The United States Vs. Billie Holiday

Movie: The United States Vs. Billie Holiday
Nominated for: Actress in a Leading Role
How I watched: Hulu
When I fell asleep: No
When it had me: Whenever Billie's greatest hits were on
When it lost me: Lots
What I have to say: 

First off: a disclaimer. This film suffered the consequences of my fractured life. I watched it in four different chunks over a couple of weeks; not exactly optimal viewing.

I liked the music. I've been a fan of Billie Holiday since college. There's a quality about her music that cuts through and just evokes a sad serenity in you when she is singing, even when it feels like the silliest of songs. The movie made me see what that quality was; a bare and stripped down soul. That woman was traumatized her entire life; abused, assaulted, devalued, imprisoned, dehumanized, harassed, used and harmed by too many people to count. When she sang, whatever she sang, you somehow heard all that pain along side the tiny little piece of her soul that she saved for herself. I'm glad the movie helped me to understand her better, and it was also torture watching it all happen.

The movie struggled to find a rhythm, to find a style, to find itself. Andra Day was great in this film and I learned a lot about her life but it otherwise felt very clumsy. 

Side note: I was surprised to see Simone Sheffield as one of the Executive Producers on the film. She Produced on the very first movie I worked on when I moved to L.A. and she was one of the most viciously abusive people I ever came into contact with in Hollywood. I sure hope for everyone involved that she got nicer over the years!