“Ready.”

From Harriet.

In 1849 Maryland, there lives a black slave named Minty (Cynthia Erivo) who, after a head injury as a child, has fainting spells and prayer times when she hears from God about the future.  When her owners (Joe Alwyn and Jennifer Nettles) fall into financial troubles, they make plans to sell the rebellious Minty, so before she’s sold off further south she decides to run away.  She leaves her free husband (Zackary Momoh) and her family (including Clarke Peters and Vanessa Bell Calloway) behind to keep them safe and she makes the treacherous journey to freedom in Philadelphia.  Arriving in Philly, she meets with a member of the anti-slavery movement, William (Leslie Odom Jr.), who helps her find safety, a job, and a place to stay at a boarding house with a woman named Marie (Janelle Monáe).  Minty is also encouraged to choose a free name, so she chooses the name Harriet Tubman to celebrate the somber victory of her freedom from slavery.  One year after she escapes to freedom and against William’s advice, Harriet heads back to Maryland to bring her husband to safety as well, but through an unexpected series of events, she brings back nine slaves to freedom.  This starts Harriet’s work with the Underground Railroad bringing back most of her family, friends, as well as many other slaves that she finds along the journey.  As the slave owners begin to hunt for the elusive slave freer called Moses and they search the state for who they believe must be a white man, Harriet is able to continue to work undetected to bring dozens of slaves to freedom.

The intense subject matter will be difficult for very young or sensitive viewers, but Tubman’s story is one that needs to be celebrated and shared.  Erivo’s portrayal of one of history’s most inspiring woman is mesmerizing.  The music is hauntingly beautiful and adds an unique layer to the film.  Harriet is an amazing story of an amazing woman from history that creates a captivating movie that makes it impossible to turn away.

| Rated: PG-13 | Running Time: 125 minutes |Genre: drama/biography |

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 3* of 10|Nudity: 0 of 10|Sexuality: 0 of 10|Gore: 4 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|