Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Starring Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo
Directed by George C. Wolfe

The visionary playwright August Wilson was known as the "theater's poet of Black America," and there's no surprise why.  His exemplary work has centered on the injustices African Americans have faced, but also offers hope and a future for them, as well as offering seemingly mundane looks into ordinary lives of African Americans throughout history, in a ten-piece work known collectively as the "Century Cycle."   His work has recently received the big-screen treatment in 2016's "Fences," directed by Denzel Washington and starring Washington and Viola Davis, which earned four Oscar nominations including Best Picture, and a win for Davis for Best Supporting Actress.  Washington has recently inked a deal where he'll produce the remaining Wilson plays for the big and small screen, and "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" is the first of those films.  If this film and "Fences" are any indications, we're going to be witnessing some fantastic work in the coming years.

Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) is known as the Mother of Blues, and during the 1920s no one's personality was bigger than hers, except for maybe her trumpeter Levee Green (Chadwick Boseman), who wants to branch off and make a career for himself, to the chagrin of Ma's fellow band members, especially band leader and trombone player Cutler (Colman Domingo).  Ma's agent got them a recording session in Chicago, and while the band members await Ma's late arrival, they rehearse in the dingy basement and have some deep conversations that culminate in emotional climaxes, honest truths, deceitful lies, and a clash of egos - and then Ma finally arrives, which sets off the entire powder keg.

Much like other plays set to the big screen, the film almost entirely takes place within the confines of two rooms - the recording studio and the basement practice room.  There's nothing flashy going on here in the backdrop, except for the lavish 1920s Chicago skyline before they enter the building.  The basement is drab, much like something you'd find in horror movies like "Saw" - nearly windowless, dark walls, dim lighting.  This sets the scene perfectly for the vocal horrors that will occur in the film, moments that strike the heart much more powerfully than a supernatural serial killer with a knife. 

As the men await Ma's arrival, they discuss varying topics and life situations, with Levee commanding most of the conversation as he flashes off his new shoes, his smug swag, and snake-oil salesman suave.  There's a discussion about race, and Levee unleashes a tirade about how he remembered seeing his father lynched as a boy, and the trauma it caused his mother.  This is just the start of the incoming avalanche that threatens to trap everyone in a never-ending sea of darkness and cold, an event that bubbles and brews throughout the film until it finally reaches its zenith.

A film of this caliber rises or falls on the strength of its actors, as the script is incredibly solid, sound, and above reproach.  Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman reunite after their work on "Get On Up" to provide the two dueling voices for the film, and the result is nothing short of spell-binding magic, made all the more tragic due to the sudden and unfortunately too-soon passing of Boseman, as this serves as his final film.  It's somewhat darkly fitting for this to be his eternal swan song, as it was produced by Denzel Washington, who had mentored Boseman from the start, providing him the tuition he needed to go to the British Academy of Dramatic Acting at Oxford.  In essence, Boseman's career began and ended with Washington.

Viola Davis returns to another August Wilson-written film, playing the titular songstress Ma Rainey, who in real life was known as the Mother of Blues.  While the film was named after her most famous song, Davis totally encapsulates the essence of Ma Rainey in her mannerisms, her diva-like behavior, and her underlying motives for being such an uppity, abrasive person - she knows that she's only needed for her voice, and without it she would've been treated as less than dirt simply due to the color of her skin, so she relishes in making the white man work for it.  As always, Davis commands the screen with her larger-than-life presence, and much like with "Fences," the role of the lead star is overshadowed by the supporting character.

In "Fences" the supporting character was Davis, who overshadowed Washington's lead role and earned her an Academy Award for her tremendous efforts.  Now, Davis herself is overshadowed by Chadwick Boseman, who needs - absolutely needs - to be honored with all the awards this year.  Not only was this his final performance, but it was one of the most powerful, jaw-dropping performances I've seen in a long time.  Chadwick Boseman was truly an amazing actor and person, performing right to the very end of his cancer diagnosis and never complained or demanded special treatment for himself (in fact, no one on set even knew he had cancer, as director George C. Wolfe even admitted, thinking Boseman's leaner stature was due to him wanting to do different roles apart from "Black Panther"). 

Boseman plays Levee as the perfect egotistical wannabe superstar wanting to step out of the shadows and into his own limelight, a role that's the total opposite of how Boseman himself lived.  Levee was a charmer and charlatan, who felt like he was bigger than he was, and didn't care who knew it, but even this only scratched the surface.  In a truly chilling moment, we witness why Levee is the way he is when he tells the other band members about how his father was lynched when he was a child, and the trauma his mother went through afterward, and had the mental (and physical) scars to prove it.  This scene alone is Oscar-worthy...but then...

Then there's the final scene, where Colman Domingo's Cutler is talking about his religion as Levee is sitting on the stairs outside the room.  Seemingly quiet and docile, Levee erupts into the room unleashing a vocal tirade about religion, the presence of God, and why if there was a God He would allow bad things to happen to good people.  The speech itself is profound and shattering, but all the moreso having it delivered by Boseman, who more than likely knew that he wouldn't be alive much longer.  The power, the emotion, the pure raw feeling that he emotes when he delivers this speech is bone-chilling, jaw-dropping, and thoroughly unforgettable.  If he used his mortal fears in the speech we'll never rightfully know, but suffice it to say the words Boseman spoke through Levee could've been Boseman's own fears and worries coming to light as he struggles and screams at a seemingly invisible God. 

Proving himself to be a true class act until the very end, Chadwick Boseman's final film "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" showcases his undeniable acting power and leaves us with one of his most captivating roles, and serves as a bittersweet moment in the fact that we'll never see a performance from this caliber of actor again.

The Score: A+