‘Harriet’ sees backlash despite box office success

For a film celebrating an iconic American abolitionist, “Harriet” is getting a lot of criticism from the black community.

The Kasi Lemmons-directed movie starring Cynthia Erivo hit theaters over the weekend bringing audiences the story of Harriet Tubman’s journey of freeing slaves through the Underground Railroad.

And though the movie had a strong opening weekend, the backlash against its unexpected hero — a white slave owner — was swift among those who say the movie only perpetuates the “white savior” concept.

, many criticized the fact that a black bounty hunter in the movie was the antagonist and that the story failed to focus enough on the horrific wrongdoings of the slave owners.

Angered fans on Twitter didn’t hold back.

“At the end of Harriet, she forgives the white man who was her slavemaster while she kills the Black man. In one sweep this film is saying forgive the white man but hate and never forgive the Black Man. Most anti Black movie ever made in 2019,” .

Others pointed out that the narrative played on hostility between black men and women.

“I swear the whole point of this Harriet movie is to restart the ‘Black men ain’t never cared about Black women’ narrative rather than tell Harriet’s story. An abomination. #NotMyHarriet,” .

Still, the film brought in sizable audiences: Although it was only expected to make about $9 million, the film raked in $12 million at the box office, .

It wasn’t all criticism either. Brittney Cooper, a professor of Africana and women’s and gender studies at Rutgers University, noted that in the movie, there is no “white savior.”

“For there to be a white savior, y’all, the white person would have to had saved her,” . “He was hunting her. He didn’t want to save her. And she escapes. She saves herself.”