The United States vs Billie Holiday

 

The United States vs Billie Holiday is a biography of jazz singer Billie Holiday. It covers roughly a 20 year period of her life where she was hounded, harassed and even sometimes set up by the Federal Department of Narcotics, because she continued to perform her protest song, Strange Fruit.

Set in the 1940s, the hair, makeup and costumes were beautiful. The ascetics along with the set were perfectly matched for the era.

I didn’t know a lot about Billie Holiday before watching this movie, so I found her story to be very interesting. Her struggle with addiction was heartbreaking. She was such a beautiful talent but lived a hard life, full of abuse and dependence on unhealthy vices which included men, drugs and alcohol.

I realized quite quickly how this movie still had so much relevance to this day. The war on drugs within the Black and Brown communities never ended and it was never really about the drugs, it was about putting minorities in their place, so I wasn’t surprised to find the parallels, as to the lengths that government would take, to stop a woman from just signing a song.

My only critique is that there were gaps in the story that I wish could have been filled better. I would have liked to know more about Billie’s early childhood, which was only briefly touched upon. I also would have liked an even deeper and clearer dive into her relationships, especially the one she had with Tallulah Bankhead played by Natasha Lyonne.

As far as casting was concerned I could not imagine anyone playing Billie Holiday better than Andra Day. She completely transformed down to the voice of this iconic woman. For her first attempt at acting, Andra was incredible. She took the helm of this ship and soared with it. She gave me so much range and emotion. I really connected to her character. She deserves all of the accolades that she is receiving. One of her love interests and leads was Trevante Rhodes, who shot to fame after the Oscar nominated Moonlight. He gave me a bit of the same as Jimmy Fletcher. I still, however, liked what he did as the even keel guy, facing a moral dilemma, harboring secrets but with all of the flaws within him and Billie, he was still devoted to her.

The United States vs Billie Holiday is a wonderfully made biopic that is sadly still so significant over 80 years later. It does a fantastic job showcasing the complexities of a powerful Black woman who with all her faults is still trying to be a force for change in the face of injustices pressed upon her and her community.