Son of the South

The fight for equality isn't over, and this story is as relevant today...

A movie that misses the point of what the civil rights movement was about.

Executive produced by Spike Lee, Barry Alexander Brown's drama features fine performances across the board, and a vivid evocation of a tumultuous period.

Accepted on its terms, the film does a reasonably absorbing job of dramatizing how Zellner's convictions strengthened, pulling him away from the security of inaction.

Delivers its point that the fight against racism is one that should be fought across all barriers and by all people.

This by-the-numbers biopic proves both earnestly well-intentioned and blandly formulaic.

The film plays out as a fine, if unremarkable period drama...the direction gets a little ham-fisted in spots but otherwise paints a convincing picture of Zellner's journey from privileged white boy to defiant man of principle.

Son of the South does at least arrive with some endorsement and an assurance this won't be another Green Book-style embarrassment.

While this is in no way a knock you out of your seat type film, it is an eye opening one with a story concerned with race relations and social justice.

There is nothing particularly new about its narrative or flashy in its production, but it tells its story well and conveys its importance without being moralistic.