1993·Drama·2h 4m
7.1
★
On a photo shoot in Ghana, an American model slips back in time, becomes enslaved on a plantation and bears witness to the agony of her ancestral past.
Directed by Haile Gerima
africa
freedom
slavery
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Cast
Afemo Omilami
Noble Ali
Reginald Carter
Father Raphael
Crew
Haile Gerima
Director
Haile Gerima
Writer
David J. White
Original Music Composer
Haile Gerima
Editor
Haile Gerima
Producer
Shirikiana Aina
Co-Producer
Popular Reviews
10 reviews
PoochieVince
8.0★ · 03/15/26
Haile Gerima really went for the jugular with this one. It’s not your typical "history lesson" movie—it feels more like a spiritual fever dream or an exorcism.
The way it shifts from a modern-day fashion shoot in Ghana to the brutal reality of a plantation is jarring in the best way possible. It’s heavy, poetic, and completely unapologetic about the psychological toll of slavery and the power of memory. That "reach back and fetch it" theme (Sankofa) hits hard.
Definitely not an easy watch, but it’s a massive piece of cinema that makes most Hollywood historical dramas look like surface-level sketches.
The way it shifts from a modern-day fashion shoot in Ghana to the brutal reality of a plantation is jarring in the best way possible. It’s heavy, poetic, and completely unapologetic about the psychological toll of slavery and the power of memory. That "reach back and fetch it" theme (Sankofa) hits hard.
Definitely not an easy watch, but it’s a massive piece of cinema that makes most Hollywood historical dramas look like surface-level sketches.
Haile Gerima really went for the jugular with this one. It’s not your typical "history lesson" movie—it feels more like a spiritual fever dream or an exorcism.
The way it shifts from a modern-day fashion shoot in Ghana to the brutal reality of a plantation is jarring in the best way possible. It’s heavy, poetic, and completely unapologetic about the psychological toll of slavery and the power of memory. That "reach back and fetch it" theme (Sankofa) hits hard.
Definitely not an easy watch, but it’s a massive piece of cinema that makes most Hollywood historical dramas look like surface-level sketches.
The way it shifts from a modern-day fashion shoot in Ghana to the brutal reality of a plantation is jarring in the best way possible. It’s heavy, poetic, and completely unapologetic about the psychological toll of slavery and the power of memory. That "reach back and fetch it" theme (Sankofa) hits hard.
Definitely not an easy watch, but it’s a massive piece of cinema that makes most Hollywood historical dramas look like surface-level sketches.
ace
6.0★ · 10/07/25
This is the first, and likely last, time in my life that I’ve been glad I read Toni Morisson’s Song of Solomon, because if it weren’t for that I definitely wouldn’t have got this movie as well as I did. Powerful stuff here, although many scenes dragged on to an unnecessary extent.
This is the first, and likely last, time in my life that I’ve been glad I read Toni Morisson’s Song of Solomon, because if it weren’t for that I definitely wouldn’t have got this movie as well as I did. Powerful stuff here, although many scenes dragged on to an unnecessary extent.
flex
7.0★ · 06/20/25
a couple of very pretty shots. i was slightly too tired to properly engage
a couple of very pretty shots. i was slightly too tired to properly engage
B
can’t wait to hear what the undergraduates will have to say about this movie
can’t wait to hear what the undergraduates will have to say about this movie
Myla
10.0★ · 03/18/24
beautiful amazing story telling of slavery, it’s unfiltered and what people should be shown. It’s not dramatized it’s real life.
beautiful amazing story telling of slavery, it’s unfiltered and what people should be shown. It’s not dramatized it’s real life.