Loving

“Loving” is a film based on the real life story of Richard and Mildred Loving who were arrested, chastised and banned from their home town by the legal authorities in the State of Virginia for violating its laws against inter-racial marriage. Ably acted by Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga who portray the courageous couple as they and their supporters helped bring about the 1967 landmark Supreme Court decision in the case of Loving v. Virginia (which declared that marriage among any couple, regardless of race, was a right that the states could not deny). This decision laid the groundwork for the ultimate ruling by the high court acknowledging the rights of person of the same sex to also have the right to marry and so the film, and the story, goes far beyond 1967 to our present day human rights victories.  Defying the old adage that a writer/director cannot do both as effectively as if there were 2 separate individuals In those roles, Jeff Nichols does a noteworthy job in both capacities and brings forth from the actors subtle, low key performances that capture the strength and humility that are typical of so many of history’s unsung heroes. How ironic, too, that the title of the film and the surname of the real people in this story is a word that best describes their attitude towards each other and the 3 children they raised.

I give the film 3 and ½ stars for its honesty and dedication to the facts. It not only serves as a reminder to those of us who lived through this sad and regrettable period in our past but, equally as important, as an education for those who did not.