Movie Review: 'Beloved' --
Hauntings of past and present

Oprah Winfrey stars with Danny Glover, Kimberly Elise, and Thandie Newton in the haunting movie "Beloved," based on the Pulitzer prize-winning novel by Toni Morrison.

"Beloved" travels beyond the physical brutality of slavery and into the psychological and emotional trauma of an ex-slave.

Winfrey plays the role of Sethe, an ex-slave who is haunted by her secret past both in her mind and in her house.

Sethe lives in rural Ohio in 1873 with her daughter Denver (Kimberly Elise).

The haunting of Sethe is a result of the trauma she suffered as a slave in Kentucky on the sweet home plantation and the events following her escape. Although Sethe reaches freedom in Ohio at her mother-in-law's home, the freedom is short-lived because her former "master" finds her. Instead of returning to a life of slavery with her four children, she attempts to murder them.

Three of them survive, but her two sons are driven from the home years later because of the haunting that plagues the home.

Sethe is also haunted by frightening flashbacks involving scenes of assault, lynchings, rape and the bloody aftermath of murder.

Glover plays Paul D., who is an old friend of Sethe's from the sweet home plantation. He becomes a source of strength, joy and love in her life that helps her to realize that not all men are out to hurt her.

Her relationship with Paul D. goes smoothly until a mysterious young woman, Beloved, (Thandie Newton) turns the lives of Sethe, Denver, and Paul D. upside down.

The mystery of Beloved is unraveled through a series of events that drive Paul D. from the home, Sethe to insanity, and gives Denver the courage to venture beyond the confines of her home.

"Beloved" is a Touchstone film directed by Jonathan Demme ("Silence of the Lambs," "Storefront Hitchcock").

In the past few years, there have been many movies dealing with the issue of slavery. However, Morrison's "Beloved" goes beyond those movies and into a realm that deals with slavery in a candid manner that reveals the psychological and emotional damage of slavery.

The film prompts the viewer to realize the deep scars that slavery has left on this country.

Winfrey, Glover, Newton, and Elise are brilliant actors who compliment each other's characters on- screen. They take from each other what they need in order to tell the story in a way that makes the audience feel that the events are real.

"Beloved" may be the most important film of the year because of its willingness and courage to teach moviegoers about the inhumanity of slavery that still plagues our society today.

The strong acting and realistic viewpoint of the story earn "Beloved" five out of five stars.