Loving (Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga) – Loving vs. Virginia certainly isn’t as well known a civil rights case as Brown vs. Board of Education but it had wide-ranging implications across America.
Richard and Mildred Loving were an inter-racial couple living a quiet, peaceful life in rural Virginia in the late 1950s when both were thrown in jail for marrying (in Washington D.C.) and cohabitating, a crime that violated Virginia’s (and 15 other states’) miscegenation statute. Forced to move to Washington D.C., they returned for Mildred to deliver her baby, and they were subsequently re-arrested. When the American Civil Liberties Union agreed to take their case, the path was set for an ultimate showdown in the U.S. Supreme Court.
This film is anything but a courtroom drama. It focuses on the Lovings, their love for each other, their solitary existence, and their support from their predominantly black friends. Richard provided well for his family as a bricklayer while Mildred tended to their home and family. The last thing they wanted was attention. But as the case moved through the courts, Life magazine and other media outlets came, giving the Lovings their 15 minutes of fame.
The first hour of this too-long movie could cure insomnia. To say the pacing is slow is an understatement. Honestly, I saw Loving at 11:45 in the morning when I was wide-awake. But by 12:30, I was searching for Five-Hour Energy. The next hour was far more interesting and engaging, thank God.
The performances were outstanding. As Richard, Aussie Joel Edgerton (Jane Got a Gun, Black Mass, The Gift) gives what generously could be called a restrained performance. Some would say he hardly acts at all but that isn’t fair. It reminded me of Peter Fonda’s performance in Ulee’s Gold, which I called somniferous but which landed him an Oscar nomination. The same could happen here. Edgerton mumbles his way through most of the movie but comes alive when Richard’s family is threatened. Ruth Negga as Mildred is exceptional. Her performance is complex. She is the devoted wife and mother on one hand while showing deep determination to fight for the rights of inter-racial couples everywhere. This performance is the best in the film and may be Oscar-worthy. It holds the film together.
Loving may be an important film to see. But drink plenty of caffeine before you get there.