Antebellum will spark conversation, theories, all up until the horrific end that has audiences divisive. A thrilling horror film that reminds us the true monsters are among us.
“Successful author Veronica Henley (Janelle Monáe) is finishing a book tour before she returns home to her husband and daughter. But a shocking turn of events is about to upend Veronica’s existence, plunging her into a horrifying reality that forces her to confront her past, present, and future – before it’s too late. From the producer of Get Out and Us comes this tense and provocative thriller with a terrifying twist.”
Antebellum is a hard movie to categorize. If you watch the trailer, read the synopsis, then watch the first 45 minutes of the film, you’re bound to be a bit confused as to what is happening and what kind of story the film is trying to tell. Because of that, it’s a lot harder to go in depth of what does and perhaps doesn’t work in the film, and some of the things that definitely makes this stand out from anything I’ve seen recently.
First and foremost, the ‘feel’ of the film does have the same quality as those films by the same producer, Get Out and Us. It’s a film that makes you think the entire way through, form theories, all the while witnessing some horrific atrocities along the way. Although Us had lingering questions that seemed too outlandish to attempt to answer at the end, Antebellum makes things quite clear once you get to the finish line. One of the biggest criticisms of the film that I’ve read is the lack of horror aspect in a film that is marketed as just that. I can agree that it may be a bit misleading, but that brings me back to how hard it is to categorize Antebellum. It may not have jump scares or blood and guts, but it for sure has monsters, and there is no doubt about how horrific the film truly is.
The theme of the film is also a topic of discussion, especially in our radically charged society of people denying that systematic racism exists in our country. It’s clear in the trailer the film is about racism and slavery, but that is only the tip of the iceberg when the end is revealed. It’s almost impossible to go further without giving anything away, but regardless of whether or not you saw the end coming, or even hated it, I have no doubt in my mind that there are people in this country that would embrace the entire thing, and that to me is scarier than any movie I’ve ever seen.
Writer/Directors Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz are newcomers to feature films and developed the story together from a nightmare one of them had. Their first go-around definitely has mixed reviews, but if one thing is certain they have crafted a beautiful film that inspires conversation and evokes strong emotion. One thing that we unfortunately didn’t get a lot of was some in-depth character development. All the time is spent on showing one of two situations, and I never felt we fully explored any of the characters to their potential. What were the motivations of the antagonists besides being racist? We don’t learn much about them at all, and perhaps that is a good thing. As a filmgoer I do want some well-rounded characters, but then again humanizing anyone that could do something like this isn’t something I want to see. As I said, it inspires conversation, is divisive, even with your own feelings.
Janelle Monáe leads in the film, a first for her, giving a brilliant performance as Veronica Henley. She doesn’t have a whole lot of dialogue in the first half of the film, but the horrors she witnesses are clearly evident by her mannerisms and expressions. The haunting look in her eyes are that of someone being tortured, and it speaks volumes without the need for words. The rest of the supporting cast do well in the film, especially the antagonists. They give you something to point your anger toward, stoking those infuriating fires that make you beg for them to get their comeuppance at the end.
Video
Antebellum is presented in Ultra High Definition 4k 2160p 2.39:1, featuring Dolby Vision. The film is absolutely stunning visually. The Writer/Directors claim they acquired the actual lenses used to film Gone with the Wind to more accurately depict the antebellum period, with the resulting sequences breathtaking to behold. It doesn’t have the grand scope that Gone with the Wind had, by any means, but there are some really beautiful scenes that greatly benefit. The dynamic metadata of the Dolby Vision ensure that the levels look great in every sequence, and with the major differences of a large portion of the film, including the night and day sequences, brightness and dark levels are spot on. The colors from this 4k transfer are stunningly vibrant, with a crystal-clear picture. 4k is definitely the way to go when seeing this film, Dolby Vision if you have the capabilities.
Audio
The audio is presented in Dolby Atmos. A very nice track that highlights the use of the surrounds for some great atmospheric effects of the civil war era, but also can be quite haunting when you hear the screams, the burning, and the creaking floorboards on a silent night. Balance is good, with clear and concise dialogue coming from the center channel. It has a beautiful score to it that really sets the tone in a lot of scenes.
Special Features
Both the 4k disc and Blu-ray contain the extras. These include:
- The History in Front of Us: Deconstructing Antebellum (2-Part Documentary)
- A Hint of Horrors: The Clues of Antebellum
- Opening Antebellum
- Deleted Scenes
- Theatrical Trailers
Antebellum takes an unthinkable idea and makes us realize it may not be so unthinkable after all. Polarized, poignant, and smart, it’s a film that will keep the dialogue going after the credits roll, a dialogue that needs to continue. If nothing else, see the film to form your own opinion. It may mean something different to everyone who sees it, but for me, it may be one of the most horrific films I’ve seen in a long time.
