Mudbound

SPOTLIGHT ON DEE REES. Dee Rees (Pariah) further establishes herself as a director of the first order with this remarkable tale, based on Hilary Jordan’s potent novel, of two families whose lives fatefully intertwine in the Jim Crow South. In the wake of World War II, two veterans (Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell) and the loved ones they return home to (Carey Mulligan, Mary J. Blige) forge tenuous friendships despite the deeply entrenched racial tensions that still seethe in their small Mississippi town. Employing themes and multiple narrators that evoke the sophistication and insight of Faulkner, Rees brilliantly conveys a story that’s epic in its scale but still intimate in its characterizations. With terrific support from Jason Clarke, Jonathan Banks, and Rob Morgan, and painterly images by cinematographer Rachel Morrison perfectly capturing the period, Mudbound is steeped in history, tragedy, and the promise of reconciliation that still resonates today.