# Mudbound (film)

Mudbound is a 2017 American historical drama film directed by Dee Rees. It was written by Rees and Virgil Williams, who based their screenplay on the 2008 novel Mudbound by Hillary Jordan. It stars Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Clarke, Jason Mitchell, Jonathan Banks, Rob Morgan, and Mary J. Blige. The film depicts two World War II veterans – one white, one black – who return to rural Mississippi each to address racism and PTSD in his own way. The film premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2017, and was released on Netflix and in limited release on November 17, 2017, to positive reviews.
At the 75th Golden Globe Awards it received nominations for Best Supporting Actress (Blige) and Best Original Song ("Mighty River"). At the 90th Academy Awards, the film earned four nominations: Best Supporting Actress for Blige; Best Original Song for Blige, Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson (Blige became the first person to ever be nominated for both acting and songwriting in the same year); Best Adapted Screenplay for Rees and Virgil Williams (Rees became the first African-American woman to ever be nominated) and Best Cinematography, which made Rachel Morrison the first woman nominated in the category.

## Plot

In the Mississippi Delta, white brothers Henry and Jamie McAllan dig a grave during a rainstorm and struggle to lower their deceased father's coffin into it. When the Jacksons, a black tenant farmer family pass by in a wagon, Henry asks the father, Hap Jackson, for help. Henry seems uncomfortable asking and Hap hesitates to reply.
A few years prior, Henry is conned out of renting a home and is forced to live near sharecroppers on a farm outside the town of Marietta, Mississippi and moves there with his wife Laura, their daughters, and his virulently racist father, Pappy. The Jackson family, led by tenant farmer Hap and his wife Florence, work the farm's cotton field and dream of owning their own land one day. As World War II begins, Jamie and the Jacksons' eldest son, Ronsel, join the United States Army Air Corps and U.S. Army, respectively. Both men experience severe war trauma in the European theater as Jamie flies B-25 bombers and Ronsel commands tanks. Ronsel also falls in love with a white German woman.
Meanwhile, in Mississippi both families continue to live in poverty and support each other out of necessity. Florence also helps the McAllan family when their two young daughters fall ill with whooping cough; and then Laura offers Florence work to help care for her daughters permanently. When the Jacksons' mule has to be euthanized, Henry offers to rent out his mule but exacts half of the Jacksons' crop in payment. Leaving the Jacksons nearly no choice but to accept, the proposed arrangement would diminish them from tenant farmers to the lower economic and social status of sharecroppers. Hap, who serves as the preacher for the local Black community, falls while helping to build a church, breaking his leg and rendering him unable to work his fields. Laura sneaks money from her husband's safe so Hap can be properly treated by a doctor, much to Henry's disapproval and causing their passionless marriage to worsen. Hap recovers and prevents his family from further social decline.
When the war ends, Ronsel and Jamie return home and realize that they have changed but the Mississippi Delta has not. Jamie becomes an alcoholic and suffers from PTSD. Ronsel, accustomed to the relative lack of racism among Europeans, struggles with racism in Mississippi. They become aware of each other's difficulties and bond over their war experiences. Ronsel questions why Jamie treats him with respect, and Jamie recounts that on a bomber mission a Black fighter pilot saved his life. Jamie grows close to Laura but his alcoholism worsens and he drunkenly crashes his truck. Henry leaves on a trip and tells Jamie to depart from the farm before he returns. Ronsel receives a letter and photo from the German woman with whom he had been romantically involved and learns that they had a child together and she wants him to come to Europe. The photo is of her and their biracial child. Ronsel shares this with Jamie while driving together when their truck passes Pappy, and Ronsel is forced to duck down to hide. Pappy confronts Jamie about him socializing with Ronsel and scolds him for his drunken behavior and sneers at Laura, claiming she has romantic feelings for Jamie. Later, Ronsel realizes that he lost the photograph, which Pappy finds in the truck. Laura confronts Jamie as he prepares to leave and they have sex.
As Ronsel frantically searches for his photograph, he is ambushed and beaten by Pappy and members of the Ku Klux Klan. Pappy brings Jamie to a barn where the Klan is preparing to kill Ronsel for fathering a child with a white woman. Jamie points a gun at his father in an effort to save his friend and is also beaten by the Klan. As Jamie is restrained, he is told to choose Ronsel's punishment for his crime — to lose his eyes, tongue or testicles; or death. Through the pain, Jamie whispers "tongue" and Ronsel's tongue is cut out. Ronsel is left bound and wounded for his family to find. Fed up, later that night, Jamie wakes Pappy who had previously belittled Jamie's war experience because he had not looked into the eyes of the people he killed during the war. Jamie looks Pappy in the eye and smothers him with a pillow. Laura lies to Henry that Pappy died in his sleep.
The following day, the Jacksons appear to be leaving with their meager belongings in the wagon when they pass Henry and Jamie who are struggling to bury Pappy. Hap accedes to Henry's request to help with the coffin and says a prayer over the grave. In a rebuke to Pappy's wickedness, Hap recites from the Book of Job, verses 14:2–12. Jamie approaches the Jacksons' wagon and gives the German woman's letter to Florence, asking her to give it to Ronsel.
Much later, Jamie moves to the city. Ronsel returns to Europe and reunites with his German lover and their son.

## Cast

* Carey Mulligan as Laura McAllan (née Chappell), wife of Henry
* Garrett Hedlund as Jamie McAllan, brother of Henry
* Jason Clarke as Henry McAllan, brother of Jamie
* Mary J. Blige as Florence Jackson, wife of Hap
* Rob Morgan as Hap Jackson
* Jason Mitchell as Ronsel Jackson, son of Hap
* Jonathan Banks as Pappy McAllan, father of Jamie and Henry
* Frankie Smith as Marlon Jackson
* Kennedy Derosin as Lilly May Jackson
* Elizabeth Windley as Amanda Leigh McAllan
* Piper Blaire as Isabelle McAllan
* Jason Kirkpatrick as Orris Stokes
* Kerry Cahill as Rose Tricklebank
* Oyeleke Oluwafolakanmi as Cleve
* Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Weeks
* Lucy Faust as Vera Atwood
* Dylan Arnold as Carl Atwood
* Samantha Hoefer as Resl
* Geraldine Singer as Mrs. Chappell
* Henry Frost as Teddy Chappell
* Claudio Laniado as Dr. Pearlman
* Charley Vance as Sheriff Thacker

## Production

Development on the film was announced on March 21, 2016, with Dee Rees engaged as director and Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Clarke and Jason Mitchell cast in roles. On May 25, Mary J. Blige was added to the cast. On May 31, Jonathan Banks and Rob Morgan were cast.

### Filming

Filming began in New Orleans, Louisiana, in May 2016. For the film's opening scene, artificial rain produced by rain towers was used, while actual rain was filmed for wide shots. Shooting took place over the course of 29 days, including two days in Budapest, Hungary, for scenes set during World War II.
The production was impacted by both heat and stormy weather. On one occasion, Rachel Morrison, the film's director of photography, developed sun poisoning. On another occasion, filming had to be postponed due to a nearby tornado warning. A scene between the characters Ronsel and Jamie that was initially planned to take place on the side of a road was altered due to rain, instead taking place inside Jamie's pickup truck.

#### Cinematography

Dee Rees asked Morrison to focus on "the idea of the American dream vs. the American reality," so Morrison turned to books by Farm Security Administration photographers for reference points regarding color and composition, in particular Dorothea Lange, Arthur Rothstein, Ben Shahn and Walker Evans. Another primary source for her was a Gordon Parks essay in Life magazine in the 1950s called "A Segregation Story" – regarding color that "felt period, but it didn't feel washed-out".
Morrison's term for the goal they tried to achieve is "subjective naturalism," which she describes as first of all, real, and then potentially dramatized with light at main plot points – but remaining real throughout. Through that reality, the focus was on the elements in the picture and not the period itself: "The period wasn't a character in this film. The mud was a character, the weather was a character, the house was a character ... we were trying to make more of a commentary about just how tough times were through experiences." A. O. Scott in the New York Times wrote of the result: "Rachel ... brings the soil, the flora and the weather to life in a way that emphasizes the archaic, elemental power of the story."

### Costume design

Michael T. Boyd served as the film's costume designer. Some of the clothing worn by the poorer characters in the film appears dated more to the 1930s, as opposed to the 1940s when the film takes place; this was an intentional decision meant to give the impression of clothes passed down between generations of people unable to afford newer ones. The military and pilot uniforms seen in the film were replicas of real uniforms.
For the scene in which Ronsel is ambushed by members of the Ku Klux Klan, Boyd utilized a mixture of outfits, with "the poorer men with the feed bag-looking hoods with the eyes cut out and tied with a string and others with the full Klan regalia. I don't think it would have been as powerful a scene if I would have had them all dress in white robes. It's somehow more real and intimate; this wasn't a parade or a burning-cross meeting for show but pure intimate violence and I think the mixture added texture to the event."

## Release

Following its 2017 Sundance Film Festival premiere, Mudbound had distribution offers from A24, Annapurna Pictures and Entertainment Studios. On January 29, 2017, Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film for $12.5 million in the largest deal made at Sundance that year. The film premiered on the streaming platform, as well as began a one-week theatrical release in New York City and Los Angeles, on November 17, 2017.

### Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 97% based on 199 reviews, with an average rating of 8.20/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Mudbound offers a well-acted, finely detailed snapshot of American history whose scenes of rural class struggle resonate far beyond their period setting." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100, based on 44 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, praising the cast and direction. Writing for Rolling Stone, Peter Travers also gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, praising Blige's performance and Rees' direction, saying: "The director and her cinematographer Rachel Morrison do wonders with the elements that batter the people of every race and social class in the Delta. But it's the storm raging inside these characters that rivets our attention and makes Mudbound a film that grabs you and won't let go."
In 2019, The A.V. Club named Mudbound on its list of the 100 best movies of the 2010s.

### Accolades

| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
| AACTA International Awards | January 6, 2018 | Best Supporting Actress | Mary J. Blige | Nominated | |
| AARP's Movies for Grownups Awards | February 5, 2018 | Best Ensemble | The cast of Mudbound | Nominated | |
| Academy Awards | March 4, 2018 | Best Supporting Actress | Mary J. Blige | Nominated | |
| Academy Awards | March 4, 2018 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Dee Rees and Virgil Williams | Nominated | |
| Academy Awards | March 4, 2018 | Best Cinematography | Rachel Morrison | Nominated | |
| Academy Awards | March 4, 2018 | Best Original Song | "Mighty River" – Mary J. Blige, Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 9, 2018 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Dee Rees and Virgil Williams | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 9, 2018 | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Mary J. Blige | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 9, 2018 | Best Ensemble Cast – Casting Director | Billy Hopkins and Ashley Ingram | Won | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 9, 2018 | Best Woman Director | Dee Rees | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 9, 2018 | Best Woman Screenwriter | Dee Rees and Virgil Williams | Nominated | |
| American Society of Cinematographers | February 17, 2018 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases | Rachel Morrison | Nominated | |
| Austin Film Critics Association | January 8, 2018 | Best Supporting Actress | Mary J. Blige | Nominated | |
| Austin Film Critics Association | January 8, 2018 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Dee Rees and Virgil Williams | Nominated | |
| Austin Film Critics Association | January 8, 2018 | Best Cinematography | Rachel Morrison | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 22, 2018 | Outstanding Film | Mudbound | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 22, 2018 | Outstanding Director | Dee Rees | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 22, 2018 | Outstanding Supporting Actor | Jason Mitchell | Won | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 22, 2018 | Outstanding Supporting Actress | Mary J. Blige | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 22, 2018 | Outstanding Screenplay | Virgil Williams and Dee Rees | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 22, 2018 | Outstanding Ensemble | Billy Hopkins and Ashley Ingram | Won | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 22, 2018 | Outstanding Original Song | "Mighty River" – Mary J. Blige, Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson | Won | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 22, 2018 | Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female | Mary J. Blige | Nominated | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 12, 2017 | Best Supporting Actor | Jason Mitchell | Nominated | [31] [32] |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 12, 2017 | Best Supporting Actress | Mary J. Blige | Nominated | [31] [32] |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 12, 2017 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Dee Rees and Virgil Williams | Nominated | [31] [32] |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 12, 2017 | Best Cinematography | Rachel Morrison | Nominated | [31] [32] |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | January 11, 2018 | Best Supporting Actress | Mary J. Blige | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | January 11, 2018 | Best Ensemble | The cast of Mudbound | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | January 11, 2018 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Dee Rees and Virgil Williams | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | January 11, 2018 | Best Cinematography | Rachel Morrison | Nominated | |
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | December 13, 2017 | Best Supporting Actress | Mary J. Blige | 3rd Place | |
| Detroit Film Critics Society | December 7, 2017 | Best Ensemble | The cast of Mudbound | Nominated | |
| Dorian Awards | February 24, 2018 | Supporting Film Performance of the Year – Actress | Mary J. Blige | Nominated | [36] [37] |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 23, 2017 | Best Supporting Actress | Mary J. Blige | Nominated | [38] [39] |
| Georgia Film Critics Association | January 12, 2018 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Dee Rees and Virgil Williams | Nominated | |
| Georgia Film Critics Association | January 12, 2018 | Best Cinematography | Rachel Morrison | Nominated | |
| Georgia Film Critics Association | January 12, 2018 | Best Original Song | "Mighty River" – Raphael Saadiq, Mary J. Blige and Taura Stinson | Nominated | |
| Georgia Film Critics Association | January 12, 2018 | Best Ensemble | The cast of Mudbound | Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards | January 7, 2018 | Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | Mary J. Blige | Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards | January 7, 2018 | Best Original Song | "Mighty River" – Raphael Saadiq, Mary J. Blige and Taura Stinson | Nominated | |
| Golden Tomato Awards | January 3, 2018 | Best Limited Release 2017 | Mudbound | 5th Place | |
| Golden Tomato Awards | January 3, 2018 | Best Drama Movie 2017 | Mudbound | 3rd Place | |
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | November 27, 2017 | Breakthrough Actor | Mary J. Blige | Nominated | |
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | November 27, 2017 | Special Jury Award – Ensemble Performance | The cast of Mudbound | Won | |
| Guild of Music Supervisors Awards | February 8, 2018 | Best Song/Recording Created for a Film | "Mighty River" | Nominated | |
| Hollywood Film Awards | November 5, 2017 | Hollywood Breakout Ensemble Award | The cast of Mudbound | Won | |
| Hollywood Film Awards | November 5, 2017 | Hollywood Breakout Actress Award | Mary J. Blige | Won | |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | November 16, 2017 | Original Score – Feature Film | Tamar-kali | Nominated | |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | November 16, 2017 | Original Song – Feature Film | "Mighty River" – Raphael Saadiq, Mary J. Blige and Taura Stinson | Nominated | |
| Humanitas Prize | February 16, 2018 | Feature – Drama | Dee Rees and Virgil Williams | Won | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | March 3, 2018 | Robert Altman Award | Dee Rees, Billy Hopkins, Ashley Ingram, Jonathan Banks, Mary J. Blige, Jason Clarke, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, Rob Morgan and Carey Mulligan | Won | |
| IndieWire Honors | November 2, 2017 | Breakthrough Performance | Mary J. Blige | Won | |
| Location Managers Guild Awards | April 7, 2017 | Outstanding Locations in Period Film | Wise Wolfe, Imre Legman | Nominated | |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | January 13, 2018 | Best Supporting Actress | Mary J. Blige | Runner-up | |
| New York Film Critics Circle | January 3, 2018 | Best Cinematographer | Rachel Morrison | Won | |
| New York Film Critics Online | December 10, 2017 | Best Picture | Mudbound | Won | |
| New York Film Critics Online | December 10, 2017 | Best Director | Dee Rees | Won | |
| New York Film Critics Online | December 10, 2017 | Best Ensemble Cast | The cast of Mudbound | Won | |
| New York Film Critics Online | December 10, 2017 | Top Ten Films | Mudbound | Won | |
| Online Film Critics Society | December 28, 2017 | Best Supporting Actress | Mary J. Blige | Nominated | [54] [55] |
| Online Film Critics Society | December 28, 2017 | Best Cinematography | Rachel Morrison | Nominated | [54] [55] |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | December 11, 2017 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Dee Rees and Virgil Williams | Runner-up | [56] [57] |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | December 11, 2017 | Best Ensemble | The cast of Mudbound | Won | [56] [57] |
| San Francisco Film Critics Circle | December 10, 2017 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Dee Rees and Virgil Williams | Nominated | |
| Santa Barbara International Film Festival | January 31, 2018 | Virtuoso Award | Mary J. Blige | Won | |
| Satellite Awards | February 10, 2018 | Best Film | Mudbound | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | February 10, 2018 | Best Director | Dee Rees | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | February 10, 2018 | Best Supporting Actress | Mary J. Blige | Nominated | |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | January 21, 2018 | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | The cast of Mudbound | Nominated | |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | January 21, 2018 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role | Mary J. Blige | Nominated | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 17, 2017 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Dee Rees and Virgil Williams | Nominated | [62] [63] |
| USC Scripter Awards | February 10, 2018 | Best Screenplay | Dee Rees, Virgil Williams and Hillary Jordan | Nominated | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | December 8, 2017 | Best Director | Dee Rees | Nominated | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | December 8, 2017 | Best Supporting Actor | Jason Mitchell | Nominated | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | December 8, 2017 | Best Supporting Actress | Mary J. Blige | Nominated | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | December 8, 2017 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Dee Rees and Virgil Williams | Won | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | December 8, 2017 | Best Cinematography | Rachel Morrison | Nominated | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | December 8, 2017 | Best Acting Ensemble | The cast of Mudbound | Nominated | |
| Women Film Critics Circle | December 17, 2017 | Best Movie by a Woman | Mudbound | Nominated | [66] [67] |
| Women Film Critics Circle | December 17, 2017 | Best Woman Storyteller | Dee Rees | Nominated | [66] [67] |
| Women Film Critics Circle | December 17, 2017 | Josephine Baker Award | Mudbound | Won | [66] [67] |
| Women Film Critics Circle | December 17, 2017 | Karen Morley Award | Mudbound | Nominated | [66] [67] |
| Women Film Critics Circle | December 17, 2017 | Courage in Filmmaking | Dee Rees | Won | [66] [67] |
| Writers Guild of America Awards | February 11, 2018 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Dee Rees and Virgil Williams | Nominated | |
* ↑ Tied with The Post.
* ↑ Tied with The Florida Project.