More art project than actual history, The Underground Railroad, like Inglorious Basterds before it, builds a fantasy on the frame of reality. They probably won’t show it in history classes in the future, but they just might show it in literature class. There’s even a name for this genre: Alternate History.
Adapted by Barry Jenkins, who also directs, the series is faithful to the core of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel from 2016, with Jenkins putting his imprimatur on the look and feel and atmosphere of the narrative.
The central character is Cora (amazing performance by South African actress Thuso Mbedu) escapes her cruel and inhumane existence on the Randall plantation in Georgia. Her journey starts alongside fellow slave Caesar. Almost immediately there are serious setbacks and unintended consequences.
In this story’s fictional conceit, the Underground Railroad is a literal network of tunnels and steam engines, as opposed to the metaphorical Underground Railroad which existed as safe houses and trails and networks of abolitionists and freed slaves. For some, that will be initially jarring, but the truth is that very little of this story takes place underground.
Making their way from Georgia to South Carolina to North Carolina and beyond, Cora will experience an almost euphoric black life in a way she has never known, but more often she’ll come face to face with a meanness that is still the shame of the country today.
Jenkins pulls no punches – there will be blood. In one scene, a slave is chained and set on fire, burning to death while the white folk sip cocktails and watch passively. In almost every episode, there will come a moment of terror. Horror.
The villain of the narrative is slave catcher Ridgeway, played by the great Joel Edgerton. Although at first glance it seems the white characters will either be saints or the most depraved people imaginable, Ridgeway is given some dimension. Jenkins lets us peek into his haunted soul. In fact, there’s a whole flashback episode that shows us Ridegway as a son trying to gain approval from his father.
Here’s what’s good:
The music by Nicholas Britell. His score for Jenkins’ Oscar-winning Moonlight was like an additional character. Never obvious, sometimes at odds with what you think you’re supposed to be hearing – a dissonance which gives extra weight to every scene.
The lush production and cinematography. It’s a great looking series. First class. Same goes for the art direction.
The large cast, too many to mention by name, are uniformly excellent. There isn’t a single performance that falls short of excellence.
Here’s what’s not so good:
Jenkins goes for artful, but often ends up just artsy. Imagine a Terrence Malik film that’s even slower and you’ll get a feel for looooong, gorgeous scenes with little or no dialogue and a slo-mo narrative. I must be honest – the series tried my patience during the lulls of every episode. Of course, those moments aren’t there by accident – that is the vision that Jenkins brought to the screen.
I don’t usually complain about movie violence, because, hey, it’s only a movie – and I agree with Jenkins’ decision to show the gore for maximum impact, not to mention awareness, but it will be too graphic for some viewers.
Part of me hopes that this series doesn’t get burdened by words like “important” and “especially in these times.” I believe it was offered, at least in part, as an entertaining story. A thriller, a chase, a good vs evil tale. I know that Jenkins agrees because he always ends each episode with something captivating that makes you forgive the slow-moving bits and press on to the next episode.
The Underground Railroad | 10 Episodes | Now Streaming on Amazon Prime / Reviewed by Kyle Osborne
Barry Jenkins has posted a 50 minute video called “The Gaze,” a non-narrative thread of moving portraits he captured of his cast members and background actors during the production. You can read his description and watch the video here: https://vimeo.com/546795671