Love is an unquantifiable but universal construct that filmmakers have been trying to helplessly establish in their films ever since the advent of cinema. When I talk about love, I mean it in the full spectrum. It’s not only romantic love, but also the unconditional love shared between a parent and their child, the platonic love experienced by best friends, the bond of compassion between a student and teacher. Love is an unexplainable emotion of affinity and affection that can sometimes be so difficult to translate into cinema because of all of its subtleties. Portraying realistic love requires an understanding not only of script and camera but also of human psychology. Love can be cheesy, but it shouldn’t become gimmicky. Love can be clumsy, but it should never become exhausting. Love can be lustful, but that should never be the only thing that fuels a relationship. Successful films like Loving are cinematic experiences which are able to gently stage the simple yet fulfilling notion of the mutual commitment and unspoken devotion that is fundamental to a strong relationship between two people who truly love each other.  

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Loving is the depiction of the real-life story of Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple living in 1950s Virginia, USA; a place and time when interracial marriage was not only looked down upon, but was against the law. It was their case that was taken to the Supreme Court and was what changed the constitution of the United States. 

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In my mind, this plot implied grand scenes of celebration and extravagant monologues about acceptance and tolerance between different races. As much as I appreciated anticipating those feel-good moments, I was dreading watching this film, thinking that it would be infused with a new-age sense of moral superiority. When I did watch Loving, I was pleased with how the subject matter of interracial marriage wasn’t treated with a heavy hand but rather with a very skillful eye. The underlying broil of tension wasn’t shown in dialogue as much as it was in very sly exposition shots: a group of white men looking bitterly at the group of black men and women, Mildred’s father’s face of uncomprehending apprehension when Richard proposed to her, the black cashier’s condescending expression when looking at Richard caressing Mildred, Richard’s mother’s stoic expressions. All of these intelligent shots established, without words, that even though America had come a long way, racial tensions were still very palpable in everyday life. 

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Something else that I particularly loved about this film is how social change was portrayed. Since the screenplay of this film was inspired by the documentary The Loving Story by filmmaker Nancy Buirski, this film used cutting precision in capturing the Lovings’ lives. Therefore, it was able to avoid the hyperbolic drama that’s often woven into other period films based on real life. Mildred and Richard weren’t the leaders of an enormous civil rights campaign. They were just quiet, content people living in a recess of the American South wanting what everyone else wanted: a loving spouse, a good family, and a modest life. I felt like this premise was a breath of fresh air since it actually reinforced the universality of marriage, love, and compassion without bashing society for its misgivings. 

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(Sorry, I don’t want to overload this review with too many quotes but some of them are so perfect that I can’t help myself!)

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Loving also showcased a variety of technical decisions that really enriched the film. One such decision was it’s shot design. As an audience, we’re often so taken with the emotional experience and social messaging of a film that we often have blinders to how a scene is staged and shot. Many times, however, the shot design communicates implicit themes in a narrative. From my observations, I noticed that there were repetitive patterns in the organization of shots which emphasized motifs of isolation and segregation. The film starts with a close shot of Mildred confessing she’s pregnant and waiting to see Richard’s response. There is then a close shot of Richard smiling. Then there is a wide shot of both of them sitting together on the front porch of a run-down house. These sequence of shots are very organically organized based on character intent and relationship. The initial close shots were indications of the characters’ personal states of mind while the final wide shot was an indication that Richard and Midred would continue their relationship into the next stage (having a family). Throughout the film there are independent sentiments of a white male and a black female shown via shots with only one character in the frame, but when they’re shown together, all of their uncertainties seem to fade away and they both become a symbol of unity and trust. 

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Another technical decision that I want to discuss is the choice of lensing for this film. It’s common knowledge that cameras have a lens, that’s one of the elements that aids a camera in capturing image. But what most film-viewers don’t know is that there are different types of lens that can alter and distort the nature of the image seen. DOPs and directors use this to their advantage to establish an atmosphere in the subconscious minds of the audience. In this film, particularly, there were two decisions regarding lensing. Firstly, Loving wasn’t shot digitally, but rather on actual film. This was intended to give an authentic and traditional impression for the audience, which would reinforce the time period of the film. Secondly, Loving was shot with an anamorphic lens. This is a lens type that stretches the image vertically and has some distinct characteristics such as a slightly grainy and glowing look (based on the amount of light exposure) which added to the beautiful, lush Southern setting of the film. As a whole, the camera decisions heightened the comforting and family-oriented notions associated with the Southern states of America.        

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Overall, Loving is a beautifully restrained film that is a captivating watch. It is fuelled by intelligent technical decisions combined with emotional appeal and painstakingly realistic details of the Lovings’ lives. The story is resonant not only for its simplicity, but also for it’s modern relevance. It’s difficult to confront but important to ask: have we really surpassed the problems of the past? Do we all really understand the nature and value of unconditional love?