Films based on true historical events have existed since the dawn of cinema and every year, more and more are pushed out in a hope of recreating the past. Ultimately, that is their goal. However, some over-romanticize (Titanic), some over-fantasize (300) and others just underwhelm massively (Pearl Harbour). But amongst the debris, there is a film that hit me from the first time I saw it late one night in a chilly January. The film was Gary Ross’ 2016 feature Free State of Jones, that captured surprisingly well the grittiest aspects of rebellion, set to the backdrop of the American Civil War.
Free State of Jones charts the true story of the rebellion in Mississippi against the Confederate Army by a small band of deserted soldiers, local farmers and runaway slaves in an attempt to create a new state – the Free State of Jones, unsurprisingly – free from government or military intervention or harassment. It is a harrowing portrayal of the brutalities of man, displaying the gruelling realities of war, the hypocrisy of racism and the difficulties of life during the time. There is no glamorised, over-romanticized, over-fantasised or underwhelming storytelling here: only the harsh truth about hard times. That is what gives Free State of Jones the authenticity it needs to carry a compelling story.
When I say Matthew McConaughey, what do you think of? Maybe it’s ‘alright, alright, alright’. Maybe it would be his part as a stripper in Magic Mike. Maybe a multitude of romantic comedies. You probably wouldn’t think of him as the leader of the rebellion, real-life folk hero Newton Knight. Recently, McConaughey has delivered some fantastic roles, helping him break away from his romcom past and into what is now called the ‘McConaissance’. Films like Dallas Buyers Club, Gold, White Boy Rick and Interstellar have helped him lose his Playboy image and make people take him seriously as an actor, and Free State of Jones is no different. McConaughey plays the part with such genuine effectiveness that he embodies Newton Knight. There’s no romcom Matthew here, just an actor proving to the world his versatility as a performer. McConaughey, despite the media rhetoric and his past image, truly blossomed as an actor in Dallas Buyers Club and this film proves his increasing ability to perform serious roles.
Aesthetically, Free State of Jones looks almost how you would imagine it to: it is grey and miserable, with gloomy tones set over the entirety of the film to portray the difficulty of the era. The land often looks barren, dead, and even the lusciously overgrown swampland where the rebels hide lacks lively greens – even the browns look depressed. But it helps overall to serve the tone of the film – one of hardship and humanity. Bravery in the face of adversity. It also means the film looks realistic. Director Gary Ross and cinematographer Benoît Delhomme haven’t chosen to glamorise the history like so many – Baz Luhrmann, I’m looking at you – choose to do. Yet, it is beautiful in its own depressing way. It also allows the characters to really pop off of the screen and hold your attention, the setting not detracting from the story but becoming a background character itself.
This is not to say that there aren’t any faults. Much of the film is without music, with only the noise of crickets and frogs accompanying the dialogue which can sometimes make scenes feel a little empty, yet it contradicts itself because the scenes become so much more meaningful without a background jingle. When music does feature, Nicholas Brittel’s score can be both tension-creating and deeply moving, often at the same time. And the use of silence in places can be effective in building pressure, although the film can seem a little too quiet at times.
The biggest issue I have with Free State of Jones is the sub-plot running throughout the story. It tells of Newton Knight’s great-grandson facing a courtroom because – as Knight had a child with an ex-slave – he is the descendant of a slave. Set in 1948, it tells of the same sort of racism almost one hundred years after the events of the rebellion, but it honestly just slows the pace of the film down. The film is not lurching forward dramatically anyway, but it ruins the pace it does have. It also becomes annoying when you are being deeply moved by the main storyline and suddenly you cut to a moment of sheer, pointless politics. Obviously, politics is at the root of Free State of Jones, but the message could have been portrayed just as easily without the courtroom scenes. It almost makes the film seem like it doesn’t quite know what it wants to be – an epic historical-drama, or a courtroom “thriller” that tends to thrill less, bore more.
Free State of Jones did not fare well at the box office, to say the least. With a production budget of $50 million, it grossed only half of that in box offices and was not received well by the critics. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone Magazine claims the film ‘bores away at you till your reactions are dulled’. I can understand why boredom could be an adjective of description, given the fact that 2016 was filled with excitement-inducing movies such as La La Land and animated comedies Moana and Finding Dory. In 2016, there were six comic-book-based films alone. But Free State of Jones is still harrowing in its insight, and doesn’t rely on expensive computer graphics and bright colours to tell a riveting story.
Despite it’s slow-burning pace, lack of vivid colour and no pumped-up music in sight, I believe Free State of Jones gives us a disturbing look at the reality of life in the 1860s. Featuring a fantastic performance from Matthew McConaughey, it is distressing, intriguing and thought-provoking and the message of the story remains as abundantly clear as ever, even over 150 years on. Free State of Jones is not a nice film, but it is an important one.
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