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Colman Domingo. © 2023 Netflix, Higher Ground, and Bold Choices. Directed by George C. Wolfe.
Watched it on Netflix
Own Your Power I remember back in elementary school, I learned about the civil rights movement, especially the certain events that led to the Civil Rights Act. However, I barely knew about the person who organized the March on Washington until this film came out. This is the story of Bayard Rustin—the person who organized the March on Washington in 1963. With the film led by Colman Domingo, this film reaches its height but sometimes misses its mark in what the film can offer. Yet, it still succeeds in certain elements. Let's travel back to 1963 and follow the creation of this march and learn about the man behind one of the most crucial events in American history. Story: Bayard Rustin, advisor to Martin Luther King Jr., dedicates his life to the quest for racial equality, human rights, and worldwide democracy. However, as an openly gay Black man, he is all but erased from the civil rights movement he helped build. The powerful performance from Colman Domingo brings this film to its emotional core with the characters and the story of the March. Right from the beginning of the film, we not only get to see Rustin's personal life but also his work life and how he manages his personal and private life. The story is straightforward by letting us know the crucial people within this march and the events leading to that event. It doesn't sugarcoat it which I appreciate it because some biopics add unnecessary stuff that ruins what a biopic should be. However, some films still add more real-life moments from a person's life but I feel like this film benefits it by just showing the events leading to the march. It is effective with its short runtime but its editing pacing helps make the film flow even better. As for the characters, the cast delivers solid performance with Domingo leading the cast and being the best of all the bunch. Yet, everyone had a shining moment to drive the emotional core of the film. The personal conflict between Rustin's relationships with Tom, his current lover, and Elias, one of the helpers of a civil rights organization was the strongest element in the film. It's written well and it is balanced out well with the main central conflict of the story. Outside of that, there's nothing new or unique to offer. Still, it is a solid story that serves what it can deliver and I was invested throughout.
The technical side of this film is solid. I liked the make-up and costume design of the characters. Some of the cast were unrecognizable but I cannot lie, Chris Rock's make-up looks goofy. The cinematography is nothing special but it is good nonetheless. The production design is solid with its time period of the 60s and the song choices are pretty great. Overall, this is a well-made film in the technical side of filmmaking but through the story, there were some issues that prevented the film from growing stronger.
While this film doesn't waste its time with its story and the personal conflicts that Rustin is facing, I feel like we are missing more of the backstory of Rustin before he became an important figure in the civil rights movement. Even with that chunk missing, the film feels like a basic biopic. While Rustin's life was the strong core of the film, outside of that, it feels like we have seen this type of story about the March on Washington from a different film. I was hoping for a strong balance between Rustin's life and the March being more intense with its tone but it feels too safe. Selma will always still be my favorite civil rights film of all time but this is still a solid film that depicts this crucial time in American history. It doesn't do anything new in terms of the direction of the story of the creation of the March on Washington but the personal story of Rustin really strengths the overall story and it delivers a fine film. Even with its weakness and bringing nothing new to the table, it is still a powerful film that delivers solid performances and a strong emotional lead performance from Domingo. This film will probably be an underrated Netflix awards film that will be slid in many people's radar and they should watch it just for the performances alone.
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Vizeit Score: "B-"
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Copyright © 2023 Vizeit Reviews / Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Editor In-Chief/Owner of Vizeit Reviews | (Chicago Indie Critics Member [CIC])
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