RUSTIN – Review

Dr. Martin Luther King gave his famous “I have a dream” speech at the landmark 1963 March on Washington, but that momentous event was organized, and even was conceived, by another Civil Rights figure who is far less well-known: Bayard Rustin. The reason why you may not know Bayard Rustin is that in addition to being a fiery Civil Right organizer he was also a gay Black man, in an earlier homophobic time when even hinting someone was gay could unleashed a firestorm that might end a career, or a movement, or even led to arrest.

Although Rustin was powerhouse in the fight for Black rights but he was rarely in the media spotlight, partly for that very reason and also because of his willingness to challenge the status quo while firmly committed to non-violence. While Rustin’s sexual orientation was known to friends and close colleagues, in that different era, being fully out was extremely risky in many ways.

In director George C. Wolfe’s excellent historic drama RUSTIN, Colman Domingo plays Bayard Rustin in RUSTIN, in an inspiring biopic built around this lesser-known yet significant Civil Rights figure and his organizing of the famous March on Washington. Even then, Rustin received little recognition or credit outside the inner circle of Civil Rights leaders and Black elected officials, due to the stigma of even might associated with a gay person.

It is long past time when Bayard Rustin’s story should have been told, and RUSTIN does a fine job of spotlighting this remarkable, brave man.

The film starts with Bayard Rustin (Domingo) brainstorming the idea the march at a party of fellow Civil Rights activist friends. Rustin had been an assistant as well as a close friend of Martin Luther King (Ami Ameen) but rumors of a gay relationship between the friends, which did not exist, had caused them to part ways. As the idea of a massive march on Washington calling for Civil Rights grew, Rustin found himself reaching out to other Civil Rights leaders, including King, to bring everyone to together for the landmark event.

RUSTIN takes us behind the scenes as the march is organized, and reveals the kind of jockeying for position and credit that took place. Some liked the idea of the massive march, others opposed it, arguing that if it failed to draw the numbers Rustin was predicting, it would harm the movement. There were other issues at work, such as Rustin’s past links to leftist politics and differing ideas about the movement itself. And then there were the personality clashes, as the big-personality Rustin did rub some the wrong way.

There are a number of famous Civil Rights figures portrayed in this film played by some stars, including Chris Rock as NAACP leader Roy Wilkins,and Jeffrey Wright as U.S. Representative Adam Clayton Powell Jr., while Ami Ameen plays MLK. CCH Pounder as political activist and educator Dr. Anna Hedgeman and Audra McDonald plays organizer and co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) which was headed by MLK. The film also spotlights the critical role these women and other women played in organizing the march and in the Civil Right movement, for which they have been underappreciated.

The drama is taut and snappy, unfolding briskly, while offering a look behind to scenes of this moment in history. All the acting is superb but Colman Domingo carries the greatest load as the title character, and he does not once falter in portraying this remarkable man.

RUSTIN is an inspiring, enjoyable and enlightening film about the unjustly-overlooked Bayard Rustin, a giant of a figure in the Civil Rights era, as well as a fascinating look behind the scenes of this famous event. It is also a showcase for the wonderful Colman Domingo, who seems sure to garner awards nominations for his work in this excellent biopic, as is the film itself.

RUSTIN is available streaming on Netflix starting Friday, Nov. 17.

RATING: 4 out of 4 stars