Once again I find myself in the undesirable position of reviewing a movie that I believe most people will really enjoy if they watch it but that I found pretty hum drum. There are flashes of great acting in the film and the story really is extremely inspiring. If it wasn't a true story the plot would sound like some overcooked Hollywood invention but it isn't.
Ann Atwater really was a loud, intrusive, and motivated woman who seldom took no for an answer and C.P. Ellis really was a racist bigot who organized KKK rallies and demonstrations. They really did become friends and changed the course of history and the town in Durham, North Carolina.
Unfortunately while I think I would love to hear and Episode of "This American Life" on the subject or a feature documentary on the story, this film does little to earn its existence as a film.
be 4.jpeg Cinematically, the film does nothing to tell the story in any other way than in the standard Hollywood Studio coverage with which they shoot every other movie. It seems that there are a host of film makers that think that film is primarily a means for delivering information. In this regard the film is competent. At the end of the film, you can tell the story of C.P. and Atwater though I doubt anyone who felt one way or the other would have had any change of mind throughout.
The film relies on the Racial Drama Genre's tropes and character archetypes with rarely a deviation. The acting though mostly competent is over acted in many scenes and the costuming/aging of Atwater (Taraji P. Henson, "Hidden Figures") simply looks terrible in several scenes. Why they couldn't have just gotten and overweight woman to play this role is beyond me.
I feel about this film the way I feel about many Christian films. It seems like they are made for choir. It seems like they are made without an eye for imagery, composition, connection through editing that make film what it is. To a large degree I could have closed my eyes and gotten as much out of this film just by listening to it as if I had watched it intently.
Ann Atwater really was a loud, intrusive, and motivated woman who seldom took no for an answer and C.P. Ellis really was a racist bigot who organized KKK rallies and demonstrations. They really did become friends and changed the course of history and the town in Durham, North Carolina.
Unfortunately while I think I would love to hear and Episode of "This American Life" on the subject or a feature documentary on the story, this film does little to earn its existence as a film.
be 4.jpeg Cinematically, the film does nothing to tell the story in any other way than in the standard Hollywood Studio coverage with which they shoot every other movie. It seems that there are a host of film makers that think that film is primarily a means for delivering information. In this regard the film is competent. At the end of the film, you can tell the story of C.P. and Atwater though I doubt anyone who felt one way or the other would have had any change of mind throughout.
The film relies on the Racial Drama Genre's tropes and character archetypes with rarely a deviation. The acting though mostly competent is over acted in many scenes and the costuming/aging of Atwater (Taraji P. Henson, "Hidden Figures") simply looks terrible in several scenes. Why they couldn't have just gotten and overweight woman to play this role is beyond me.
I feel about this film the way I feel about many Christian films. It seems like they are made for choir. It seems like they are made without an eye for imagery, composition, connection through editing that make film what it is. To a large degree I could have closed my eyes and gotten as much out of this film just by listening to it as if I had watched it intently.