Young, Gifted, and Black
It’s not easy to discuss Antebellum without revealing its secrets. But it is safe to say that the Janelle Monáe-led film, which juxtaposes her character’s modern-day life as a successful Black empowerment author with the horrors of slavery, arrived at just the right cultural moment.
For costar Kiersey Clemons, whose character Julia arrives at a plantation in a state of bewilderment and terror, the film draws a through line from America’s racist history. It’s also a rare movie, starring two powerhouse queer Black performers (Clemons and Monáe), that
