Written by Andreas Babiolakis

Sometimes, a date on a calendar will convey more importance and triumph than any retelling ever could. June twelfth marks the anniversary — fifty seven years when this review was published — of the decision surrounding the case Loving v. Virginia, where couple Richard and Mildred Loving — the former a Caucasian man and the latter a Black woman — fought against Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act of 1924 so they could remain married and not be incarcerated for their relationship. It was a unanimously decided vote to allow the appropriately named Loving couple to remain married, and one that vanquished race-based restrictions across the entire United States. As someone who is in an interracial relationship, I’m fortunate that I’ve never had to worry about who I wish to marry, where we frequent on our dates, who sees us, or anything else of that matter. We’ve come a long way when it comes to how the love between people is reciprocated, but there is still much ground to cover still (I write this in the midst of Pride Month, where I know damn well that people still have much growing up to do when it comes to allowing humans to love who they want to love, or be who they want to be).

Obviously, the case of Loving v. Virginia is a crucial one, and it doesn’t take much to realize just how important this story is to share so we remember what society was once like not too long ago. Documentarian Nancy Buirski’s special, The Loving Story (back in 2011), was the stepping stone that was necessary for viewers to be informed of what they may not already know. The documentary was enough of a success that a narrative feature film could quickly follow, and who better to tell this story of middle America than Jeff Nichols, who was coming in hot after Take Shelter and Mud (and who had released Midnight Special the same year as this film)? His answer was Loving: an awards season darling of sorts that aims to put faces to the names of this legendary trial and reinstate the breakthroughs that came from it. It stars Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga as Richard and Mildred Loving respectively (the latter earned her first Academy Award nomination for her performance), and the two stars do much heavy lifting here just like the people they portray; while the real Loving spouses carried the weight of both a state and a country on their backs, Edgerton and Negga help pull Loving through some of its more typical and subdued passages.

The film focuses on how both Richard and Mildred met, their blossoming love, the bigotry they endured (down to jail sentences due to their marriage) and their relentlessness to persevere in the face of racism, all the way through the iconic trial. While much happens along the way, including the inclusion of volunteer attorney Bernie Cohen (who defends the Lovings) and even the LIFE Magazine portrayal of the Loving family, Nichols’ dialed back approach is both beneficial and detrimental. It’s nice to see a biographical picture not get carried away with trying to sell you on the emotions necessary to feel a story, but I also wish Loving was slightly more aware of the risks that hinged on this trial and not just the positive changes that came afterward. The film is clearly made with hindsight in mind, so I never feel like I am there in the moment of history being made. I’m more than happy to feel the successes that followed, but we can’t just be shown what the Loving family went through. We need to feel it, to properly understand how far we’ve come, and not just acknowledge where we are right now.

*Loving* may not prioritize the tribulations the titular family faced with the necessary gravity, but it at least celebrates the triumphs that ensued with full respect.

At least Loving understands what pulled this family through all of their hardships: their resilience and adoration. Edgerton and Negga are sublime together at the forefront of a film that has “love” written all over it; while Edgerton’s Richard is reduced to a bit of a simpler man who will go with whatever flow promises him a happier life with his partner (more of a writing issue than an acting one), Negga’s Mildred is a quietly ferocious superstar who will storm through minefields to get what she and her husband need. This relationship is where Nichols’ stripped down approach works best. Even if we don’t feel like we’re there with them, we still know that this is the couple: the very one decades ago that stood up for freedom and love. Edgerton and Negga are never showy here, nor do they need to pry the scene away from one another (while Negga’s character is better written than Edgerton’s, both actors share the space with one another).

With all of this considered, watching Buirski’s documentary may get you the proper information and mindset needed to better understand this trial and its impact. Jeff Nichols’ Loving is best seen as an interpretation of the passion two soulmates have for one another; while the film respects its subject enough to not phone in its portrayal, I wish Loving had a bit more boldness to drive its points home. It gets by enough thanks to its purity and the dedication of those involved with the project, but once those end credits pop up, you’ll be left wanting a bit more (despite being able to appreciate what you did get). Love will always win, but in the case of Loving, we needed to feel more of what love was up against.

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.