TIFF 2017: Mudbound

Jason Mitchell and Garrett Hedlund in Mudbound

Mudbound tells the story of two poor families - one black, one white - struggling to get by in Mississippi during and after World War II. Each family sent a son to fight, and when they return they both find it's not so easy to fit back in. Jason Mitchell plays Ronsel Jackson, whose family work a farm as sharecroppers; in the army he was a sergeant and treated with respect, but once back home is is quickly reminded that he must sit at the back of the bus, and use the back door when entering/leaving a store. Garett Hedlund plays Jamie McAllen, whose family own the land. He was a bomber pilot in the war, but comes back troubled and more interested in drinking than working. The two become friends through their shared experience, and Jamie is one of the few whites who treat their black neighbours with respect.

I'm kind of skipping over what is on the surface the main plot of the film: the struggles of Jamie's brother and his wife and they move to the farm and adapt to a more primitive existence than that have been used to. But the heart of the story is really the shared experience of the two returning soldiers, and how their friendship is not accepted by the 1940s society in Mississippi.

This is an important story, and a good film, but for me it dragged a bit at times.

Directer Dee Rees came on stage for a Q&A after the film, looking much younger than her 40 years. I was quite impressed with her, as she spoke about the making of the film, including the challenge of getting the cast (both black and white) comfortable with the racial basis of the story. She would have workshop sessions in which the white actors would repeat their lines that included the N word until the stigma faded and they were comfortable doing that in character, with her watching.


TIFF 2017 Overview