Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | Film Review

I hadn't heard that much about this film before it came out, but I became intrigued about it after seeing Viola Davis speaking about it on the Graham Norton show - not the mention the great reviews it's been getting.

When Blues singer Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) joins her band for a recording session in 1927, tensions reach boiling point and lives change forever.

I really enjoyed this film. Well, enjoyed almost feels like the wrong word, but I appreciated it. My expectations may have been a bit higher than what I saw, due to all the amazing reviews, but it was good nonetheless. 

The first thing I could tell about the film is that it was based on a play. It was extremely dialogue-heavy and set in limited locations, and I liked that about it. You get to know the characters through their conversations and banter. A lot of the time through these conversations, it does feel like you're just waiting for something to happen, but your enjoyment of this will be based on your own personal preferences.

I loved these characters. They all felt really authentic, their conversations felt real, and they all had such great chemistry, particularly the men in the band. Even the characters that we don't get to see enough of feel essential to the film.

I found it amazing how much can be deciphered and inferred just from listening to conversations. These characters give things away without meaning to, and the audience is able to learn much more than what is shown on the surface.

One thing that surprised me about the film was the character of Ma Rainey. Not only that we didn't see that much of her (I expected her to be in every scene of the film), but that her character wasn't the character that I was most interested in.

Because, to me, this film was about Levee Green, played by Chadwick Boseman. 

While Viola was as amazing as she always is, and was almost unrecognisable as she brought this complicated character to live, this was Chadwick's film. He was incredible in the role of Levee, and for me, his character is what gave the film purpose. It wouldn't have worked without him. I hope both actors receive accolades for their roles, but I have my fingers crossed just that little bit tighter for Chadwick.

Because without Levee, the film doesn't really have a discernible plot, and a lot of time is spent waiting for something to happen. As interesting as the character of Ma Rainey was, the film doesn't focus on her enough for her to carry the film.

Overall, this is a powerful film that has a lot to say. It's on Netflix, and I would encourage everyone to watch it.

6.5/10