Loving (2016 film)

Loving

Film poster
Directed by Jeff Nichols
Produced by
Written by Jeff Nichols
Starring
Music by David Wingo
Cinematography Adam Stone
Edited by Julie Monroe
Production
companies
  • Random Films
  • Big Beach
  • Augusta Films
  • Tri-State Pictures
Distributed by Focus Features
Release dates
  • May 16, 2016 (2016-05-16) (Cannes)
  • November 4, 2016 (2016-11-04) (United States)
  • February 3, 2017 (2017-02-03) (United Kingdom)
Running time
 123 minutes[1]
Country
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
Language English
Box office $5.6 million[2]

Loving is a 2016 historical drama film written and directed by Jeff Nichols. It features Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga as Richard and Mildred Loving, the plaintiffs in the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia, which invalidated state laws prohibiting interracial marriage. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.[3][4] The film was released in the United States on November 4, 2016, by Focus Features.[5]

Plot

Richard Loving, a white construction worker in Caroline County, Virginia, falls in love with a local black woman and family friend, Mildred Jeter. Upon Mildred discovering that she is pregnant, they decide to marry, but knowing that interracial marriage violates Virginia's anti-miscegenation laws, they drive to Washington, D.C. to get married in 1958. Richard makes plans to build a house for Mildred less than a mile from her family home.

Soon afterward, sheriff's deputies raid Mildred's home and arrest the Lovings. When Richard points to the marriage license, Sheriff Brooks curtly tells him that it has no validity in Virginia and hauls them both to jail. They plead guilty to breaking the anti-miscegenation law and are sentenced to one year in prison. However, the judge suspends the sentence, on condition that they not return to Virginia together for at least 25 years. The Lovings move to Washington to stay with a friend of Mildred's. They briefly return to Caroline County so their first child, Sidney, can be delivered by Richard's mother, a midwife. Arrested again, they are cleared when their lawyer says he erroneously advised them they could return.

Mildred and Richard have two other children together, Donald and Peggy. However, Mildred grows frustrated with being away from the country, and her frustration grows when she watches the March on Washington. She writes Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy for help. Kennedy refers them to the American Civil Liberties Union. Lawyer Bernard S. Cohen takes the case and confers with constitutional law expert Phil Hirschkop. They conclude that the Lovings' ordeal has a good chance of going all the way to the Supreme Court - and overturning similar anti-miscegenation laws across the nation.

After an accident, the Lovings slip back into Virginia, settling in a remote portion of King and Queen County while their case moves through the courts. Their case gains wide attention, and is profiled in Life magazine by photographer Grey Villet. The state contends that people of different races were never intended to live together, and goes as far as to suggest the Lovings' children are bastards. The state Supreme Court refuses to set aside the Lovings' conviction. Undeterred, Cohen and Hirschkop appeal to the federal Supreme Court. Before going to Washington, Cohen asks Richard if he has a message for the justices. Richard replies, "Tell them that I love my wife."

Several weeks later, the Supreme Court unanimously holds that laws prohibiting interracial marriage are unconstitutional. The film ends with the Lovings back in Caroline County, working on their dream house. Richard dies in a car accident in 1975, while Mildred continues to live in the house Richard built for her until her death in 2008.

Cast

Production

On May 8, 2015, Jeff Nichols was announced to write and direct Loving.[6] Raindog Films and The Zoo developed the film, and Big Beach financed, while Nancy Buirski, Sarah Green, Colin Firth, Ged Doherty, Marc Turtletaub, and Peter Saraf produced.[6] The film was inspired by Buirski's documentary The Loving Story.[7] Nichols said that The Loving Story was how producers interested him in creating the film, specifying, "They approached me with Nancy’s documentary, which was more or less their pitch. It was all they needed really. I watched that documentary and was immediately attached emotionally and narratively to Richard and Mildred. I walked away from that documentary with a really clear idea that I wanted to make a film that followed Richard and Mildred and stayed with their point of view."[8] In September 2015, Nick Kroll, Jon Bass, Marton Csokas, Bill Camp, and Michael Shannon joined the cast.[9]

Filming

Principal photography on the film began on September 16, 2015, in Richmond, Virginia.[10][11][12]

Release

Director Jeff Nichols with stars Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival

In February 2016, Focus Features acquired distribution rights to the film.[13] The film had its world premiere at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2016. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or.[3][4]

Loving was released in the U.S. on November 4, 2016.[5] It will be released in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2017.[14]

Reception

Loving has received positive reviews from critics. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 89%, based on 158 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Loving takes an understated approach to telling a painful – and still relevant – real-life tale, with sensitive performances breathing additional life into a superlative historical drama."[15] Metacritic gives the film a score of 79 out of 100, based on reviews from 45 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[16]

The film received a standing ovation following its premiere at Cannes.[17] The Hollywood Reporter,[18] People,[19] and Essence,[20] among others, pegged it as an Oscar contender. According to the New York Times, reviewers praised "Mr. Nichols's understated direction and strong performances by Mr. Edgerton and Ms. Negga."[21] Vanity Fair appreciated the film's "intimate scale", focused on the Lovings' relationship and only briefly showing the broader context of the civil rights movement, but noted that its avoidance of sappiness, combined with its "terseness and sparse characterizations," made it appear somewhat lacking in heft.[22]

Accolades

List of awards and nominations
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Critics' Choice Awards December 11, 2016 Best Picture Loving Pending [23]
Best Actor Joel Edgerton Pending
Best Actress Ruth Negga Pending
Best Original Screenplay Jeff Nichols Pending
Gotham Awards November 28, 2016 Best Actor Joel Edgerton Nominated [24]
Best Actress Ruth Negga Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards February 25, 2017 Best Director Jeff Nichols Pending [25]
Best Female Lead Ruth Negga Pending
Mill Valley Film Festival October 16, 2016 U.S. Cinema: Audience Favorite Jeff Nichols 2nd Place [26]
Palm Springs International Film Festival January 2, 2017 Rising Star Award Ruth Negga Won [27]
Santa Barbara International Film Festival February 3, 2017 Virtuosos Award Ruth Negga Won [28]
Satellite Awards February 19, 2017 Best Film Loving Pending [29]
Best Actor Joel Edgerton Pending
Best Actress Ruth Negga Pending
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association December 5, 2016 Best Actor Joel Edgerton Pending [30]
Best Actress Ruth Negga Pending
Best Portrayal of Washington D.C. Loving Pending

References

  1. ↑ "Loving (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. November 17, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Loving". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Erbland, Kate (April 14, 2016). "2016 Cannes Film Festival Announces Lineup". IndieWire. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Debruge, Peter; Keslassy, Elsa (April 14, 2016). "Cannes 2016: Film Festival Unveils Official Selection Lineup". Variety. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Alessandro, Anthony D' (March 15, 2016). "Focus Features Dates Jeff Nichols' 'Loving'". Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Fleming, Jr., Mike (May 8, 2015). "Joel Edgerton & Ruth Negga To Star In 'Loving', Next Pic From 'Mud' Helmer Jeff Nichols". Deadline.com. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  7. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (October 23, 2015). "Joel Edgerton Debuts New Look in First Photo From Jeff Nichols' 'Loving' (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  8. ↑ McKittrick, Christopher (November 10, 2016). "Emotional Trajectories: Jeff Nichols on Loving". CreativeScreenwriting.com. Creative Screenwriting'. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  9. ↑ A. Lincoln, Ross (September 22, 2015). "'Loving' Starts Production And Rounds Out Cast; 'Frat Pack' Wraps". Deadline.com. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  10. ↑ SSN Insider Staff (September 18, 2015). "On the Set for 9/18/15: Rian Johnson Calls Action on Star Wars: Episode 8, Ghostbusters & The Magnificent Seven Wrap". ssninsider.com. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  11. ↑ Evry, Max (October 26, 2015). "Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga in the First Photo from Equality Drama Loving". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  12. ↑ Sullivan, Kevin P. (October 26, 2015). "First photo from Loving with Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga debuts". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  13. ↑ Fleming, Jr., Mike; Jafaar, Ali (February 13, 2016). "Focus Features Makes Big Berlin Deal; $9 Million For Interracial Marriage Drama 'Loving'". Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  14. ↑ Burrows, Lisa-Marie (July 12, 2016). "Watch First Emotional 'Loving' Trailer Starring Joel Edgerton & Ruth Negga". Film and TV Now. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Loving (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Loving reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  17. ↑ Alexander, Bryan (May 16, 2016). "Cannes: Interracial love story 'Loving' is first awards season contender". USA Today. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  18. ↑ Kilday, Gregg (May 16, 2016). "Cannes Drama 'Loving' Shows Oscar Potential". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  19. ↑ Ehrich Dowd, Kathy (May 17, 2016). "The Real Story of Richard and Mildred Loving – the Interracial Couple Who Fought for Their Right to Wed and Inspired the Cannes Film Already Earning Oscar Buzz". People. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  20. ↑ Akindele, Toni (May 17, 2016). "Cannes Interracial Marriage Drama 'Loving' is an Oscar Contender". Essence. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  21. ↑ Donadio, Rachel (May 16, 2016). "The Film 'Loving,' About a History-Making Interracial Couple, Sets Cannes Abuzz". The New York Times. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  22. ↑ Lawson, Richard (May 16, 2016). "Cannes Standout Loving Is a Respectful, Modest Civil Rights Drama". Vanity Fair. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  23. ↑ "La La Land Leads with 12 Nominations for the 22nd Annual Critics' Choice Awards". Critics' Choice. December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  24. ↑ Cox, Gordon (October 20, 2016). "Gotham Awards Nominations 2016: 'Manchester By The Sea' Leads with Four". Variety. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  25. ↑ Warren, Matt (November 22, 2016). "2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations Announced!". Independent Spirit Awards. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  26. ↑ "MVFF39 AUDIENCE FAVORITES". Mill Valley Film Festival. October 18, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards Gala 2017". Palm Springs International Film Festival. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2017 Virtuosos Award". Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  29. ↑ Kilday, Gregg (November 29, 2016). "Satellite Awards Nominees Revealed". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  30. ↑ "The 2016 WAFCA Awards Nominations". December 3, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.

External links

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