Written by Andreas Babiolakis

We are playing catch up by reviewing films that are a part of the current awards season.

When the Golden Globes hit, and Andra Day pulled off the unexpected win for Best Actress for The United States vs. Billie Holiday, I’m not sure what anyone was expecting. Jodie Foster’s win didn’t carry over into the Academy Awards, but Day’s did, and suddenly an interest in Lee Daniels’ latest effort took off. I understand Day’s win now. It extends to more than just her captivating, Earth shattering performance as the titular singer during the hardest moments of her life (her addictions, and the crimes pinned against her, all because of her refusal to give up singing her political song “Strange Fruit”). This win was for making the film even remotely watchable at all. Had a lesser performance been the forefront of this picture, I don’t think I’d have very much to say about The United States vs. Billie Holiday at all. It is easily Daniels’ weakest film, bar none. I’m actually stunned, because Daniels has a really strong grasp of how films function on a literary or narrative level, but you get no notion of that here.

The biggest issue is how there is such a lack of fluidity. Each scene, technique, and decision exists of its own universe, and there is very little aesthetic cohesion, here. One instance is when in-film scenes kept transforming into what is meant to look like retro footage, but then they would change back, only to shift again seconds later. What is a nice idea becomes a peculiar series of changes, as if someone forgot to figure out their Adobe Premiere transitions (which is a damn shame, because clearly these effects had many hours put into them, but they’re used so bafflingly). The scenes kind of just slam into one another, either aesthetically or narratively, and not in some creative way (to showcase the fierce passage of time, or incoherent thoughts), but just arbitrarily, as if we’re looking at all of the different footages of an actor’s portfolio. Considering that this is Andra Day’s moment to shine, the rest of the film (outside of some saving graces) almost feel like a hinderance.

80% of the reason to watch the film is for Andra Day, and Andra Day alone.

Here and there, you get a scene that feels like what Lee Daniels was trying to achieve all along; I’ve got the long-shot of an emotional realization by Holiday in mind (as the clear standout moment of the entire picture). Otherwise, you have a nice concept being completely mishandled in a dishevelled way. The purpose of the film is to shed light on how the American system pinned Billie Holiday and her addictions onto the war on drugs, and as a means of furthering systemic racism, whilst blaming her political stances in her music for her punishments. It’s a noble discussion to have, especially today, when more and more instances of dishonest legal practices to punish marginalized communities for bigoted reasons are being brought out and shared. Unfortunately, Daniels’ befuddling direction gets in the way, to the point that there seems like there is no direction. It’s not good when you have to piece together why some characters might be upset with Holiday, or what relevance this person has, and other plot points and character traits. Things just kind of exist, and I have no idea how this came out of the editing room with full approval. There’s a far better picture here (and it shows in Day’s performance, the nice photography, and the occasional moment of clarity), but it has been mangled to the point of being nearly unrecognizable.

Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.