Antebellum , a horror film about the horrors of slavery and discrimination of all kinds, was released on streaming services and limited theatrical release last week . Since the narrative in the horror turned out to be non-linear, it is possible to get confused in what is shown. If you watched the movie, but did not understand all the details and lost the thread of what is happening, read the detailed description, analysis and explanation of the plot and ending. Beware, there are spoilers in the text!
What movie Antebellum about
The film “Antebellum” was filmed in the United States and presented in September 2020. The directors touched on one of the most painful topics that still haunts many fighters for the equality of people among themselves – discrimination based on race. Discrimination is generally considered a very important topic for discussion, because for the development of society this phenomenon must be eradicated, but there are still individuals for whom, for example, a woman is less significant and important than a man, or a dark-skinned person does not have the right to exist because for the color of their skin is not the same as that of ordinary people.
Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz showed the story of a black girl who is not perceived by American society. Eden has a black skin color, and therefore she is immediately ranked among a number of slaves – during the Civil War, she works on a cotton farm in inhuman conditions. She has no right to speak, she is forced to breathe unpleasant smoke from the crematorium, in which those who are guilty or did something wrong are burned to the ground. She also suffers in her free time – her friend dies before her eyes, and she herself gets from a white-skinned lover – they burn a brand on her back for trying to refuse to fulfill her duties and run away. American society at that time did not understand what tolerance was. For them, black people are not considered people, it is a cheap labor force and nothing more. And slaves, as you know, are weak-willed people,
Also depicted in this film is Veronica, a successful lady running her own business. She writes books, violating in them the problems of the attitude of mankind (American society in particular) towards people with dark skin color. She herself is also black and boldly declares her position in relation to all this. She gives an interview and says that America has long crossed the threshold of hatred for other races, people have become more civilized, educated and more tolerant of others. Like it or not, you need to look at reality, and not look for the truth in the film.
Most likely, the directors decided to show the same girl in different centuries. Both Veronica and Eden are played by the same actress. This is a direct indication that society really understands that people cannot be discriminated against because of their skin color, gender, age and other characteristics. Man is not to blame for being born a woman. Similarly, it is not his fault that he is black.
However, an ideal society without flaws is a utopia. This doesn’t happen. anyway, somewhere on the planet there are animals that kill a young girl with bricks and film it all on camera. They do it because she is female. Several healthy white men are ready to beat a man to death because he is black. A group of like-minded people will kill another unfortunate person if they find out that he eats meat and does not get drunk to the point of inadequacy. Humanity is inadequate. It won’t change. You will be killed or cut in the street because you did not give a smoke or did not give up your phone voluntarily. We have completely forgotten about humanity and mercy. It is important for us that our interests come first, even the life of another person.
The film provides a lot of room for thought. Why is society not ready to become civilized? Why does it not give up stupid stereotypes and prejudices? Why is someone more important in this world, and someone’s life is not worth a penny? Each of us is not perfect. But he deserves the right to be happy and enjoy every day. We should not be afraid to live.
A person has the right not to be afraid for his life and the life of his relatives. Paying attention to how people behave in third world countries, it becomes creepy. Man as a phenomenon of this planet loses any value, not to mention his right to exist. Murders, terrorist attacks, wars, robberies, victims – these horrors of modern society have long leveled the value of humanity. We are inhuman. For some reason, we decided that a dog can be more loyal than a person, but then we ourselves can kill the same dog. People do not care about the lives of others, even those they love madly. When a critical moment comes, few people think about the safety of those who are nearby. Everyone seeks to save only their own skin.
I want to say on every corner: be human! Don’t kill, don’t shoot, don’t fight! Is it really so unimportant to all of you who is opposite that you are ready to shoot him without even blinking an eye? We are all strangers to each other, enemies, wolves. But if there were at least a little more goodness in this world, perhaps this world would stop being so cruel. Human life, and indeed the life of something or someone, began to be valued by others. That would be great. But for this, a century must pass before a person comes to his senses and begins to use his mind for its intended purpose.
What was actually shown at the end of the film “Antebellum” and how to understand it?
In the third act of the horror film “Antebellum” we are shown what really happened. The bottom line is that the popular writer and activist Veronica Hanley was kidnapped by racists, and not at all moved back in time to the time of the American Civil War. And the new “owners” renamed the main character Eden – this marks the end of her past, successful life and the beginning of a new one – real and “deserved”.
The point is that the plantations where southerners abuse black slaves are in our reality – in modern times, in America of the 21st century. Rich and powerful Americans simply have fun imagining themselves as their own ancestors and killing and torturing people. As it becomes clear from the film – exclusively blacks.
Another important detail: the people who run the amusement park for sadists and racists kidnap predominantly successful black Americans. Not only to humiliate them, but also to show them “the real place in life.”
Almost at the very end of Antebellum, Veronica calls her husband and tells that she was kidnapped. And sends the coordinates of his location from the smartphone of his jailer. She then escapes – and rides her horse through the woods. Survives the battle with the distraught sadists and kills many. For example, he burns three Confederates alive in a crematorium and breaks the neck of the owner of the plantation.
In the finale, Veronica is shown galloping across a battlefield where northerners and southerners are fighting. This should be understood as follows: in fact, this is a production of reenactors obsessed with the era of the Civil War. And most of the events of the horror movie took place on the territory of a theme amusement park.
Probably, at some point, the influential reenactors and patriots of America went crazy and played too hard.
There is a scene after the credits in the horror film Antebellum. And that’s what she means
After the end credits appear on the screen, several shots flash in the film “Antebellum”, which can be attributed with a clear conscience to the scene after the credits. Viewers are shown that the police and the FBI are interested in what is happening and a full-scale investigation has begun. As a result, after Veronica Hanley’s testimony, the Antebellum Reenactment Park in Louisiana is safely closed and leveled to the ground. The end of the story – the destruction of the attraction. Definitely final.
Antebellum ending explained?
Starring Janelle Monae is sure that Antebellum is a much more complex film than the standard horror stories about the days of slavery.
Like everyone else, I watched [movies] about slavery, but this is not a movie about slavery. A nuanced, more layered, more interesting psychological thriller. And after I read the final script, I said, “Yes, this is not a movie about a white savior.” There was a real triumph on the page – and this is what I saw. If I was going to watch a film about slavery, I would like the ending to make me feel like a winner, not a loser.
Directors and screenwriters Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz claim that they deliberately left an understatement in the ending in order to invite the viewer to dialogue and reflect on what happened together. That is why the film begins at sunset and ends at the dawn of a new day – it creates the right mood.
