antebellum (spoiler free) review
I had no idea what to expect coming into Antebellum. I’d not seen a full trailer, only a brief television spot that was mostly Janelle Monae alternatively looking beautiful or running from an unseen threat. The film is essentially surface-level commentary on racism, classism and gender inequality. We are presented with broad caricatures of the worst kinds of people ever to exist and the film tries admirably to use their horrific acts to address societal ills past and present. The problem is Antebellum doesn’t commit long enough to any one theme or setting to leave an impression. I struggle to tell you who this movie is even for. It was marketed as a supernatural thriller of some kind and it’s not. I guess there were a few scenes that were thrilling? I kept waiting for the creative hook teased in the marketing and it never happened. Antebellum is a film where the idea for the film is more interesting on paper than in delivery. It’s always worrying when a marketing campaign centers on creative subterfuge and highlighting the creators (the same people that produced Get Out produced Antebellum!) rather than just presenting an honest taste of what we can expect as viewers. That all being said the film is capably acted and beautifully shot by talented filmmakers. Janelle Monae does nothing to embarrass herself which is worth mentioning when you look at the track record of musicians crossing over to acting.
Antebellum receives a score of 5/10 for general audiences and 6/10 for Janelle Monae fans.