Based on real people and events, Loving tells the story of Richard Loving (Joel Edgerton) and his wife Mildred (Ruth Negga).  Richard is a white bricklayer; Mildred is black; after marrying in the District of Columbia they return to live in Virginia in 1958 and are promptly arrested, jailed and ordered to divorce or leave the state.  The Lovings move to her sister’s up north but eventually return to Virginia, along with their three kids, to a remote farm.  It is there, aided by ACLU lawyers, where in the mid-1960s they challenge Virginia’s racist law, taking the case all the way to the U. S. Supreme Court.

Jeff Nichols’ film does not deal with the “big picture,” the lawyers and the overthrow of the law, except as plot points on the way to allowing two people who love each other to do so freely.  The focus is squarely on Richard and Mildred and their desire to just be left alone to live their lives.  That is commendable, certainly, yet the film feels more like a documentary than a feature.  Although they lose time and time again in Virginia’s courts, we are all aware that they will ultimately emerge victorious, so there is little suspense.  And while the story could have used some specific dates and locations for better clarity, it meanders along through time blissfully ignoring the outside world most of the time.

This film has been lauded for its performances but even here I found it wanting.  Joel Edgerton’s performance is solid, but Richard’s character is stolid; he is one of the most uninteresting lead characters I can recall.  Ruth Negga fares better, because Mildred actually shows some emotion and is the force behind the push to change the law.  But there are reasons they don’t often make movies about everyday people living their everyday lives, and the reasons are evident here.

This may be cynical but this story, this film, looks like prime Oscar bait to me, and I expect it to do well during awards season.  It is socially progressive, reminding viewers of a situation that still existed here in America less than fifty years ago, certainly during my lifetime.  It takes a stand against racism, arguing, quite rightly, that people should have the freedom to live their lives how they see fit.  I believe in everything this movie stands for.  I do wish, however, that it had been more dramatically compelling; it succeeds as a social document but is disappointing as entertainment.  ☆ ☆ 1/2.  8 December 2016.