“In what universe would I go see a movie called Loving? Um the universe in which it’s the first major Oscar contender of the year. And it’s a film about so much more than a relationship, it’s about how the struggles of discrimination affect individuals, and it’s a story that’s still all too relevant.
Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga star as Richard and Mildred Loving. He’s white. She’s not. And they live in 1950’s Virginia. Their marriage is illegal under current state law, and in order to escape jail time, they are forced to leave their home state. After a few quiet years in exile, they enlist some lawyers to take the case all the way up to the Supreme Court. This quiet couple only cared about being able to live their private lives out in peace with their family, but their courage granted a very basic civil right to the whole country. Wow that line was cheesy.
It’s really a beautiful and understated story. Much of what I read about the film highlights how for a story about a game changing court case, there’s really not a whole lot of courtroom scenes. This isn’t about arguments for and against or the spectacle of a life altering court decision. This is about seeing how individuals are affected when they’re oppressed. Life goes on, but it would be just a little easier if things were different.
I just wanna take a second to call out Joel Edgerton. He’s held my attention for a while (prolly since Warrior), and I love what an unassuming chameleon he is. I’ve seen him melt into vastly different roles, each one as far away from the next as the one before, and he does it yet again here. I’ve seen him be powerful, and now I’m seeing him be softspoken and subtle and sweet. I like it. His costar is getting even more attention since she’s the more tenacious of the two. Perhaps the Oscars not be so white this year.
The one flaw in the film for me was that the pacing dragged a little bit. There were times when not a lot was happening, but I do see how that was kind of the point. It mirrored their very slowly progressing lives. Just doesn’t make for as much entertainment, but I realize that’s not exactly what this film was meant to be about. I’m really interested to see how it adds to the conversation about the current state of things in this country.
Loving – \m/ \m/ \m/ \n”