I have seen this film twice. The first time was at the Middleburg Film Festival, where the Director spoke afterwards. What is unique about this movie? Its honesty and its focus. I cannot relate to the bad reviews at all. It is NOT a cartoon. It does NOT depict Harriet as a superhero. She suffered greatly. But the film focuses on the empowerment of Harriet, largely through her own bravery, rather than making her a one dimensional victim. She is a hero because she took risks and made choices that other characters did not. She felt that God was working through her to show that the slavery system could be beaten. But the slaveholders cited God too, so you see both sides.
The other characters' choices not to run are explained and we understand them. How can you run with two small children and your "mistress" calling for you every minute? The horrific abuses of the slavery system are woven into the story, as motivators for escape and abolition, but in contrast to any other slavery film, the focus is not on helpless slaves, and this makes it powerful. It is also the first film depicting slavery that made me see the economic desperation of not-that-rich white slaveholders as a driver for their cruelty. One can feel what it is like being born into this system, told from childhood that other people belong to you and being widowed or orphaned by an inept debtor, with your main assets as slaves. You felt how this brought out the worst aspects of human character, especially with your neighbors behaving the same way. This subplot is very important, because it helps us to understand why the US had this system for so long and what it took to overcome it.
The other characters' choices not to run are explained and we understand them. How can you run with two small children and your "mistress" calling for you every minute? The horrific abuses of the slavery system are woven into the story, as motivators for escape and abolition, but in contrast to any other slavery film, the focus is not on helpless slaves, and this makes it powerful. It is also the first film depicting slavery that made me see the economic desperation of not-that-rich white slaveholders as a driver for their cruelty. One can feel what it is like being born into this system, told from childhood that other people belong to you and being widowed or orphaned by an inept debtor, with your main assets as slaves. You felt how this brought out the worst aspects of human character, especially with your neighbors behaving the same way. This subplot is very important, because it helps us to understand why the US had this system for so long and what it took to overcome it.