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Loving, La Sutilidad de Jeff Nichols

Loving, The Subtlety of Jeff Nichols

Jeff Nichols is one of the most interesting and promising filmmakers in the current film scene. At only 38 years old, he has already directed five feature films and carries an aura of a cult filmmaker, with films that explore the human soul always with a style that many could call "classic." And possibly has become a worthy heir to directors like Clint Eastwood or, if we dare why not, to masters like John Ford. His stories have the scent of deep America and ancient tales of the South. Characters living in landscapes that seem to have not changed in centuries and with traditions anchored in the past, moving like ghosts, and despite refusing to evolve, manage to transform the world around them. Childhood, loneliness, schizophrenia, and love are recurring themes in the cinema of the director from Arkansas.

Seasoned in independent cinema with titles such as the surprising "Shotgun Stories" (2007) or the film that brought him popularity, the "apocalyptic" melodrama "Take Shelter" (2011), in 2016 Nichols brought us two titles: "Midnight Special" and "Loving", two magnificent films forgotten in the Oscars nominations. Especially surprising is the case of "Loving", a film that addresses racial issues in a year where the theme has been constant in nominations and awards. "Loving", inspired by the documentary "The Loving Story" (2011) from HBO, tells the true story of Richard and Mildred Loving, a couple who married in 1958 thus defying laws that prohibited interracial marriage. The story of a white man and a black woman whose love story became a driving force for the civil rights movement and equality.

A starting material like this, a story of love and injustice with a legal procedure as the main plot, could lead to a film close to TV dramas, but Nichols plays with the materials to offer a sincere, intimate film that tries to move away from sensationalism to delve into the psychology of characters as simple as they are fascinating. It is not the best film by this director, but it contains enough fantastic scenes like the beautiful beginning that perfectly defines the theme and style of the film. We see the two characters in close-ups, with nighttime and dark lighting, apparently looking in different directions. She confesses to him that she is pregnant with him. When the shot captures both characters, they are looking at each other. He - a white man - is happy that his black partner is pregnant. They kiss.

The subtlety in addressing the story and staging is mainly based on the excellent work of the actors. Nichols usually works with a cast of regular actors like Michael Shannon or Joel Edgerton, hard and impenetrable faces that mold great strength and passion inside. Both Edgerton and Ruth Negga (Oscar-nominated for Best Actress) do a powerful job through calmness, looks, and pauses. The director largely ignores everything related to legal processes, just like the film's protagonists, more interested in being able to be together and be happy. This fact stands out in the case of the character played by Edgerton, whose gaze seems to announce a sudden outburst of violence after each act of injustice. The containment of the story is managed in the words, looks, and movements of the actor who fights for his goal through perseverance, obstinacy, and patience. An acting performance based on subtlety, the same one that defines Jeff Nichols' cinema.

Jeff Nichols is one of the most interesting and promising filmmakers in today's film scene. At only 38 years old, he has already directed five feature films and carries with him an aura of a cult filmmaker, with works that explore the human soul always with a style that many could describe as "classic." And perhaps he has become a good heir to directors like Clint Eastwood or, if we dare, to masters like John Ford. His stories have the scent of deep America and ancient southern tales. Characters living in landscapes that seem unchanged for centuries and with traditions anchored in the past, moving like ghosts who, despite refusing to evolve, manage to transform the world around them. Childhood, loneliness, schizophrenia, and love are recurring themes in the films of the Arkansas director.

Seasoned in independent cinema with titles such as the surprising "Shotgun Stories" (2007) or the film that brought him popularity, the "apocalyptic" melodrama "Take Shelter" (2011), in 2016 Nichols brought us two titles: "Midnight Special" and "Loving," two magnificent films forgotten in the Oscars nominations. Particularly surprising is the case of "Loving," a film that addresses racial issues in a year where the topic has been constant in the nominations and awards. "Loving," inspired by the HBO documentary "The Loving Story" (2011), tells the true story of Richard and Mildred Loving, a couple who married in 1958 defying laws that prohibited interracial marriage. The story of a white man and a black woman whose love story became a catalyst for the fight for civil rights and equality.

Starting with such material, a story of love and injustice with a court procedure as the main plot, could result in a film resembling TV dramas. However, Nichols plays with the elements to deliver a sincere, intimate film that tries to distance itself from sensationalism to delve into the psychology of characters as simple as they are fascinating. It may not be his best film, but it contains enough fantastic scenes like the beautiful opening that perfectly defines the theme and style of the film. We see the two characters in close-ups, with nocturnal and dark lighting, apparently looking in different directions. She confesses that she is pregnant with him, and when the shot captures both characters, they are looking at each other. He - a white man - is happy that his black partner is pregnant. They kiss.

The subtlety in approaching the story and the staging is mainly supported by the excellent work of the actors. Nichols usually works with a cast of regular actors like Michael Shannon or Joel Edgerton, tough and impenetrable faces that harbor great strength and passion within. Both Edgerton and Ruth Negga (Oscar-nominated for Best Actress) deliver a powerful performance through calmness, gazes, and pauses. The director mostly overlooks everything related to legal processes, just like the characters in the film, more interested in being together and happy. This fact stands out in the case of the character played by Edgerton, whose gaze seems to foreshadow a sudden outburst of violence after each act of injustice. The story's restraint is handled through the actor's words, gazes, and movements as he fights for his goal with perseverance, obstinacy, and patience. An acting performance based on subtlety, the same subtlety that defines Jeff Nichols' cinema.