Let there be no ambiguity: Harriet is a film about freedom. Despite the many critiques of the film, I think it’s fair to say that you might leave the Kasi Lemmons-directed movie feeling “good.” I did. Perhaps it’s because the film intentionally steers away from the slave narrative, despite centering a woman who was once enslaved. Or maybe because Harriet depicts Harriet Tubman as a fierce and deeply spiritual freedom-seeking hero. I can dig it. With that, The Root sat down with Harriet’s Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr. and director Kasi Lemmons to discuss what freedom means to them. “It’s the ability to really find your own happiness and to live in the way that you want to live. That’s freedom,” said Lemmons. Harriet hits theaters on Nov. 1. See the entire video above.