An epic American tale with all the elegance, history and the ‘stuff’ award statuettes are made of. Visually gorgeous and with a screenplay that flows like classic literature, Henry McAllan (Jason Clarke) stars as a farmer in 1939, shoveling his father’s grave when he hits slave remains in the mud. His demure wife, Laura (Carey Mulligan) accepts their simple domestic life. When she thinks of the farm she thinks of mud anyway. Heck, she even “dreams in brown.”
Then there’s Jamie (Garrett Hedlund), Henry’s charismatic and educated brother who weaves through the tapestry of subtle performances.
When Pearl Harbor is bombed in 1941, Florence (Mary J. Blige’s) son, Ronsel (Jason Mitchell) goes off to war. Blige’s maternal performance is so astounding, you won’t recognize her until the credits roll, the ultimate leap from rap music to big screen.
Told from the various positions (and pain) of one white and one black family working the same patch of blood and soil on a Mississippi farm, this ensemble’s brilliance comes from the interlocking of voice and substance (think a Faulkner novel) capturing the history of two men returning home from World War II. But what they’ll find themselves struggling with is more than the adjustment of post-traumatic stress. Seems the biggest battle is racial inequality and the wrath of the Jim Crow laws…
The films only drawback is one wouldn’t call it highly entertaining. It’s riveting for certain…full of humility, humanity and heart, but it lacks the ‘umph’ to win Best Picture. That said, best screenplay (written by Virgil Williams and Dee Rees) along with some fine acting nominations, should be anticipated.