Where I Watched It: Netflix
English Audio Description Provided By: International Digital Center
Written By Dakota Green
Narrated By Sri Gordon
This time last year I was still eternally optimistic about Danielle Detweiler getting an Oscar nomination for her terrific work in Till. It seemed like the support for Till had been stripped down to just her commanding lead performance, but no matter, she delivered a powerhouse performance voters couldn’t turn away from. I forget that just because a black actor or actress delivers a terrific performance doesn’t necessarily mean they will end up on the final list. Flash forward to now, and we have Coleman Domingo in a film that seems to be almost entirely hinging on his performance. I’m scared.
Domingo plays real life civil rights activist Baird Rustin, who I literally had no idea existed. It’s funny how many names I did recognize in this film of other activists, but if Rustin is taken at face value, he was a force to be reckoned with. He also was unapologetically gay at a time when people just were not. He’s living in a pre-Stonewall era, not just a pre-Civil Rights Act. Basically, the world isn’t very sympathetic to his cause, which happens to be the movement of equality.
We join Rustin on his journey as he organizes, sometimes with the support and sometimes without, the famed Million Man march that led to Dr. King’s iconic speech. A fantastic scene in which Rustin’s worth to the cause is called into question has him fully prepared with his tiny army with a total breakdown of everything he has accomplished. As the movie progresses, some minds are changed ever so slightly, and some continue to regress.
One of those regressers is Adam Clayton Powell, played feverishly by Jeffrey Wright, like he’s the black McCarthy, trying to constantly put Baird on blast for anything he can get his hands on. This film is not complimentary of Powell. I was at least aware he existed, but I don’t know of his contributions well enough to know if this portrayal will ruffle feathers, but it is the equivalent of playing a Sith Lord. He’s detestable at times, even drawing out a fantastic reaction from another strong performer who has the ability to shut down Powell with the force of a thousand thunderstorms. Truly, another great scene.
In fact, I enjoyed this movie pretty much across the board, until I started noticing a trend. Despite the presence of Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, Rustin seems to dodge gay content where ever possible. It’s a shame, because Rustin is supposedly so unapologetic about his sexuality, yet this is rather tame, especially considering what Black managed to get into Milk. Was the team worried that too much gay content would turn people away? It always seems like a lot of talk, a lot of staring, and then cutting away. Normally, I approach these reviews just from my blind perspective, but the gay critic in me noticed how straight this all felt.
Director George C. Wolfe most recently got Chadwick Bozeman his posthumous nomination for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, so perhaps Domingo will pull this out. It would be such a shame to see him forgotten this year. The only other possible nomination is for the excellent Road To Freedom that plays at the end. It’s a great song, and I immediately made note of it as being my favorite original song thus far.
The audio description by Sri Gordon is just so great. I love hearing her on projects like this. While Rustin is a civil rights movie, it doesn’t feature a lot of the violent moments that it could have shown, so her sweet tone just leads to the overall positive message Rustin is trying to push. The audio description script by Dakota Green does a good job of tracking the little choices Domingo makes, and has an almost impossible task of tracking a myriad of supporting players. It seems like everyone wanted in on this film even if it was a brief performance. Even the great Audra McDonald showed up for a scene. It’s just a few minutes of screen time, but she’s making the most of it.
If it wasn’t for the fact that there are parts about this script that seem to betray Rustin’s out and proud mentality, I’d gladly throw this film a parade and put it in my top 10 for the year. but there’s something about the unwillingness to show real emotional connections, and focus on Rustin’s defining characteristic that often cost him opportunities, and for what? Why choose to make a film about someone who history owes a debt of gratitude, and suggest the reason we know less about him was simply his sexuality, and then downplay it? It just doesn’t make sense.
But, regardless, you have to see this. Coleman Domingo has never been better. The electricity when he is on the screen is so vibrant, and the rest of the cast throws some sparks in the mix too.
Final Grade: A-