Neil: George C. Wolfe’s (The Devil Wears Prada) latest Netflix collaboration, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, is a diorama. A refreshing break from the overwhelming plots of action-packed blockbusters, the film focuses less on the eponymous Ma and more on reflecting the black experience during the early twentieth century- an often overlooked stage between emancipation and civil rights. From a plot point, it at almost a real-time pace which at times makes for a weary watch: but riveting performances, stellar mis-en scene (an early favourite for Cinematography/Production Design/Costume Design nods) and a cool tint to the film offset that at every intersection. It plays almost like a Spike Lee flick- wiry, eccentric and explosive when it’s least expected, the Chicago summer heat taking the tension up to an 11 when the cast wills it so (especially in the case of the late Chadwick Boseman, who leads as Levee the trumpet player.) Boseman and Viola Davis (Ma Rainey) give compelling performances as what seem to first be a pair of disgruntled (and often frustratingly so) musicians, but as the plot builds the audience is handed tidbits of their own trauma and contexts that force us into a sympathy. At it’s core is a day-in-the-life film that gifts a look into the exploitation of African Americans at that time, and the psyche of the men and women all but ready to be done with it. It’s a perfect watch for a Sunday afternoon to get sucked into another place altogether.
Photo: NBC
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