You know the funny thing about films like this and those that will come after it. Each time we make a film like this about the people behind the march or the people behind a great man like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it seems to chip away at the greatest some. Hear me out for a minute. When we learned about Dr. King, he was a giant, and yes, we all know he didn’t do this on his own but that taught us that he was the centerpiece. We had one film expose his affair and now this film seems to imply that the basis of King’s idea of nonviolence was a given idea from Rustin. I’m never sure how to feel about this when I watch movies like this.
Bayard Rustin is persistent, flamboyant, passionate, and above all, a genius. Not only is he a genius, but he knows that he’s the smartest person in the room and has no problem with reminding you that you should know that and that he does, too. Now, I don’t know if it’s because I watched Dave Chappelle’s newest special, The Dreamer, just before watching this movie or something else, but I love how the movie shows that Rustin is a doer. He’s a man that is determined to get the job done. Say what you want about his mannerisms, what he does in the dark, say he’s ugly, or whatever, but what you will not do is get in his way when it comes to democracy and civil rights. The film does a brilliant job of making that forefront of his personality. While watching this film, you’re just in awe of the tenacity he has and the power he possesses within himself. It’s a power you wish that you had for yourself in the same time his in the film. There’s really no room to be soft in this era, especially in the position that Rustin has forced himself in with leading and organizing these large marches.
I take Rustin as more of a story of the LGBTQIA+ community and their struggle to just be. Rustin is a black, gay man in the biggest city in the world and he is amongst a sea of black, alpha men who were raised in and stay in the Baptist church. He’s not fighting the same fight as the rest of the men within the NAACP, and that I think is why we see so much of a fight in him. In many of these scenes, you see Rustin have to fight with men who should be vying towards the same dream, but instead, it seems as if they’re focused on that fact that he would be a gay man leading his effort and how that image would set them back.
Now, to these performances in this film. Colmon Domingo…duh…fabulous. I forgot Jeffrey Wright and Chris Rock were in this film. Wright is always the best complicated character. I don’t know if that’s a compliment in his eyes, but it’s magical to see him on screen. I think we are all still getting used to seeing Chris Rock in straight roles, so I struggled with taking him seriously. But that’s on me, not a fault of the movie. Aml Ameen as Dr. King was refreshing. I just discovered Ameen is British and I’m glad I looked that up because I hate when I find out an actor I’ve been watching is British and I didn’t know it. He did a wonderful job of capturing the essence of who Dr. King was. A lot of times we get a person who looks like Dr. King or someone who can sound like Dr. King, and to be Dr. King is so much more than that. Again, it was refreshing to see that the casting director and director understood and noticed that with him in this role.
What I was missing from this movie was how Rustin started. I often criticize movies that take too long to setting up before we get to the main action. After watching this film, I only understand that this man is gay, good friends with Dr. King, and was instrumental at making sure the March on Washington happened and was nothing short of successful. We got glimpses of who he was in his past, but I have no knowledge of what makes this man tick and why. This is what was missing from this film, and for that reason, the film was lackluster for me. I admired the greatness of this man but I wasn’t invested in his dream or his life as much as I should have been.
But let me know what you think. Currently, Colman Domingo has a Golden Globe nomination for the role. He is competition? Bradley Cooper, Barry Keoghan, and Andre Scott.
