Mudbound
Dir: Dee Rees
2017
*****
At its heart, 2017’s Mudbound is about racism and post-traumatic stress disorder. However, both issues are dealt with in quite a specific manner but we are introduced to the story through a largely unrelated path. The film is set in Louisiana and opens with us being introduced to Laura McAllan, a 31 year old virgin living with her parents who is suddenly swept off her feet by her brothers boss. We learn about Laura (played by Carey Mulligan) through her own narration and she carries the story over to her husband Henry (played by Jason Clarke), his brother Jamie (played by Garrett Hedlund) and the Jackson family who rent farmland from them. Each character takes it in turn to tell their story through narration but the chapters are quite soft and the switch of narration is very subtle. It’s a fantastic format that while striking, is also very easy to follow. It is matched by some terrific performances and excellent direction from Dee Rees whose films, I believe, are too good for television premieres. Mudbound has received the recognition it deserves but it would have been glorious to have seen it on the big screen. I digress. The film looks at life in rural Mississippi and how unaffected it is during the Second World War. Jamie is sent to war, as is the Jackson family’s eldest son Ronsel (played by the show-stealing Jason Mitchell). While Jamie wasn’t particularly successful in his life before the war, he had his passions and lived the life of riley, while Ronsel worked hard to help his family on the farm and kept his head down with regards to the locals. They both find a sense of freedom and a sense of purpose while in the army and they also see hardship and horrors beyond their imagination. They see how little their lives matter in the scheme of things but also how important life is. They are treated as equals, they weren't black and white fighting alongside each other, they were Americans fighting for their freedom, brothers in arms as it were. Returning to their hometowns and going back to that unchanged life is hard to comprehend. Hard to comprehend for Jamie but near Impossible to comprehend for Ronsel, who after serving his country and putting his life at risk every day for his fellow countrymen, has to return to using the back door of the grocery shop and has sit at the back of the bus. Ronsel and Jamie become acquainted after meeting in town and develop a friendship that they keep secret from the townsfolk. They exchange war stories - good and bad and take comfort in the fact neither one of them is alone in their town that is totally unaffected by the way in which the second world war changed the world. Unfortunately for them, they are outnumbered by the ignorant and the bigoted and a series of events sees the pair fighting their own personal war. The synopsis may sound a little cliche but I assure you it isn't. The genre has been developed and furthered and Mudbound really does stand above many other films of its ilk. It is astonishing to learn that the story is in fact based on real life events and hasn't been made into a film before, again, my only real criticism of the film is that it wasn't shown in cinemas. Jason Mitchell steals the show and Garrett Hedlund is also impeccable. Carey Mulligan and Jason Clarke give great supporting performances and Rob Morgan and Mary J. Blige are both outstanding. Dee Rees deserves the attention of audiences and those in the industry, she deserves full rein from now on and the opportunity to shine on the sbig screen.