HARRIET TUBMAN’s One Hundred Miles to Freedom
By Ash CSep. 17 2019, Published 9:51 p.m. ET
The thrilling and inspirational tale of Harriet Tubman is finally being told in theaters. With much anticipation, Focus Features will release Harriet in theaters November 1, 2019.
Based on the life of an iconic American freedom fighter, Harriet tells of a woman’s grand escape from slavery and transformation into one of the greatest heroes of the U.S. Cynthia Erivo is Harriet Tubman in this powerful story, whose courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history. Other members of the cast include Leslie Odom Jr., Janelle Monáe, Joe Alwyn, Jennifer Nettles, and Clarke Peters.
The film is directed and written by Kasi Lemmons whose previous work includes Eve’s Bayou and Talk to Me, with Gregory Allen Howard of Ali and Remember the Titans on the co-writing. Upon first glance of the trailer, we hear a man’s voice speaking in the background: “There’s not much time. You got to be miles away from here ‘fore dawn.“ Then we see a well-dressed white man holding a gun, violently interrogating someone, “Where is she?“ as our protagonist escapes from captivity and runs through a field.
The sinister voice reappeared to guide Harriet through the wilderness in the middle of nowhere as she keeps running, despite how difficult it is to navigate in the deep of the night. She continues her escape, but is inevitably confronted by the white men chasing her down. Stuck between two ends of a bridge, instead of being recaptured, she chooses jumping off the bridge into the river. Our fighter would rather risk dying than to sacrifice her freedom – even though it is a basic human right to be free.
As she got to her destination, a man told her, “I don’t know if you know how extraordinary this is, but you have made it one hundred miles to freedom – all by yourself.” Our heroine picked a new name to mark her freedom, with the most determined look in her eyes:
-“Harriet Tubman.”
“Harriet Tubman.”
Despite all the troubles she went through to liberate herself, Harriet is unable to enjoy her freedom without saving her family. She decides to go back – one of the most selfless things anyone has ever done in US history. A man told her how dangerous her actions are – trying to save the others and bring them to freedom; but she is not backing down.
-“I made it this far on my own, so don’t you tell me what I can’t do.”
“I made it this far on my own, so don’t you tell me what I can’t do.”
She holds up a gun and battles for her freedom. We see a legendary woman of immense strength and determination fighting for what is rightfully hers, and then some more. Harriet Tubman was a woman truly ahead of her time, not letting the world and its social constructs tell her what her life was supposed to be. This November, we commemorate the famous abolitionist’s vision and efforts as one of the greatest heroes in human history.
-“I freed a thousand slaves. I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.”
“I freed a thousand slaves. I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.”
After freeing slaves using of the Underground Railroad network across the country, Tubman in her later years became an avid women’s right activist and suffragette. When a white woman asked her whether she believed in the women’s vote, she reportedly replied, “I suffered enough to believe it.”
Harriet was premiered at Toronto Film Festival which ran from September 5 to September 15.
