Emancipation is a historical action film which was recently released on 2nd December in select theatres and will be soon available for streaming. The film is directed by Antoine Fuqua, from a script written by William N. Collage. The Apple Original Film is produced by Will Smith and Jon Mone through Westbrook Studios, Joey McFarland through McFarland Entertainment and Todd Black through Escape Artists.
The film is inspired by a true story and follows one man who fights through unthinkable terrors in an attempt to reunite with his family. It has a runtime of about 2 hours and 12 minutes.
The cast of the film includes Will Smith as Peter, Ben Foster as Fassel, Charmaine Bingwa as Dodienne, Steven Ogg as Sergeant Howard, Mustafa Shakir as Andre Cailloux, Timothy Hutton as Senator John Lyons, Gilbert Owuor as Gordon, Grant Harvey as Leeds, Ronnie Gene Blevins as Harrington, Jabbar Lewis as Tomas, Michael Luwoye as John, Aaron Moten as Knowls and Imani Pullum as Betsy.
-Emancipation Review Contain Some Spoilers-
Inspired by the gripping true story of a man who would do anything for his family—and for freedom. When Peter, an enslaved man, risks his life to escape and return to his family, he embarks on a perilous journey of love and endurance.
The film is a fictionalised version of the well-known 1863 photograph of Whipped Peter, where the man is showing a scarred and mutilated back, which he got while working in a southern confederate labour camp. They explore the man’s difficult journey of survival till he makes it to the Union army, where he is finally photographed, for the same.
It starts with an intimate scene between Peter and his family where he says, “The Lord is with me. I will not be afraid. What can a mere man do to me?” This implies that he is a man of faith but soon after he is dragged out of his home and taken to work at a Confederate labour camp.
At first, he keeps to himself and thinks that if he will do his work properly then he will soon meet his family. But the inhumane and needless torture breaks his spirits and the only way out is to run away. So he does and thus starts the action thriller part of the film, where you might not hear much dialogue but Will Smith carries the character and keep the audience gripped with his survival journey.
To be honest, the story works because of the seasoned actor playing it, otherwise, the audience might start looking the other way in the middle of the film. The story becomes more about the action, like fighting a crocodile or escaping a snake and the depends on the brutal yet spectacular visuals of the swamped forest.
What it lacks are the depth and emotions that we should feel for the man and his life. We can see that Peter is one wise fellow with all kinds of survival knowledge but we don’t really know him. Where did he learn all this knowledge and what kind of life did he live, should have been explored, while I am not a big fan of using flashbacks but maybe here they might have helped to connect on a deeper level.
The most telling scenes of the film are when the head hunter, Fassel, tells about his childhood when he first learnt about racism and how at the start of the film when a little girl spots Peter, we expect her to help him – like an innocent child in movies does. But when she starts ringing the bell and starts shouting ‘runner’, we realise how dangerous prejudiced education and upbringing can be.
Summing Up: Emancipation
Visually speaking the film is black and white but the little effects like the dripping of red blood on leaves and in other scenes work well and add an impact. Similarly, the sound design is what keeps the audience engaged when there isn’t much happening. In terms of script, I wish we could know more about the man than turning it into an action thriller. Overall, the film is a good watch which might help the lead actor in regaining his image.
Emancipation will be available for streaming on Apple TV+ from 9th December 2022.
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