AllMovie

The people who filmed Beloved seem to have great respect for Toni Morrison's novel. Such respect isn't necessarily conducive to creating a great movie, however. The filmmakers' heavy-handed reverence for the material may have contributed to the movie's slow pace and ponderous tone (including several long, quietly spoken speeches shot in dimly lit, intense close-ups); it may have also contributed to the tendency to interpret Morrison's text too literally and explicitly. The film's disturbing images of brutality may be true to Morrison's vision, as well as the historical reality of slavery and its aftermath, but these scenes seem luridly melodramatic when shown on the screen; for example, the unsettling scene in which Sethe watches men rape and hang her mother is more shocking than illuminating. Also, the film's story line is somewhat confusing, particularly the use of flashbacks (which are shown in overexposed, grainy footage); the horror elements of the film seem unintentionally cheesy at times; and the character of Beloved is particularly problematic. In the novel, Beloved could be considered a literary device that represents the psychological horrors of slavery and Sethe's guilt over her own actions; in the movie, however, we see her as a literal character played by a flesh-and-blood actor, Thandie Newton. Newton's scenery-chewing, tic-filled portrayal of Beloved is more showy than compelling; her highly mannered interpretation of Beloved as a drooling simpleton (which isn't completely true to the novel) is both irritating and perplexing (as is Sethe's initial decision to allow her into her house). Fortunately, some of the other performances are more natural and effective, including Kimberly Elise as Denver, Carol Jean Lewis as the housekeeper Janey Wagon, and particularly Beah Richards as the preacher lady, Baby Suggs. Oprah Winfrey is credible in her role, and the rest of the cast and crew seem to have put a lot of sincere effort into trying to make this a quality film. Unfortunately, the disparate elements in Beloved don't add up to a satisfying whole, and the film's positive qualities aren't enough to justify its general air of self-importance.