No. 50 Loving (2016) 71 of 100

 

This film opens with a red car and a blue car having a race – for a minute I thought I was watching a dramatization of that old Milky Way advert! The film is in fact about a landmark legal case that allowed interracial marriage in the state of Virginia. That may not sound too exciting, and it isn’t, but it’s a likeable film about a pivotal case.

The ‘Loving’ of the title is two fold – we have a loving couple but the main character is called ‘Richard Loving’ lucky his name wasn’t ‘Bastard’ or something similar.

It’s the late 1950’s in the Deep South and Richard is dating Mildred who falls pregnant. The two decide to marry and do so in Washington seeing as interracial marriage isn’t allowed in their home state of Virginia. They set up home together but are soon slung in jail. The agree a plea deal which sees their one year sentences suspended for 25 years if they leave the state. They do so but are back five minutes later as Richard’s mother is a midwife and they have need of her services. The cops show up again and they are exiled to the big city.

Mildred doesn’t like the city and when one of her children gets hit by a car she decides that they must move back to the countryside, living in secret on a remote farm. Richard is a kind of suck it up kind of guy, but Mildred writes to Bobby Kennedy with her woes and he puts her in touch with some civil rights lawyers who, after many years of trying, get the case heard in the Supreme Court. Will our heroes prevail and gain legitimacy in their backward state. Of course they do!

This is the last of the six films directed by Jeff Nichols, all of which feature Michael Shannon, that I've watched. This one is middling in his oeuvre but it’s not half bad and certainly packs a punch.

Ruth Negga is excellent as the long suffering Mildred. I was less keen in the sour faced and taciturn Richard played by Joel Edgerton and frankly I didn’t understand what Mildred saw in him. He had a constant scowl on his face and just mumbled his discontent with his situation,  with the lawyers and basically everything. As a bio-pic it may have been an accurate portrayal but I didn’t engage with his character at all.

Having read a brief plot summary I did expect some more tension and action but on the whole the film was a bit dry. All of the threat was implied and there were no riots or KKK involvement. The couple just went about their business with quiet dignity as the wheels of justice slowly turned and then they got what they wanted and deserved.

Shannon’s role in this is basically a cameo as he shows up for two minutes as a Life Magazine magazine photographer. He has glasses on so you know he’s a smart liberal type and his character takes the photos that later appear in the end credits of the real couple.

The film was a worthy endeavour and the people concerned were brave and dignified throughout. I was glad that all the racists weren’t portrayed as frothing idiots, but as was probably more correct as cynical bigots working the system to try and keep people subjugated.

I appreciate the legal actions and hearings didn’t make for compelling drama and much of that happened off screen. It looked like the Lovings had made a good life for themselves and it was a fitting ending that their suffering helped others in a similar situation.

The closing shot came with some captions that detailed what happened next, and although it wasn’t all good for the Lovings, they can at least claim a place in civil rights history.

When is Shannon-On? - 1.26:31

Outcome? Off taking photos, probably.

Film 3.5/5

Shannon Stars 3/5