Dark movie...literally

Rating: 5/10 (29 November 2017)

Much of this movie (like so many recent movies) was filmed in natural light which for me basically ruined the viewing experience. From the opening scene on, I had a lot of problems trying to figure out who was who and what was happening. At some point, I couldn't tell who had died in the war and who had survived. While the story line and the acting were excellent, the directing (or perhaps the editing) also left a lot to be desired. Many scenes were rambling and seemed to serve little if no purpose. My guess is that the story was too thin to carry an entire movie so filler had to be added. If the director was trying to create the ambiance of a slow, southern lifestyle indicative of the era, then kudos, otherwise, they failed to keep the narrative moving at an appropriate pace. Since there were so may compelling issues addressed and the movie's heart was in the right place, I really wanted to like this movie a great deal more than I actually did.