'Loving'

In cinemas February 3rd!

The true story of Richard and Mildred Loving who fought for their marriage to be recognised in there home of Virginia where interracial marriage was still outlawed. The case catches the attention of the ACLU and some ambitious lawyers who push it all the way to the Supreme Court where it challenges the very foundations of American society.
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The story is told almost entirely from the perspectives of the Lovings which gives us this curious outsiders look on the bigger picture as Richard and Mildred aren’t marching on the capital they just want to live their lives. It’s also interesting to see their lawyers, who whilst on the right side of history are clearly viewing this as a once in a lifetime career opportunity they can’t afford to let slip through their fingers.

It’s a strange almost cynical look at the whole issue and it’s actually kind of interesting to see this kind of story told without being grandiose about the matter or leaning too heavily on the message. It sort of grounds it, we’re just looking at people who want to be themselves and why shouldn’t they be able to? It’s surreal that this happened not that long ago.
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Unfortunately just because something is historically interesting doesn’t necessarily make it dramatically interesting, and whilst it would be wrong to inject a load of fake drama into such a serious story, after the initial set up the Lovings pretty much just go about their lives whilst all the more interesting civil rights issues happen somewhere else.

This is entirely fair to the story, the Lovings weren’t superheroes, they were humble people who wanted what was fair. The impact that would have on the country is more of a background detail. But as I say this doesn’t make for a particularly thrilling narrative, even the local sheriff who is set up as their antagonist in the beginning of the film just disappears from the story about halfway through and we’re left with a lot of tension that never actually amounts to anything.

​I have to say that I found myself wanting to like this film more than I did, though don’t dismiss the film entirely, it is a very important story beautifully told with some powerfully subtle performances from Ruth Nega and Joel Edgerton who completely draw in your sympathies. So it’s kind of average but it’s on the high end of average, and historical significance aside it’s ultimately a really sweet story of love conquering all that deserves to be told.

Review by Kristian Mitchell-Dolby.

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