A review of the new Netflix bio-pic “Rustin”
I confess that, prior to the release of this Netflix movie, I had never heard of American political activist Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) who – as set out in the film – played a key role in the organisation of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was a formidable organisational feat: in less than three months, publicity, transport, policing, food, toilets, loudspeakers, were put together for an event attended by an estimated 250,000 when Martin Luther King made his “I have a dream” speech.
So why have so few people heard of Rustin and why did it take until 2013 for Barack Obama (who, together with Michelle, was a producer on the movie) to award Rustin posthumously the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
The film is clear that Rustin faced so much opposition at the time to his involvement in the march and so little subsequent recognition for his superlative efforts because he was gay, openly and sometimes flamboyantly so.
Some of my American friends, who were very familiar with Rustin’s role in the civil rights movement, have criticised the film for overdoing his homosexuality and underplaying his radical political thinking. The film features a host of real-life characters and some of the disagreements between them that might make it difficult for some viewers wholly to engage with the narrative.
So the movie has its weaknesses, but overall director George C. Wolfe and writers Julian Breece and Dustin Lance Black have done a commendable job in bringing this neglected story to a wide audience in an entertainment format.
As the eponymous activist, Colman Domingo is exceptional in bringing to life a colourful and complex individual. In the support roles, mention should be made of Chris Rock – normally seen as a comedian – in the unsympathetic role of leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) who made plain his doubts about Rustin’s suitability for the organising role.