Colman Domingo gives an Oscar worthy performance as Bayard Rustin, the man who changed the world for the better by helping Martin Luther King and by planning the 1963 March on Washington.
The question I have is why hasn't there been a film made of the life of Rustin before? I suspect it might have to do with the fact that he was an openly gay man and he didn't fit the Hollywood mold about it being a subject that will play well in Peoria. Rustin was an incredible man who was largely kept to the side of most other films on the Civil Rights movement- and it's high time we get a screen portrait of one of the great men of the 20th Century.
While the film doesn't have many bells and whistles outside of the cast, RUSTIN is still a deeply moving film. More than a trip into the events that lead up to the March on Washington, the film is a portrait of the soul of a good man who wanted to do the right thing, even if it meant he had to heartbreakingly stand in the shadows. Being an out gay man meant that it was used against the the Civil Rights Movement so he repeatedly had to side step the spotlight that should have made him a greater hero.
I was moved.
The reason to see the film is Colman Domingo as Rustin. The performance is alive in ways that you rarely, if ever, see. Domingo disappears into the role leaving nothing of himself behind. I was amazed that anyone could put that much of himself out there emotionally. I watched whole scenes repeatedly just to watch how Domingo brought the man to life through gestures, looks and vocal inflections. This is as good as acting gets. It actually puts Michael Caine's notion of acting being in the eyes and puts it to shame- acting is in the soul.
I loved this film, with my only complaint being we didn't see more of Rustin's life and achievements.
Highly recommended
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