Antebellum Movie Review

Antebellum (2020)

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Written by: Gerard Bush & Christopher Renz (written by)
Directed by: Gerard Bush, Christopher Renz (directed by)
Starring: Janelle Monáe, Eric Lange, Jena MAlone, Jack Juston, Kiersey Clemons
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
Successful author Veronica Henley finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it's too late.

Verdict
I like what this wants to do more than what it actually does. It's social commentary, but the the plot doesn't fully unfold until we're well into the movie. It feels like it's holding back to maintain suspension disbelief and waiting until the end just for the big conclusion. That seems like just a lack of plot. There are some very nice misdirections that will make you want to watch this again, but it's not worth it.
Skip it.

Review
It has a Get Out or Us vibe and that's because it's from the same producers. This wants to be a movie in the same vein, but it doesn't quite get there.

Janelle Monáe plays Eden.

It's best to go into this movie knowing nothing as knowing even a little about the plot, even just a basic description, could lead you to being bored. A large part of the plot I can't discuss as it's a spoiler.

This opens in the Antebellum South with a lot of unsettling imagery of the time seemingly just to disturb. There are slaves being separated, branded, and killed. I knew a little of the plot and that robs the movie a bit as I was waiting for the plot to get started. What we see is a plot that wants to surprise and disgust by being provocative. Slaves look to Eden (Janelle Monáe) for escape but her response is wait. Wait for what? The plot progresses and all we get are more questions. I really wanted some answers. The movie intentionally holds back because once answers are revealed the plot begins to deflate. This movie is socially relevant, but it lacks a movie. It's a bit of a charade. We're two-thirds into the movie before we get any sense of what this is. The movie would be a lot more interesting if it revealed the entire plot a lot earlier instead of holding it to the end. If you reveal the plot earlier, then you have to craft a story after that.

It uses plenty of nice tricks to keep you off balance, but it's not the same thrill ride as Get Out or Us even though it's commenting on similar themes.

I wondered why they were burning cotton in the beginning, and that is a sign of things to come. I wasn't sure if the inconsistencies were a lack of attention to detail or a clue
They're burning the cotton because they don't need it. The past is the future. The scenes of Eden/Veronica on a grotesque civil war theme park are after her capture. That's the big twist, but this reminds me a lot of The Village. This adds social commentary to the formula, but it's not as engaging.

Everything is over the top from Veronica's speech on the book tour to her friends. Maybe this is trying to play to the Antebellum South with pageantry, but I don't know why it would.

Another issue is that in the past the goal is escape. The present (which is chronologically the past) is just killing time until we get back to the past. This is scared adults playing dress up and pretending to have power. The problem is that the power comes when enough of them join together. There's far too many that want to join. That's when it becomes dangerous. You could ask how could something like this happen, but with what's transpired in the world it doesn't seem as far fetched as it would have just five years ago.