As soon as I finished watching the movie Loving, I knew my take on it would be polarizing. You see, I hated it, and for a movie that's getting such good press, bucking that trend will tend to either be looked at as disliking it just because it's loved, or just shrugged off because of the rest of the glowing reviews. Loving is a biopic from the mind of Mud and Midnight Express writer/director Jeff Nichols. It purports to tell the story of Richard (Joel Edgerton) and Mildred (Ruth Negga) Loving, of the groundbreaking Loving vs. Virginia Supreme Court case. My problems with this movie are not with the cinematics or with the acting. Mr. Nichols knows how to craft a beautiful looking film with actors who have proven they can breathe life into the words on the scripted page.
My concern is that Mr. Nichols has traded the reality of the true story for accolades and a wider viewing audience. A movie set in the late 50s, early 60s dealing with the dark realities of our country's anti-miscegenation laws and their enforcement in the South probably shouldn't be a PG-13 star-crossed lovers tale. Now, I didn't live through that time period, but I'm almost 100% positive that the real life Loving family had to deal with a little more than glares and disagreeing but still loving families. I'm also pretty sure that Mildred Loving probably had to deal with a lot worse than simply being called “that colored girl.” You may see this film and disagree with me entirely, but I cannot put my stamp of approval on it. In my opinion, you're not doing any of the victims of these laws, or history, any justice by sanitizing it. By turning this into just another piece of triumph-of-the-heart Oscar bait, the audience, full of people who more than likely did not live through that time period, is robbed of a glimpse into a period of our nation's history that should not be forgotten, lest we be doomed to repeat it.
4/10
By: Josh Fonner