Civil rights activist Ann Atwater faces off against C.P. Ellis, Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan, in 1971 Durham, North Carolina over the issue of school integration.
Based on a true story, director Robin Bissell (producer of “The Hunger Games,” “Seabiscuit,” “Free State of Jones”) has used his skills to shed light on the successful platform of community resolution. Based on the book ‘The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South’ by Osha Gray Davidson, this film brings the impact of racial division to the attention of an entire nation.
As the film opens in 1971, local Durham, North Carolina community activist Ann Atwater (Taraji P. Henson) is rounding up the local black community in order to represent their housing issues at the City Council meeting. Ann is adamant that she gets a fair opportunity to speak and relentlessly makes her point known to the members of the all-white council prior to the start of the meeting. With just as much energy and enthusiasm, Councilman Carvie Oldham (Bruce McGill), is putting together his team which involves the local KKK Exalted Cyclops leader C.P. Ellis (Sam Rockwell), who is wholeheartedly backed by the entire council as well as the majority of white citizens of Durham. As the meeting gets underway, the council makes good on their promise to Ms. Atwater, but her speaking time is shortened as the council’s plan to give the housing provider more time to fix the problems that continue to pile up is immediately revealed. Ms. Atwater, never one to back down, reassures her community that they have to continue to fight the system in order to get what they want.
The bulk of the film’s plot starts to take place when within days after the meeting, the local school that Ann Atwater’s daughter attends catches fire, and an even bigger storm begins to brew as the local community refuses to allow the black students of the school to attend the white schools while the school is under repair. When the NAACP steps in and orders immediate integration, the town gets into a major race-dominated uproar and a well-known mediator from Raleigh, Bill Riddick (Babou Ceesay) is called in to bring the community together to solve its problems. Bill Riddick, who happens to be black as well, is not sure that his “Charrette” approach will work in Durham, however, he is willing to try to make a difference. When Ann Atwater and C.P. Ellis are called upon to represent their citizens and work together, the hate of generations and misinformation of years gone by rears its ugly head as the representatives make futile attempts to come to a reconciliation without sacrifice. Bill Riddick remains stoic and uncompromising with the perpetrated enemies as he realizes progress is being made in spite of the chaos. In spite of the town’s utter disapproval with the process, little by little, Riddick’s “Charrette” is tearing down walls, breaking barriers and changing hearts. In the end, through falling apart, an entire community realizes they must make individual sacrifices in order for the entire group to come together.
Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell are outstanding in their roles as strong leaders who are determined to represent their groups well with no intention of surrender. The supporting cast is a tremendous asset, that makes every crucial moment vital to the outcome of community reconciliation that breaks down one barrier after another. The film, as a whole, brings to light how hard work and intense willingness can break down stereotypes which lead to radical change. While there are many tense moments, the humor and heartwarming backlash make for an interesting and well-delivered testimony of what can happen when diverse groups come together with the realization that everyone is human and all have the capacity to become change agents of community prosperity.
In theaters Friday, April 5th
