Son of the South (2020)

 ☆ ☆ ☆

Son of the South (2020) – B. A. Brown

An important film, in that any film about the Civil Rights era and the courage of those who stood up for social justice is important, providing a valuable reminder and lesson for people today. However, I do wonder whether this message still needs to be carried via a white protagonist – shouldn’t a film about the black struggle for respect feature black actors in the central roles? That said, this is a story drawn from Bob Zellner’s autobiography and is specifically about his experience as a white southerner from Alabama who became an important ally for the cause, as a founding member of SNCC (the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee). And to the extent that white audiences still require a white identification figure, perhaps Bob (Lucas Till) can still help draw in some who wouldn’t otherwise watch a black film (I suspect though that those resistant to this message won’t be watching anyway). Brian Dennehy adds his star power (in one of his final roles) as Bob’s grandfather, a member of the KKK.  Potentially true to reality, Bob is portrayed as naïve but earnest, an observer of the bus boycott, freedom ride, and other key events that are really organised by Rosa Parks (Sharonne Lanier), John Lewis (Dexter Darden) and other black leaders played by Lex Scott Davis, Cedric the Entertainer, Chaka Forman, and Shamier Anderson. Much of the movie was filmed in Montgomery, Alabama, and notably my uncle Timothy Lennox has a small speaking part as a reporter interviewing freedom ride participants. The film is very watchable but I felt it had one false note near the end, when Bob wins another moral victory against a racist acquaintance from college (who I thought folded far too easily when challenged). Definitely worth seeing for its spotlight on this crucial period in American history (and lessons that sadly seem relevant even today).