THE BEST OF ENEMIES

US, 2019, 133 minutes, Colour.

Taraji P.Henson, Sam Rockwell, Babou Ceesay, Anne Heche, Wes Bentley, Nick Searcy, Bruce McGill, John Gallagher Jr, Nicholas Logan.

Directed by Robin Bissell.

Here is a film that is little-known, little seen, but repays viewing. Title has the comic, ironic touch, and that is true. However, there is so much more to the film than an ironic title.

The action in The Best of Enemies takes place almost 50 years earlier, Durham, North Carolina, 1971. Which indicates, correctly, that this will be a film about racism and civil rights. While Martin Luther King has made his mark during his life and in his death, there are still issues in ourselves, especially about segregation and school integration.

We are introduced to the two central characters, the two competence. Tarajji P Henson plays and Atwater, a middle-aged organiser amongst the African-American community. She is strong-minded, and strong in action. On the other hand, there is C.P.Ellis, played by Sam Rockwell, a garage mechanic, but head of the local Ku Klux Klan. Potential enemies, certainly.

This is a film that can be watched by any audience. There are some scenes of racial menace, three members of the clan immediately after a meeting getting their guns and firing into a house to intimidate a white activist, the organising of the local police to close down on technicalities a business run by Vietnam veteran who employs black managers, a sense of menace, sexual, again on a white activist. However, these are in context and, by and large, it is the resolving of the racial tension in Durham that is the major focus of the film.

When part of the school for Blacks burns, the issue is whether the black students will go to white schools. A judge is appointed to mediate and is advised to set up a charrette.

[Some time out to understand the meaning of charrette, the word unfamiliar to this reviewer:

from Wikipedia: The word charrette may refer to any collaborative session in which a group of designers draft a solution to a design problem.

While the structure of a charrette varies, depending on the design problem and the individuals in the group, charrettes often take place in multiple sessions in which the group divides into sub-groups. Each sub-group then presents its work to the full group as material for further dialogue. Such charrettes serve as a way of quickly generating a design solution while integrating the aptitudes and interests of a diverse group of people. The general idea of a charrette is to create an innovative atmosphere in which a diverse group of stakeholders can collaborate to "generate visions for the future".]

A charrette seems quite unlikely for Durham, North Carolina, 1971, especially when the mediator, an African-American educator from Riley, nominates Ann and CP as monitors of the charrette.

Needless to say, this provides quite some drama, during the meetings and outside the meetings, especially with CP’s visit to his institutionalised Down Syndrome son and domestic scenes with his wife, and hate, as well as Klan meetings, and the pressure put on them by the local city authorities. And, on the African-American side, intensity of discussion, protests.

The charrette reminds us of the Truth and Reconciliation work in South Africa after the end of apartheid. Seemingly impossible, getting two sides to meet, talk and listen (no easy task, no quick solution), formulate lines of action. In this film, it is CP who has the final casting vote for a significant abolition of education segregation.

As with films based on true stories, the two characters appear during the final credits, the real And, the real CP and the extraordinary career they had together working to breakdown prejudice and racism.

1. American racism, the southern states, North Carolina, hostility and hatred, the Civil Rights Movement, the challenges in the 1960s and 1970s? Possibilities for reconciliation?
2. The changes in the United States from the 1960s to the early 21^st century? Continuing racism? Changes, acceptance, integration?
3. The background of the Civil Rights movement taken for granted? References to Martin Luther King? School integration? The white citizens of Durham, North Carolina, racism and bigotry, overt hostility, superiority? The black citizens, subjected to racism, lack of opportunities? Militancy on both sides?
4. The Ku Klux Klan, the meeting, the motto, white males, the desire for one nation, the pledge against communism, integration and mongrolism? CP Ellis as the leader in the town, his status, support? The aftermath of the meeting, getting the guns, tracking the white woman, shooting into her house? Intimidation? And all in the name of principles and God?
5. Ann Atwater, an organiser, strong-minded, meetings, defiance, support, her daughter and school?
6. Education, no integration, the burning of the black school, the rescue, the dilemmas, lack of facilities, joining facilities? The hostility of the white citizens?
7. The white men, led by the chairman, initially seeming peaceful, listening to Ann Atwater, but ensuring the stacking of the meeting, working behind the scenes, chairing the meetings, the decisions against the black citizens? The other white members, the bigoted teacher, the officials of the town?
8. The education situation, the judge, the hearings, Riddick, coming from Raleigh, the suggestion about the charette, the judge accepting this?
9. The personal touch with CP Ellis, at home, his daughter, his wife? Going to the psychiatric ward, his son with Down Syndrome, his care? Ann seeing him there? The human touch?
10. The setting up of the charrettes, legal expectations? Riddick nominating Ann and CP Ellis as chairs of meetings? The selection of the white and black representatives? The townspeople coming to the meetings? The speeches, the discussions, declaration of stances? The group work over the two weeks?
11. White intimidation, Ellis’s friends from the Klan, menacing the young woman in her home? Getting the police to close down the store of the sympathetic Vietnam veteran who employed the Blacks to manage the business? And Ellis’s respect for him for having served his country?
12. Ann, visiting Ellis’s son, the change of room, payment, the radio? Ellis, his demanding manner at the hospital, wanting to talk with the white nurse, her defying him? His wife visit, discovering the move, his being content, the radio? The later going to visit and, coming in, the gift, the talk and respect, thanks? The effect on Ellis?
13. The title of the film, the two, their stances, Ann and her severity, dislike of Ellis, spurning him, walking out? Ellis, dealing with black Americans? The device of having everybody have their meal adjacent to someone of the alternate race, and not talking about the issues? The effect?
14. The setting up of the Klan uniform and literature, the young black men trying to destroy it, Ann and her intervention, Ellis watching?
15. The buildup to the final meetings, the three statements, needing eight votes, the passing of the first two? The dilemma with the third, the intimidated young woman, the manager of the store and his standing on principles? The prejudice whites and their votes? The Blacks and their votes?
16. The dramatic buildup to Ellis with his casting vote, his speech, the whites all in support, his tough friends from the Klan meetings, the fact that they had engineered to give him a special medal, his statement of what he had seen, the Klan’s motto for helping others, his memories of his ticket at the age of 12, sense of belonging? His statement that over the fortnight he had seen people helping others, tearing up his Klan card, and voting yes? The rejoicing, and going to find him, his leaving with his family?
17. The aftermath, setting his service station fuel on fire, closing it off, his assistant offering to take a leave? The young Klan members driving past with contempt? And driving past, the convoy of cars, her organising skills, the customers?
18. The final information, the fact that Ellis and Ann toured campuses for a long time, integration causes? The video clips of each of them, explaining what they had done, their personalities, working together? Bill Riddick and his reflections? And the member of Durham Council for 30 years?
19. A worthy film, worthy characters, and a worthy cause? Impact in the 1970s? The lasting heritage?