Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton Fight for Their Marriage in ‘Loving’ Trailer
If you don’t know Ruth Negga‘s name yet, get ready to hear it often come awards season.
The first trailer for Jeff Nichols’ Loving stars Negga and Joel Edgerton as Mildred and Richard Loving, an interracial couple who spent nine years fighting the U.S. Supreme Court’s case against their marriage. Nichols’ latest is based on the landmark civil rights case, Loving v Virginia, which invalidated state laws that prohibited interracial marriage in 1967.
The Midnight Special filmmaker is at his best when he provides his characters with weighty, emotional situations that compromise their relationships – just think of his fantastic Take Shelter, which featured some of Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain’s best performances to date. Edgerton was one of the best aspects of Nichols’ Midnight Special earlier this year, and Loving looks to give him another quiet, comprimised character. Negga has most recently showcased a different side of herself as the charming, badass Tulip AMC’s Preacher, so it will certainly be a treat to see her tackle something more dramatic and intense in Loving.
The film is definitely a topic of importance, especially during this year full of tragedy and violence against the black community. It will be interesting to see how American audiences respond to the film and how Nichols, as a white filmmaker, handles the topic of race relations in a historical context. We’ve already had one ignorant historical film this year that disregarded American’s history of racism, we certainly don’t need another misfire. But Loving did receive positive reviews out of Cannes, so we might be looking at a strong awards season contender, especially for Negga and Edgerton. Loving also stars Michael Shannon and Nick Kroll and opens November 4. Check out the film’s poster below.