Loving (2016)

We liked very much this drama about the interracial couple whose Supreme Court victory changed the country's laws forbidding such unions and paved the way for last year's gay marriage ruling. Their real name was Loving, and the storytelling doesn't have a lot of words, as written by director Jeff Nichols (last blogged for Mud). He had source material from both the 2005 non-fiction book Virginia Hasn't Always Been for Lovers: Interracial Marriage Bans and the Case of Richard and Mildred Loving by Phyl Newbeck and the documentary The Loving Story (2011). The latter also provided actual footage that Nichols could adapt for his purposes. My favorite line, in the trailer, is Mildred saying, "We might lose the small battles but win the big war."

Joel Edgerton (most recently in The Great Gatsby) and Ruth Negga (born in Ethiopia, she is new to me, despite many English-speaking credits) convey much with his set jaw and her big eyes. In the large cast I recognized Alano Miller, as Raymond (he helps Richard with fixing cars for drag races), from Jane the Virgin; Matt Malloy, as a lawyer later on, from Alpha House; and, of course, comic actor Nick Kroll playing it straight (perfectly) as Bernie Cohen, one of the primary lawyers on the case. Michael Shannon (also last blogged for Mud) is a Nichols regular, and has a cameo as a Life magazine photographer.

Kudos to production designer Chad Keith (notable work includes Martha Marcy May Marlene, Take Shelter, and Begin Again), art director Jonathan Guggenheim (Martha Marcy May Marlene, more), set decorator Adam Willis (Take Shelter and Spring Breakers, among others), and the phenomenal picture car team (probably hired by the same guys). Jack and I both noticed the Corelle dinnerware that Mildred washes in one scene, but were not aware that it came out in 1970, so is the one anachronism noted by imdb's contributors.

The soundtrack by David Wingo (most recently scored Our Brand Is Crisis) is not only available to buy from all the usual places but also to stream on YouTube. Start with this track and proceed by number for his compositions. We are also treated to a bunch of fun songs from the late 1950s and mid 1960s, listed here.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics, averaging 89%, are more in line with us than its audiences' 79. We do recommend it.