Movie #1900 "Best of Enemies" --- HBO on demand (might be on dvd at the library) --- missed this one when it came out in the movie theatre so when I saw it on HBO demand, we decided to watch it. When I saw the trailer and saw the idea that a Klansman (C.P. Ellis) and a Black civil rights activist (Ann Atwater) had to work together to deal with integrating schools in North Carolina in the 70s, and that it was a true story, the idea intrigued me --- esp. in the divisive times we live in now. I wanted to see how two polar opposites could even sit at the same table and discuss any issue . But they did, and it is an amazing story of two very strong willed people, played by Sam Rockwell and Taraji P. Henson. The film is a talkie, for sure --- and what some people may consider a bit "dry," but it was a choice the director made to make sure the subject was not Hollywoodized at all --- It basically presents the actual story, and I was so interested in how it played out, that it makes me want to seek out another source on the subject --- it's been done in book, play and documentary form, as well. And the woman was interviewed on NPR shortly after her "friend/enemy" died, and she spoke how they remained friends until his death. I would give this 4 out of 5 for those having cabin fever like us and are ready to see an inspiring true story.
"BEST OF ENEMIES" 2019 PG-13 2 hours and 13 mins
A timely drama that centers on an unlikely relationship between Ann Atwater, an outspoken civil rights activist, and C.P. Ellis, a local Ku Klux Klan leader who reluctantly co-chaired a community summit, battling over the desegregation of schools in Durham, North Carolina during the racially-charged summer of 1971. The incredible events that unfolded would change Durham and the lives of Atwater and Ellis forever.
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