Barry Jenkins described how, early in the filming of The Underground Railroad, “I looked across the set and realized I was looking at my ancestors, a group of people whose images have been largely lost to the historical record. Without thinking, we paused production . . . and instead harnessed our tools to capture portraits of . . . them.” Untethered from the narrative, immaculately costumed, and on location, the actors look back at the camera, as if through time and history, emphasizing their existence while compelling viewers to consider the foundations of their own point of view.