Welcome to Screen Gems, our weekend dive into queer and queer-adjacent titles of the past that deserve a watch or a rewatch.Actress Cynthia Erivo snagged an Oscar nomination for this film, which features her in her first leading role.
And a hell of a role it is: Harriet retells the life story of famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Born into slavery, Tubman eventually escaped to the Free States, and devoted her life to helping other slaves escape northward to safety.
Even more badass, Tubman was a queer woman, having had a passionate affair with the beautiful Marie (played in the film by Janelle Monáe), the daughter of free slaves who comes to aid Tubman in her work.Director Kasi Lemmons (best known as an actress in such films as The Silence.