I remembered watching this movie in a high school English class and thought it was kind of inspirational and gripping, a story about black slave Tom and the people he encounters and his struggles for freedom.
Slavery is one of the darkest chapters in American history, but this movie delicately captures the drama in one slave's life and how he strives to interact kindly and courageously with others despite his situation. It doesn't rely on overly violent and graphic scenes like many mainstream movies with slavery or war themes (12 Years A Slave coming to mind) to be entertaining. Instead, this movie relied on the drama, history, character development and the depiction of how precious freedom is to be captivating.
I thought the acting wasn't bad and there were a few scenes that might give you a chuckle, like the scene where a slave owner gets punched and shoved into a puddle. There are some disturbing scenes as well, but not overly excessive. Lastly, the plot flow had some momentum to it, which made the film engaging mostly throughout.
It was an educational and appreciated film and one I recalled where my high school class did enjoy sitting through.
Grade B
