Review – Loving
Loving tells one of the most important moments in the history of the United State. It is the true story of Richard and Mildred Loving (Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga), an interracial couple in the 1950’s who fight for their right be married in Virginia after being banned from the state for getting married in Washington D.C. The film looks at their lives as they struggle to get the banned lifted while attempting to keep their marriage strong.
Knowing what Loving was about, I was initially surprised that the film was directed by Jeff Nichols. Nichols, on the cusp of directing stardom, has made some spectacular films this decade in Take Shelter (2011), Mud (2013), and this year’s Midnight Special. All of these movies have a sci-fi or fantastical thing to them. Even Mud had a folk-like tone and story. So hearing that Nichols was directing something so conventional was intriguing, as he had never done anything like this before.
But while watching the movie, it dawned on me that this material was exactly up Jeff Nichols’s alley. Even though his movies are fantastical, his movies are always about regular people in extraordinary situations. Take Shelter looks at a man who’s sanity is questioned when he foresees an apocalyptic storm in his dreams. Mud is about a couple of kids who get caught up with a fugitive and his journey to reunite with the love of his life. And Midnight Special looks at a father who is trying to save his alien son before the government finds them. And with Loving, Nichols shows how two people single-handedly changed the world.
Like all of his movies, Nichols does a great job behind the camera. This is everything a biopic should be. Similar to that of last year’s best picture winner, Spotlight, this is as true and pure as film gets. Nothing is over dramatized and nothing feels fake. Every emotion and every scene is authentic, necessary and perfectly utilized to move the story along. This is a movie that spans years, yet Nichols chose specific moments, both small and large, to show their journey, giving us a complete idea of what the Lovings went through and who they were.
The rest of the credit goes to the two stars of the film, Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga. Edgerton is outstanding as Richard. He’s a simple man who only cares about one thing; loving his wife. He can’t fathom a world without her and will do everything to be with her. Edgerton has some some true Oscar moments in the film, particularly when he tearfully mutters to Mildred, “I can take care of you.” It is a powerful moment in the film and it comes from such a great actor waiting to get the recognition he deserves. Negga has the less showier performance, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t just as great. Mildred goes through the ringer to stay with Richard. She leaves her family when they get banned from Virginia, she risks going to prison when they try to sneak back into the state, and gets caught a few times, and, when Richard becomes complacent and with their living situation, she must push Richard to see that going to the Supreme Court and pushing this case to the limit is bigger than just the two of them. She loves Richard just as much as he loves her, and knows that all these sacrifices will be worth it in the end.
At the heart of Loving, the movie is simply about love. It is about the love that these two people share for one another and that they will do anything for each other. It looks at the idea of what love is and that love is colorless, even in a time where nobody saw it that way. Nichols’s delicate hand behind the camera and excellent performances by Edgerton and Negga bring this incredible true story to life in one of 2016’s best movies.
MY RATING – 3.5/4
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