Review of Loving (2016) by Glenn G — 06 Nov 2016

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE WARS - My Review of LOVING (3 Stars).

Writer/Director Jeff Nichols (MUD, TAKE SHELTER, MIDNIGHT SPECIAL) makes slow, methodical films at a time where most filmmakers opt for impatient, hyperkinetic, cut-to-the-endless-chase scenarios. It's definitely something to celebrate, as subtlety and simplicity risk boring audiences, and his films have by and large impressed me. With LOVING, it's the first time he's taken on a true story, and while he has purportedly stayed very true to the facts, spirit and characters, his doing so has made for a perfect, yet perfectly boring film.

Now don't get me wrong, I love a film that takes its time and has a level of purity to it. I think of David Lynch's THE STRAIGHT STORY or Jim Jarmusch's STRANGER THAN PARADISE as examples where less was more. Nichols has great source material to play with as he tells the story of Richard and Mildred Loving (Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga), a mixed race couple living illegally married in 1950s Virginia. Since they can't marry in their home state, they drive to Washington D.C. for a quickie wedding and then return home to face arrest. Their years of struggling with racist police and time in courtrooms ultimately leads them to the 1967 landmark Supreme Court case, Loving v. Virginia. Why this case isn't talked about in the same breath as Roe v. Wade or Obergefell v. Hodges is astounding, and I'm extremely grateful that this film exists to shine a light on a case that resonates to this day.

This story has been told before with the 2011 documentary THE LOVING STORY by Nancy Buirski, and by all accounts, Nichols and company have stayed true to his protagonists. Tone is everything here, and the Lovings were a couple of very few words. They eschewed the spotlight, allowing their palpable love for each other tell do the talking. Their story reminded me of SULLY, another tale of heroism in which the central figure opted for dignified stoicism. Both films seem to have a message for people today, a climate which encourages selfies, Tweets about today's lunch, and Facebook Live sessions about driving to Adele concerts.

I applaud the attempts, yet in both cases, I didn't love, love, love the films. With SULLY, it felt that there just wasn't enough of a story to tell. LOVING doesn't have that problem with the many indignities the couple suffers. Furthermore, the performances are fantastic. Edgerton, yet another one of those Australian miracles who somehow nail rural Americanisms better than the natives. Same goes for Negga, who despite her Ethiopian descent, delivers a mesmerizing performance of a Southern woman whose inherent sweetness defines her character.

So what's the problem? One could argue that this is a perfect movie, perfectly told, with a strong, relevant message. The Supreme Court arguments echo those for the gay marriage case, giving this story a sense of current relevance. Additionally, the racial tensions in the film have a direct correlation to recent police crimes and the tone of this Presidential election set by Donald Trump and his basket of deplorables. Yet, yet, yet, I feel Nichols got so caught up in the simplicity of it all that he forgot to bring energy and artistry to the table. HIs frequent collaborator, cinematographer Adam Stone shoots the film as if it were a Lifetime movie. I can't think of a single memorable shot in the whole movie. It's as plain and simple as our main characters. The story unfolds methodically with no intense modulation except for the scene in which they're initially arrested, but even that's fairly subdued. You want the couple to yell and scream, but it's just not in their nature to do so. The fact that Richard's a bricklayer provides the obvious metaphor of his brick-by-brick philosophy for living. If this had been made up, it would have seemed trite, but you can't argue with the truth. It happened as we see it. By staying so true to his subject, Nichols has made an extremely admirable yet perfectly boring film the paradoxically, everyone should see.