The Netflix movie Rustin retells how black and gay civil rights leader Rustin Bayard (played by Colman Domingo) helped organize the March on Washington.
Domingo makes this movie in an electrified and erudite performance; a brave man who was committed to peaceful protest despite the odds and wanted to live his truth. Heck, the majority of the cast is strong, including some known faces.
What unfolds is an interesting look at the behinds-the-scenes of everything it took to make the massive march come to fruition.
Though the film mostly focuses on the organizational aspects of the civil rights movement, it reminds the viewers of the injustices done to African Americans through a few well-placed brief snippets.
Naturally, the film is also about Bayard being both black and gay in 1960's America. Credit must be given to the creators for being honestly cynical about achieving political goals as it focuses on how Bayard's homosexuality was an issue for certain NAACPT members or a weak spot for the movement for more pragmatic members. He's arguably one of the less advertised African American rights activists because of his sexual orientation, and the movie shows the ultimate sadness of a man dedicated toward good but forced to muzzle himself due to his gayness.
Though the movie wasn't that long, it still could've been shortened. Some scenes just feel like padding or a little dry. Most of the writing flows well, but there is one scene involving an anti-war group where a character's dialogue felt really unnatural and expositioney. (I get the feeling that some scenes for that subplot were cut down and maybe the dialogue would've felt more natural if we had more context.)
Recommended. This is a well told film with an excellent lead performance.
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