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The District of Columbia, USA, the 1830s and 40s, when slavery was still a thing and abolition was only a budding idea - but concrete enough for the slave owners to come up with more and more absurd excuses why slavery is an absolute necessity, be it for economic reasons or (self-induced) fear of freed black people. Abolitionists back then were actually persecuted, put to jail even, like publisher Reuben Crandall (John L. Shortt), who printed pamphlets showing a white slaveowner whipping a black slave - and he was put to jail for libel.

Robert Armistead (Don White) has owned slave for all his life, but of late, his conscience got the better of him, and as his health fails him he signs a deed freeing his slaves, Daniel (Anthony Wilcox), Mary (Myeisha Essex) and their children - much to the dismay of his wife Susan (Deborah Malick), who does everything in her power to revoke her husband's deed, after his death even goes to court to have it renounced - and indeed she does retain possession of Mary and the children, very much to the dismay of everyone involved. Daniel goes the legal way to set them free, but as the legal system is run by the whites, many slaveowners themselves, it's to no avail, to the point where he plans a spectacular rescue mission, not only for his family but for many slaves across town ...

A film that really gets you thinking, as it goes beyond a "slavery is bad"-message (which should be indisputable in the 21st century anyways) but gets inside the heads of slaveowners and shows how slow a process it must have been to really start to listen to humane reasons let alone shake the shackles of racism, in a multi-layered story that by and large avoids any tearjerking moments. And on a visual level, this film's quite a feat, as it combines old-fashioned rotoscoping with modern CGI, allowing the filmmakers to play with impressive imagery and colour-pallettes of their choosing for maximum atmospheric effect. And all of this together results in a not exactly easy watch, but a thoughtful and worthwhile experience nevertheless.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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