her because she has to leave her husband Nick and her daughter Kennedi. She has a bizarre online meeting with Elizabeth which leaves her uncomfortable, but she dismisses her feelings and cuts the meeting short.

While in Louisiana on her book tour, she meets acquaintances Dawn and Sarah and agrees to go to dinner with them at a local restaurant. In the meantime, Elizabeth sneaks into her hotel room and steals her lipstick. Intending to go back home early in the morning, Veronica leaves the restaurant in what she believes is her Uber ride but is a car driven by Elizabeth. Elizabeth's husband Jasper knocks Veronica unconscious.

At the plantation, Veronica discovers that Julia has hanged herself. Enraged, she tells Eli that they will escape that night. After being raped by the general again the following evening, she once again sneaks out of her cabin and steals the general's phone. Before she can call for help, she is interrupted by an intoxicated Daniel and another soldier who find the phone but are not suspicious believing it dropped out of the general's bag.

When he is alone, Eli kills Daniel with a hatchet and retrieves the cell phone. As the phone can only be unlocked with facial recognition, Veronica goes back to the cabin to find the general and is surprised to find he is awake. The general attacks both of them and Eli is subsequently killed trying to protect Veronica. She stabs the general with his own bayonet and unlocks the phone, then uses GPS to send her location to her husband. Intending to hide the general in the crematorium, she is interrupted by Jasper. Veronica lures him and another soldier into the crematorium and sets fire to it, leaving the three men to burn to death as she steals the general's horse and rides off.

Elizabeth pursues Veronica on horseback and reveals that she handpicked every slave on the plantation except for Veronica, whom she kidnapped at her father's insistence. Veronica knocks Elizabeth off her horse and puts a rope around her neck, dragging her until she hits the base of a Robert E. Lee statue, breaking her neck.

Veronica flees the pursuing soldiers into the chaos of a battle, revealing that the so-called plantation is part of a Civil War reenactment park called Antebellum, owned by Senator Blake Denton, who is posing as the general. Denton and his comrades intended to use the park to recreate chattel slavery using African-American victims. Veronica finally escapes as the police arrive.

The park is later shut down by the FBI, the slaves are rescued, and the park is destroyed.

Cast

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Production

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In March 2019, it was announced Janelle Monáe had joined the cast of the film, with Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz directing from a screenplay they wrote. Ray Mansfield and Sean McKittrick serve as producers on the film under their QC Entertainment banner, and Lionsgate are distributors.[5] In April 2019, Eric Lange, Jena Malone, Jack Huston, Kiersey Clemons, Tongayi Chirisa, Gabourey Sidibe, Robert Aramayo and Lily Cowles joined the cast of the film.[6] In May 2019, Marque Richardson joined the cast of the film.[7]

Principal photography began in May 2019 around New Orleans, Louisiana.[8]

Release

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Antebellum was released through video on demand in the United States on September 18, 2020, while still playing in theaters in select countries.[9] This includes a theatrical release in Australia on October 1, 2020.[10] The film was originally scheduled to be released on April 24, 2020, but was pulled off the schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic, then was rescheduled to August 21, 2020, before being pulled off the release schedule again in July 2020.[11][12][13]

Reception

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VOD rentals

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In its debut weekend, Antebellum was the number one most rented title across film and television on Amazon Prime Video, and number one rented film on FandangoNow and Apple TV, and third on Google Play. IndieWire estimated that if about 500,000 homes rented the film, it would result in $8 million for the studio.[2] In its second weekend the film topped the Amazon Prime Video, FandangoNow and Spectrum film charts, while finishing second at Google Play and sixth at Apple TV, and remained in the top three across most platforms in its third weekend.[14][15] In October 2020, The Hollywood Reporter said the film was the sixth-most-popular PVOD title amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[16]

Critical response

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On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 30% based on 205 reviews, with an average rating of 4.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Antebellum fails to connect its images with any meaning, making for a largely unpleasant experience lacking any substantial scares."[17] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 43 out of 100 based on 40 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[18]

Peter Debruge from Variety called it "A mind blowing thriller".[19] Stephanie Zacharek of Time wrote "Even if we didn't live in a country where a shockingly large fraction of people think Confederate monuments are A-O.K., Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz's Antebellum would resonate like the boom of a Union Army cannon".[20] David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film a "C+" and wrote, "An artful and provocative movie about the enduring horror of America's original sin, Antebellum can't follow through on its own concept."[21] Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Jourdain Searles said the film was "more interested in making a point than digging deep" and "In the end, Antebellum is undone by a lack of empathy and emotion. It has no real perspective on the past and thus fails to make any real impact on the present."[22]

In a largely negative review, Angelica Jade Bastién, writing for Vulture, criticized the film’s exploitation of black suffering and emotional manipulation, writing; "It is full of not only aesthetic and narrative failures but moral ones: It implicitly argues that depictions of suffering are the best means of understanding what it means to be Black in America.”[23]

Accolades

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Peter Debruge included the film on his list of "best films of 2020" for Variety, praising its cinematic quality, effective storytelling and social relevancy.[24][25]

Year Award Category Recipients Result Ref.
2020
 Fright Meter Awards Best Cinematography Pedro Luque Nominated [26]
Sunset Film Circle Awards Scene Stealer Gabourey Sidibe Nominated [27]
2021
 Black Reel Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress Nominated [28]
Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards Best Horror Film Nominated [29]
Hollywood Music in Media Awards Best Original Score in a Horror Film Nate Wonder and Roman GianArthur Nominated [30]
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Janelle Monáe Nominated [31]
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Gabourey Sidibe Nominated
Phoenix Critics Circle Awards Best Horror Film Nominated [32]
Women Film Critics Circle Awards Courage in Acting Janelle Monáe Won [33]
Best Female Action Hero Won
Best Movie About Women Nominated
Josephine Baker Award Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "Antebellum (15)". British Board of Film Classification. April 14, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Brueggemann, Tom (September 21, 2020). "'Antebellum' Immediate #1 on VOD Charts While RBG Films Soar on Apple TV". IndieWire. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  3. ^ Kreps, Daniel (August 6, 2020). "Janelle Monáe Time-Travel Thriller 'Antebellum' Headed Straight to VOD". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  4. ^ Lowry, Brian (September 17, 2020). "Janelle Monae stars in a thriller with a 'Get Out' vibe that doesn't live up to its twist". CNN. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  5. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 21, 2019). "Janelle Monáe To Star In Lionsgate Pic From Filmmakers Gerard Bush + Christopher Renz". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  6. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (April 16, 2019). "Eric Lange, Jena Malone, Jack Huston, More Join Janelle Monáe In Lionsgate Race Relations Pic From 'Get Out' & 'BlacKkKlansman' Outfit QC Entertainment". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  7. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (May 17, 2019). "Marque Richardson Joins Janelle Monáe In Lionsgate Film From 'Get Out' Producers". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  8. ^ Renz, Christopher (May 8, 2019). "Day 1". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  9. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 6, 2020). "Janelle Monáe Horror Movie 'Antebellum' Skips U.S. Theaters & Heads To PVOD". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  10. ^ "Antebellum - to Cinemas October 1 - Roadshow". Village Roadshow. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  11. ^ Sneider, Jeff (March 17, 2020). "Lionsgate Delays Chris Rock's 'Saw' Movie, Janelle Monae's 'Antebellum'". Collider. Archived from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  12. ^ McNary, Dave (May 1, 2020). "Janelle Monae's Horror Film 'Antebellum' Sets August Release Date". Variety. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  13. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2020-07-31). "Lionsgate Takes Janelle Monáe Horror Movie 'Antebellum' Off Calendar Temporarily". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2020-12-25. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  14. ^ Brueggemann, Tom (September 28, 2020). "'Ava' Joins 'Antebellum' Atop VOD Charts While 'Enola Holmes' Rules at Netflix". IndieWire. Archived from the original on December 24, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  15. ^ Brueggemann, Tom (October 5, 2020). "'Ava' Takes Over as the Top VOD Choice, with Thriller 'Alone' Still Strong". IndieWire. Archived from the original on October 18, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  16. ^ McClintock, Pamela (October 23, 2020). "Skipping Theaters? Hollywood Studios Weigh Risks of PVOD". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  17. ^ "Antebellum (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
  18. ^ "Antebellum Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  19. ^ Debruge, Peter (31 August 2020). "'Antebellum' Review: Janelle Monáe Stands Up to the Horrors of Slavery in Mind-Blowing Thriller". Variety. Archived from the original on 25 December 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  20. ^ Zacharek, Stephanie (18 September 2020). "Janelle Monáe Is Electrifying in Antebellum". Time. Archived from the original on 2020-12-25. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  21. ^ Ehrlich, David (August 31, 2020). "'Antebellum' Review: Janelle Monáe's American Horror Story Trips on Its Own Wild Twists". IndieWire. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  22. ^ Searles, Jourdain (August 31, 2020). "'Antebellum': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  23. ^ "I Am Tired of Films Like Antebellum". 14 September 2020.
  24. ^ Debruge, Peter; Gleiberman, Owen (8 December 2020). "The Best Films of 2020". Variety. Archived from the original on 25 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  25. ^ Dietz, Jason (December 3, 2020). "Best of 2020: Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2021-01-23. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
  26. ^ "Congrats to our 2020 Best Cinematography nominees!". Twitter. February 1, 2021. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  27. ^ Neglia, Matt (November 24, 2020). "The 2020 Sunset Film Critics Circle Award Nominations (SFCC)". The Next Best Picture. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  28. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (February 18, 2021). "'One Night in Miami', 'Judas and the Black Messiah' Lead Nominations For 21st Annual Black Reel Awards". Deadline. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  29. ^ "Oscars Watch: 2020 Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards". No Bad Movie. January 14, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-01-28. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  30. ^ Grein, Paul (January 27, 2021). "Diane Warren & James Newton Howard Among Top Winners at 2021 Hollywood Music in Media Awards". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  31. ^ Davis, Clayton (February 2, 2021). "Viola Davis, Tyler Perry and Regina King Up for Entertainer of the Year at 2021 NAACP Image Awards". variety.com. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  32. ^ Hankins, Brent (March 19, 2021). "Phoenix Critics Circle Announces 2020 Award Winners". The Lamplight Review. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  33. ^ Anderson, Erik (March 8, 2021). "Women Film Critics Circle Awards: 'Promising Young Woman' dominates". AwardsWatch. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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