Beloved

Jonathan Demme directs this mysterious and potent drama based on Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. Years after the Civil War, in Ohio, a former slave named Sethe (Oprah Winfrey) lives in a small house on some land outside of Cincinnati with her grown daughter, Denver (Kimberly Elise). Sethe is stoic and hardworking, while Denver is restless and has begun to resist her mother's separatist tendencies. Meanwhile, their home is showing signs of some sort of possession that causes it to pitch and rumble. Shortly after the house has become disturbed, the two receive a visit from Paul D. (Danny Glover), a former slave who knew Sethe. Next another young woman, named Beloved (Thandie Newton), arrives out of nowhere. Beloved's odd childlike ways, which include her speaking and walking strangely, are just the beginning of the dark story she forces to the surface after her arrival. Beloved's effect on Sethe and Paul D. forces them to deal with the past while propelling Denver into maturity. The film is full of mysticism while boldly exploring some of the spiritual repercussions of slavery.