MUDBOUND (2017)

12/4/17 - Mudbound (2017) - 6+/7-/10

Picturesque and powerful, but a tad labored. It was intensely gorgeous, with a soulful attachment to the setting and the soil that came through in each frame. The look was able to carry a story that at times felt inert and blocked/segmented. It was a drama and a film that resonated, especially within the pairing of the opening and final scenes, but never shook me like I wanted it to.

I appreciate the story it was telling, but it never dug its claws in. There was a stifled demeanor despite intense narrative trappings. More visually evocative than narratively engaging. It wasn’t that the actors did not put in the work, though I was not awed by any particular performance, the story just dripped more than flooded into me. The entirety of those elements were solid, especially towards the culmination, though they did not wow me.

So deeply lovely and intrinsically visually linked to the earth itself, in every aspect of character and story. This full blooded and aching creation of the dirt, dust, and browned crops, that permeates every scene, symbology, and spirit of this film brings this dull beauty into a realized worldliness. It is gorgeous and despairing, yet restrained. Definite quality and worth the watch, but I didn't not love.