Antebellum

This film had a clear message, and I believe it's mediocre rating is solely because many people weren't ready to see it. Great plot twist, kept me interested, great acting, exceptional cinematography.. it's not necessarily a "must see", but it's definitely not as terrible as the majority of reviews make it out to be.

This movie was great, I worked with a number of guys who use to participate in those civil war enactments, and watching this movie was a little scary.

They would actually come to work describing these enactments and I just could never understand why they would do them. Sometimes they would get quiet when I approach the conference room, I guess fear of hurting my feelings.

This is my first review on IMDB. I saw the movie yesterday and found it very good. The negative comments are in no justice to this film. Sure it's not a horrormovie and the adds around this film are misleading.

Antebellum is an original movie, has a great performance of the lead actress, an unpredictable script and an important message. Don't expect to see a gripping horrorflick, but a gripping good film

I really enjoyed this movie, Forget the negative reviews, watch it yourself....

Antebellum tells the remarkable story of Eden, a slave on a plantation somewhere in America. It also chronicles events in the life of a successful modern-day author called Veronica. As the film progresses, the connection between these two storylines becomes clear, and that's about all I can say about the plot.

THE POSITIVES

One of the biggest strengths of the flick, is a masterful hand behind the camera. Gorgeous cinematography, guided by thoughtful direction, bring as much emotional impact to the film as the stellar performances do. The structural editing on display here, is a showcase of the profound understanding the filmmakers have of the narrative. The film is filled to the brim with subtle visual setups that have satisfying pay-offs at the end. The opening scene is one of the most gripping collection of images, I've seen all year. It was an absolute treat to discover that the final sequence reaches the same impactfull heights but with a very different connotation. I can't stress enough how the technical aspects of Antebellum are Oscarworthy. cinematography, lighting, production design and costume design are in a league of their own. They all work together to truly make the performances shine.

THE NEGATIVES

Unfortunately, the film undoes a lot of the greatness within itself, as the flick goes along. The underlying message is anything but underlying. It rather weighs down heavily on the audience and is often times spelled out to the letter. All of the striking, brutal imagery, is somehow negated by heavy-handed pandering to an agenda, I don't even disagree with. An almost comedic over the top female villain who is in sharp contrast with some bold, grounded performances by other antagonists, offers nothing more than frustration. I truly want to love this film more than it allows me to.

THE VERDICT

Antebellum is composed out of a collection of striking images that showcase craftsmanship in front and behind the camera. Its brutal, grounded and thoughtful imagery is undermined however, by a painfully, spelled out message that comes across as pandering more often than not.