Emancipation

Upon learning about Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation (January 1, 1863), a black slave runs off through the Louisiana swamps in an attempt to elude the Confederate forces and join the Unionist army, thus achieving freedom. Desaturated within an inch of black and white, "Emancipation" gives a back story to the famed "Whipped Peter", the subject of a famous 1863 photo that showed the scarred back of a former slave and it sets out to provide an unflinching depiction of slavery in the United States. While solid performance and impeccable technique almost allow the film's grim tone to be taken... read more