Episodic Melodrama about WWII Mississippi

Rating: Null/10 (22 November 2017)

Dee Rees' adaptation of Hillary Jordan's novel tells the tale of two families (One white, one black) in WWII Mississippi. Garrett Hedlund Jason Clarke (as Henry)and Carey Mulligan (Laura) head a family who buys a farm, but, through a mistake end up not in the landowner's house, but on the farm. Mary J. Blige (Florence) and Rob Morgan (Hap) are the parents of a family who already lives and work on the farm.
While there is a cordial enough relationship between the families, there is no question as to who are the bosses. And, the day to day struggles to survive are brutal and difficult for both families. A deeper bond is shared between Henry's brother Jamie (Garrett Hedlund) and Ronsel (Jason Mitchell) - returning veterans from the war (we see them in battle). The segregation in the military is nothing compared to what they find back 'home'. Further complicating matters is that the Partiarch of the white family Pappy (Jonathan Banks) is as rabid a racist as any of the Mississippi locals.
In outline, MUDBOUND sounds like it plays as a relatively straightforward drama. But, Rees (and co-screenwriter Virgil Williams) use narration - and a lot of it - to structure their screenplay. And, the narration floats through several of the performers. Some of the passages certainly deepen our understanding of the characters but, too often, fall into Joe The Explainer mode. This not only clutters the proceedings, but keeps the viewer from fully investing themselves into reading one's own interpretation of the events. Further, it emphasizes the already episodic nature of the movie. The acting is, for the most part, excellent. Mulligan and Blige seem a bit removed at times (and Blige's sunglasses don't help). Banks (one of my fave character actors) is frighteningly chilling as the bigoted father, while Morgan brings a low key intensity to Hap. Mitchell and Hedlund strike up a warm friendship even it feels a bit too modern at times.
There is no doubting the power of the tragic climax and the gentle mercies of the epilogue. Still, MUDBOUND needed a stronger structure to overcome some of its more melodramatic passages. It's a solid production even it promised more.
P.S. Some controversy has been generated by its Netflix release. Pushed as an Awards contender, Netflix's decision to release the movie straight to streaming while giving it a same day very limited release (17 theaters - where I saw it) doesn't help create separation from what feels like a TV production (it was independently produced as a feature). Ironically, MUDBOUND may have worked better had it been a Netflix mini-series, where the episodic nature could have been better fleshed out.