Student Film Reviews

Film reviews from theaters, couches, and film festivals

Home | All Reviews | Festival Courses | Film and Media Studies | SBCC | | Log in

1. Ethan Gaudreau 06.18.18 / 1am

   Hey Juan! Going into Mudbound, I was not sure what to expect because of its status as a Netflix funded movie, however I was completely blown out of the water by this film. Seeing as this film took place in 1939, it does an outstanding job to reflect the racial divide and tension in Mississippi during these days. The lynching of Ronsel, who was a military service member on active duty, was horrific, yet the film had to include this to demonstrate the complete lack of consequences for the white supremacists, displaying how there is no hope to defeat their numbers, influence, and privilege. The scene that staggered me the most, however, is the very first scene in the movie. The son of the racist Pappy asks Ronsel’s family to help bury his father, and is met with contemptuous, frigid looks from Ronsels family. The reason is not fully understood, however the movie reveals that this scene occurred after Ronsel’s lynching, in which his tongue was severed, and Pappy was the leader of the lynching. In this regard, the son asking Ronsel’s family to assist in burying Pappy is reminiscent of the entitlement white members of society felt their race alone should experience, and also displays the pure ignorance and arrogance of the prejudiced, racist (white) citizens of Americas’s past.
2. Emma Liberman 07.09.18 / 11am

   Hi Juan,

   I wouldn’t be so quick to call Mudbound a “touching story”. This implies a feel-good plot with a happy ending and pretty bow tying it all together. Instead, Mudbound deals with the convoluted and disturbing history of racism in the United States. And that isn’t all: it also tackles war, substance abuse, and sexism.

   I think the way the movie begins and ends, with the lowering of Pappy into the ground, makes it pretty clear that these issue are still prevalent in society today. Because even after all is said and done, the white family still feels entitled to ask Ronsel for help in burying the very man who’s racism ruined his life. This is a metaphor for the burden of the black man literally never ending, even upon death of his abuser.

   So while Mudbound does show a white and black family working together, I question whether or not the story of these families is uplifting. Instead, I think the film points to a broken relationship that still is not fixed.

Home | SBCC | Class Schedule | Film and Media Studies

Contact: Prof. Nico MaestuCopyright 2007-24 Log in