A little over fifty years ago, a landmark Supreme Court case unanimously struck down anti-miscegenation laws, declaring interracial marriage legal across the United States. This is something that is near and dear to our hearts, both as authors and personally. Many of our stories feature interracial couples. From Nate and Lexi in "The Best Worst Valentine's Day Ever" to Cole and Zara in "The Language of Flowers" to Serena and Frank in "The Research Trip": none of them could happen without this court decision. "The Loving Story" is a documentary by Nancy Buirski that features interviews with the people involved in the case, candid interviews of Mr. and Mrs. Loving at the time of their case, and other primary sources from the time. My inner history nerd appreciated how the filmmaker used the media from the time to tell their story. I think it's important to have that sense of what's real before you watch any dramatization of the story. Which leads into Jeff Nichols' "Loving", which got put on my radar at this year's Oscars. I loved Ruth Negga in Agents of SHIELD, so seeing her nominated piqued my interest. She deserved all the awards and accolades. I also give props to Nichols; instead of prettifying up the dialogue he used a lot of what was actually said. It made it feel real. I highly recommend both.
Summaries:
Loving - Interracial couple Richard and Mildred Loving fell in love and were married in 1958. They grew up in Central Point, a small town in Virginia that was more integrated than surrounding areas in the American South. Yet it was the state of Virginia, where they were making their home and starting a family, that first jailed and then banished them. Richard and Mildred relocated with their children to the inner city of Washington, D.C., but the family ultimately tries to find a way back to Virginia. The Loving Story - In 1958, Richard and Mildred Loving are arrested for violating Virginia's anti-miscegenation laws, eventually leading to a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision on interracial marriage.