Film Review: ‘Loving’ Reminds Us That Love Conquers All

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly versionE-mail page to friendE-mail page to friendPDF versionPDF version
Average: 5 (1 vote)

CHICAGO – This is a difficult review to write. Not for any sort of technical standpoint, but one of moral outrage. Seeing “Loving”, the relevance in today’s society was clear, but that was before the election of our new president. The hatred of the past still echoes to this day, but now more than ever the message of hope and perseverance is needed.

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.5/5.0
Rating: 4.5/5.0

The story follows the real events of an interracial marriage that almost ended a couple in jail. Instead, they weren’t allowed to stay in their home town, forcing them to leave their families behind and start anew in a different city. We would all like to believe that we have gone past the point where interracial couples are persecuted, but even as a “modern” society we have not come too far. Even if it is no longer considered illegal, due to internalized social and cultural stigma, interracial couples are still a rarity. The story of the Loving family is a historically important one, but it serves as a greater reminder of the racial tensions we are witnessing today, while also paralleling the marriage struggle for same sex couples.

Jeff Nichols develops this story in his signature soft-spoken style. Just like the calm and quiet rural settings he favors filming, “Loving” takes an equally scenic pace when it comes to storytelling and exposition. Nichols’ films have never been very dialogue heavy when it comes to exposition. He rather tell the story through normal, everyday interactions between characters. From these seemingly innocuous encounters we get a breadth of information like current events, character motivations, and even a look at things to come. This steady narrative style isn’t for the type of person that is in a hurry and likes to be spoon-fed the film. The film caters to the ponderous viewer who is willing to stop and smell the flowers and find the meaning within them.

StarContinue reading for Jon Espino’s full review of “Loving”

Loving
Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga showing how all you need is love and support in the inspirational ‘Loving’
Photo credit: Focus Features

StarContinue reading for Jon Espino’s full review of “Loving”

User Login

Free Giveaway Mailing

TV, DVD, BLU-RAY & THEATER REVIEWS

Advertisement



HollywoodChicago.com on Twitter

archive

HollywoodChicago.com Top Ten Discussions
tracker