Beloved
1998 · Movie · R · 172 min · ★ 5.8 · 64% critics
After the Civil War, a formerly enslaved mother tries to build a quiet life in Ohio with her daughter when an old friend arrives and moves in. Soon a mysterious young woman is taken into their home, and unsettling events blur the line between memory, trauma, and something supernatural.
Based on Beloved
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Details
- Years
- 1998
- Release date
- 1998-10-16
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 172 min
- Critic score
- 64/100
- TMDB rating
- 5.8/10 (108 votes)
About
You may like this if you want a heavy, unsettling period drama that mixes trauma and the supernatural, and you don’t mind ambiguity; Not for you if you want a clear, fast-paced ghost story like The Gift.
Pros: powerful performances; intense emotional weight; haunting supernatural mood | Cons: long and demanding; confusing narrative; heavy, hard-to-watch scenes
Themes
- based on novel or book
- loss of loved one
- affectation
- slavery
- poltergeist
- ohio
- cincinnati
- ghost
- angry
- aggressive
- 19th century
- candid
- +14 more
Awards & recognition
- NAACP Image Award — Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture · 1999
- Academy Award — Best Costume Design · 1999 · nominated
- NAACP Image Award — Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture · 1999 · nominated
- NAACP Image Award — Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture · 1999 · nominated
- NAACP Image Award — Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture · 1999 · nominated
Show all 12 awards →
- NAACP Image Award — Outstanding Motion Picture · 1999 · nominated
- Satellite Award — Best Cinematography · 1999 · nominated
- Satellite Award — Best Adapted Screenplay · 1999 · nominated
- Satellite Award — Best Art Direction and Production Design · 1999 · nominated
- Satellite Award — Best Editing · 1999 · nominated
- Satellite Award — Best Original Score · 1999 · nominated
- Satellite Award — Best Costume Design · 1999 · nominated
Cast & crew
Oprah Winfrey
as Sethe
Danny Glover
as Paul D
Kimberly Elise
as Denver
Thandiwe Newton
as Beloved
LisaGay Hamilton
as Younger Sethe
Beah Richards
as Baby Suggs
Albert Hall
as Stamp Paid
Irma P. Hall
as Ella
- CL
Carol Jean Lewis
as Janey Wagon
- KE
Kessia Embry
as Amy Denver
Directed by Jonathan Demme