Saturday, March 3, 2018

Mudbound - 8 stars out of 10

Mudbound - 8 stars out of 10

“Mudbound” is the most emotionally charged film of 2017.  It is so good that ended the debate over whether movies released on Netflix should be nominated in major Oscar categories.  The story draws parallels between the experiences of two soldiers (one white and one black) in WWII and converges their worlds when they return to Mississippi, showing the differences in their post-war societal treatment and struggles with PTSD.  The race relations are mild at first but grow more and more disturbing as the story unfolds.  It isn’t nearly as rough as “12 Years A Slave” but requires a similar mental preparation.  It is a strong contender for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar and the writing is complimented by excellent acting performances.  Jason Mitchell gets to the heart of the film as Ronsel by finding the perfect balance between submission and standing up for himself, while Garrett Hedlund gives a strong portrayal of the PTSD that haunts our veterans.  Without question, Jonathan Banks is the highlight of the film as Pappy.  He is absolutely despicable in this past-generation-racist father role.  This provided a nice contrast with Rob Morgan, the mild-mannered father who is helpless to defend his family against an unbalanced society.  I was surprised to find Mary J. Blige joining this year’s list of people who had a nice performance but didn’t display anything worthy of an Oscar nomination.  It’s actually astounding to me that the Best Supporting Actress category is so weak but there were so many deserving Supporting Actors who didn’t make the ballot (particularly Banks in this film)!  Regardless, the film hits all of the right emotional notes and is beautifully filmed by Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rachel Morrison.  Netflix has hit the jackpot with “Mudbound.”  It may not win any awards this year but it will be remembered as one of the most chilling race-relation films in recent history.

[Pictured: "Mudbound" does a lot of things right, but nothing resonates as strongly as Pappy]

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