“We’re expected to be seen, not heard,” star Janelle Monáe says in the brand new trailer for Antebellum, her highly-anticipated thriller coming next month.
In her first leading role, the 34-year-old actress stars as author Veronica Henley, who finds herself trapped in an alternate reality. Sadly for her, however, it’s enslavement before the Civil War.
Antebellum comes from writer-director duo, Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz, who are making their feature film debut with this film. Bush told The Huffington Post that he came up with the film’s concept through a nightmare, right after the death of his father. The activist added that it felt like his ancestors were calling his attention to something he desperately needed to see.
“I felt like the woman in the nightmare was so desperate for help that she was screaming through multiple dimensions and that this could exist in a different space and time,” Bush said. “And then we built out the story. What people will experience in the movie is pretty much the nightmare.”
Monáe told HuffPo that she hopes audiences will leave Antebellum “understanding why Black women and superhero should be one word.”
“If people can walk away with a deeper appreciation for Black women, with a deeper respect for Black women, with a deeper admiration for Black women, then my job is done,” she added.
Antebellum, also starring Gabourey Sidibe, Marque Richardson and Kiersey Clemons, hits theaters April 24.