Netflix and Actually Chill: Mudbound

Netflix and Actually Chill: Mudbound

Looking for a low-key at home date night idea, or maybe a good movie night choice for some time with friends?

If you find yourself spending much more of your evening than you’d like browsing and debating Netflix options (and maybe wondering whether that MA-rated content is going to make it a poor viewing choice), we’ve got you covered.

Mudbound is one of the latest pieces of Netflix original content that is surprisingly well-done, and it’s pretty thought-provoking to boot. You may have even noticed that it received four Oscar nominations, a first for a Netflix feature film (though it didn’t take any awards home).

So what’s all the hype about? And does it make good viewing for a pair or group of Catholics? With a couple small caveats, I say yes.

A Complex but Engrossing Premise

Engrossing Premise

The plot description on Netflix is a little vague and more or less says the film is about two families, one black and one white, bound together by their land. But there’s a lot more to it than that.

The film opens with two men in the 1940s South, Henry and Jamie McAllen, digging a hole in the rain (and hence mud). We learn shortly that it’s to be a grave for their father. They find bones, conclude that they’re from a former slave, and that their father would hate to be buried with a slave.

A voice over from one of the men tells us of a betrayal between these two brother’s, hinting at something to do with his brother’s wife.

And then we meet the black family, the Jacksons, who are tenant farmers on Henry McAllen’s farm. There is clearly a lot of tension between these two families, but we don’t initially learn why.

From there, the rest of the story is told with alternating voice overs from each of the main characters, which works much better than you might think and pretty effectively gives us a window into each character’s psyche without getting too confusing.

Much of the story involves struggles both families face during World War II and with the difficulties of farming. But the meat of the conflict comes from racial tension.

Henry and Jamie’s father “Pappy” is a hard-core racist. Henry, by comparison, seems like a mild one, while Jamie’s experiences fighting with black airmen in the war have entirely changed his feelings on the matter (for the better).

Post-war, when both Jamie and the Jackson’s son Ronsel return home, the racial tension eventually reaches a boiling point.

Several Reasons to Watch

Several Reasons

Even if you’re not into Academy Awards buzz, this is still a good film to check out. It has great performances (including Mary J. Blithe who got an Oscar nom for Supporting Actress), a strong and very compelling story (again, Best Adapted Screenplay nomination), and really quite a bit of food for thought.

Personally, I love when a movie has enough depth that it’s easy to break into discussion about. This is definitely one of those movies. No light and mindless entertainment consumption going on here.

But It’s Not Perfect…

Not Perfect…

Granted, as a screenwriter, I’m hyper-critical, but here are my main complaints.

It’s rated Mature for good reason, and most of its mature content is pretty necessary to tell the story it’s trying to tell. All fine and well, but you should know that it can be kind of hard to watch at times. Expect to hear the N word a lot, and there’s some violence, including a particularly intense scene of it near the end which also includes some male nudity. I wouldn’t call it gratuitous, though, as it does all serve a point.

There’s also a bit of sex that felt a little unnecessary. It’s not a very graphic scene, but it left me wondering what point it had meant to serve, other than to show that most of these people were pretty morally screwed up.

Which brings me to the last issue: The moral problems of the characters feel a little racially one-sided. It’s almost like all the black people are saints, and all the white people are either really bad or at least somewhat bad. In a way that’s kind of the point I guess, but a little more nuance might have been nice.

If I had to dig, I guess I could point to the fact that there is a black character who has a child out of wedlock, as far as moral failings. But in the point of view of the story, it isn’t really portrayed as a moral failing. So there’s that, as well.

The High-Point Ending

High-Point Ending

After being glued to the screen to watch these often-difficult scenes for over 2 hours, I was glad to see that the final thought the film leaves us with is very positive, about love triumphing. And I don’t want to give spoilers, but it’s even pretty pro-life, and definitely rather heart-melting.

So if you’re after a deep, gritty and compelling watch that can lead to some interesting discussion afterwards, this movie is not a bad choice. Especially if you know that it will leave you ultimately on a bit of an up.