Shadows on the Wall

Devotion

dir JD Dillard
scr Jake Crane, Jonathan Stewart
prd Thad Luckinbill, Trent Luckinbill, Molly Smith, Rachel Smith
with Jonathan Majors, Glen Powell, Christina Jackson, Thomas Sadoski, Daren Kagasoff, Joe Jonas, Spencer Neville, Nick Hargrove, Serinda Swan, Boone Platt, Dean Denton, Thad Luckinbill
release US 23.Nov.22
22/US STX 2h19

TORONTO FILM FEST

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A powerful true story is recounted with very little drama by director JD Dillard. It's a missed opportunity to expand on both resonant story beats and timely themes, but at least the three central actors create vivid, engaging characters who draw out some deeper meaning along the way. Even so, the audience needs to work to unearth it amid the lacklustre pace, murky photography and slack editing.

In 1950 Rhode Island, pilots Jesse (Majors) and Tom (Powell) are being prepared to face the Russian menace. After a lifetime fighting discrimination, proving himself as a very rare Black pilot, Jesse is reluctant to open up to Tom, preferring the quiet comfort of his marriage to Daisy (Jackson) and their young daughter. But Tom persistently pursues a friendship, and they bond as they're deployed to Europe, and then to the Korean conflict. Sent into aerial combat, their missions are fraught with peril, leading to a harrowing situation behind enemy lines that tests their loyalty.

While underlying issues are important, and addressed with a refreshing honesty that's never strident, the filmmaking relies on a simpler, more sentimental approach. Despite a strong ensemble of actors, side characters are never developed, remaining little more than placeholders to provide a general sense of military camaraderie. This leaves a couple of subplots feeling both distracting and irrelevant. Although there are a couple of enjoyable sideroads, such as an encounter with Elizabeth Taylor (Swan) in Cannes.

Majors is particularly strong as the determined Jesse, who tenaciously works to overcome enormous obstacles. The years of struggle ripple through his expressions, as does the deep joy he feels with his family and, ultimately, in his friendship with Tom. Powell has a quiet steeliness in this role, honest and earnest, and never syrupy about it. And Jackson has a vivid presence as a woman who is central to the narrative, providing the punchiest lines along the way. The fellow pilots and officers are nicely played but stay in the background.

There are several potent but subtle comments woven into this fact-based story, which celebrates the tenacity of people who triumph against systemic prejudice. And the film is an important take on a forgotten chapter of Black history. In its devoted friendship, the film also carries a satisfying emotional kick. But because Dillard opts for such an earnest, reverent approach, the film becomes an oddly static portrait rather than a living, breathing adventure that pulls us in and takes us somewhere memorable.

themes, language, violence 2.Dec.22

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