Loving

Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga deliver astonishingly nuanced performances in the compelling and compassionate true story of interracial couple Richard and Mildred Loving, whose marriage in 1958 sparked a Supreme Court battle ending in 1967. They get married in Washington DC, swerving Virginia's anti-miscegenation laws, but when the newlyweds return home, they're told their marriage certificate is invalid. Accepting banishment from the state instead of prison, they continually break the law by returning to see their families and this untenable situation prompts Mildred to write to Attorney General Robert Kennedy setting the ball rolling for a landmark civil rights case. Already the subject of a TV movie and documentary, writer/director Jeff Nichols (Mud) treats the story with beautiful restraint, offering a moving tribute to the Lovings' courage and commitment. With none of the clichés usually associated with such a hot-button topic, he side-steps expectations to craft a gripping, inspirational biopic with simplicity, tact and intelligence.