The Underground Railroad, the fascinating allegorical odyssey of a young slave

The Underground Railroad is, in the history of the United States, a symbol and a code defining a set of secret routes that slaves, aided by free-born blacks, freedmen or white abolitionists, took to flee the southern states and thus embark on a high-risk journey to reach the North of the United States. even Canada, in search of freedom. As the number of slaves only increased in the South, in connection with the expansion of cotton cultivation, a hundred thousand slaves fled between 1820 and 1860. This is what inspired the New York author Colson Whitehead who gave his novel Underground Railroad a metaphorical dimension taking the code as the basis of a romantic narrative and giving life to a whole network of underground tunnels and stations as well as a whole gallery of places, characters and communities with multiple visions of the racial question. of faith and freedom. It only took a few months for Barry Jenkins, intimate director of deep America and emancipation, to acquire the rights and devote himself to writing a mini-series for Amazon Studios.

Between aesthetic fable and brutal immersion

Thuso Mbedu, The Underground Railroad / Amazon Studios

Barry Jenkins had mentioned that many stories and films have attempted to tackle this period with a profound lack of humanity. Often erasing the individual, various authors and filmmakers have often used plantations as a conventional setting. In the original novel, it is this search for nuances and immersions in different communities across the country, some deploying a fanatical or deadly gaze, that will confront the various characters with complex sufferings and trials. A research treated with seriousness by the director of the underrated If Beale Street could talk, advocating a great respect for his ancestors, considering them as true heroes and inspirations who have preserved future generations of African-Americans. By aligning himself with the original material, the filmmaker delivers an allegorical observation of a whole part of the history of the United States that still resonates today through an entire population in search of resilience. However, The Underground Railroad is also a work at the height of a man immersing us in the traumatic and admirable journey of a young girl named Cora. South African Thuso Mbedu delivering an unforgettable performance. The director also does not hesitate to immerse himself in the humanity of the bounty hunter pursuing her, camped by a Joel Edgerton deploying a surprising range of play, trying to question the origin of his ultra-violence accompanied by Homer interpreted in a prodigious way by Charles W. Dillon. A young black boy yet freed by the slave catcher and choosing voluntary servitude, being totally devoted to him, the character adds a revolting nuance despite the extreme brutality of his master on the slaves sought. A necessary brutality that the director will not hesitate to confront with the nuance of his remarks. This was one of Barry Jenkins' many preoccupations during the development and writing of the series, asking himself the question of language and imagery to succeed in telling this era and, inevitably; bring out the ultra-violence of the darkest hours of his country. A violence that the director will deal with head-on without ever trying to aestheticize it and make it more bearable. The brutality testifies and settles without warning alongside aesthetic and sensitive scenes, the director does not hesitate to draw inspiration from different genres and thus explore a very wide range of emotions. Without ever playing guilt or, conversely, complacency in the face of violence as many filmmakers before him have done. This was one of the big stakes of The Underground Railroad, especially because of its duration, eventually becoming one of its triumphs. By confronting this tension between brutality and a certain sensitivity specific to his cinema, Barry Jenkins delivers a dense and immersive work deploying an extremely accomplished narrative, each episode being divided into heterogeneous chapters by their duration but also the intentions of realization and narration. Although each chapter is of paramount importance, it is difficult not to mention the fact that some sequences will be less accessible and will require an effort for the majority of viewers. Nevertheless, this will soon be counterbalanced by the generosity of a filmmaker willing to experiment and confront as yet unknown aspects of his filmography, part of a legacy of independent cinema that shines through in The Underground Railroad.

A technical synergy at the service of a necessary historical reading

Barry Jenkins & Thuso Mbedu / Atsushi Nishijima / Amazon Prime Video

It wasn't uninspiring that a filmmaker like Barry Jenkins had the difficult task of adapting Colson Whitehead's novel. In reality, the rise of films dealing head-on with slavery in the United States was only very recent when the filmmaker began to conceptualize the adaptation of The Underground Railroad. Having few references in the field and the critical and international success of Steve McQueen's Twelve Years a Slave having brought, despite its brilliant qualities, a large number of films brought to the big screen to relative ambition. The filmmaker could not resolutely write and direct a customary series, the adaptation of such a subject being also poorly perceived by his entourage. This state of affairs of ambition and audacity as the foundations of his artistic approach is felt in all departments of the film. From a technical point of view, first of all, the mini-series is a great success mixing sumptuous iconography while exploring the humanity of its characters as close as possible to their skins and bodies. Cinematographer James Laxton, who has worked on all of the director's films, impresses with his technical accuracy and the emanation emanating from his work. Highly acclaimed and having won an Independent Spirit Award for his poignant and sensitive photography for Moonlight, his twilight photography makes the landscapes of Georgia stunning, also drawing faces with rare authenticity. The audacity also springs from Nicholas Britell, one of the most popular American composers in Hollywood and having already composed brilliant soundtracks for the filmmaker, signing here a music that is both delicate and abrupt. Aligning himself more with a more atmospheric and airy composition than his last contributions, the musician does not abandon his very recognizable touch but fades more fully embracing the bold aesthetic of the series. The Underground Railroad is undoubtedly one of the best series of 2021 for its visual and narrative ambition and its masterfully studied structure. Barry Jenkins signs a major mini-series, courageously confronting the foundations of his country and his ancestors while never denying his artistic personality. An exceptional premise making possible a rare osmosis and the feeling of having lived a prodigious odyssey of a filmmaker confirming his importance and his singular look in the current American industry. A limited series to discover now on Amazon Prime Video.