Billie Holiday , trying to lift a side story from the legendary singer Billie Holidaywhich many people may not know. With a career spanning more than two decades, Holiday's popular image in the 1930s and 40s as a jazz singer with vocal skills that put him in a different class from most other singers was often overshadowed by legal cases related to drug use. and illegal drugs. His dependence on narcotics and illegal drugs has even made Holiday continue to be pursued and is under the strict supervision of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. However, as revealed by The United States vs. Billie Holiday , the attention the Federal Bureau of Narcotics gives Holiday isn't necessarily related to its addiction.
In 1939, Billie Holiday ( Andra Day ) released a song called Strange Fruit whose lyrics were inspired by various acts of lynching in the United States that mostly targeted African-Americans . The success of the song was able to increase the popularity of his name but, at the same time, also made the existence of Billie Holiday wary due to the political value contained in the lyrics of the song. Judging that the lyrics of the song will evoke feelings of anger and resistance from African-Americans, the head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, Harry J. Anslinger ( Garrett Hedlund).), tried to silence Billie Holiday by using his addiction to narcotics and illegal drugs. Billie Holiday didn't give up – even when the threat ruined her singing career and caused some of her close friends to turn against her. Billie Holiday's resistance lasted until his last breath.
When compared to his fellow African-American jazz singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Count Bassie, to Louis Armstrong, who chose to perform their songs as a means of entertainment, Holiday's firm choice in voicing the oppression experienced by her race was clear. is a bold choice. Not surprisingly, Holiday and his song Strange Fruit were then seen as the first step movers of the civil rights movement for African-Americans in the United States. Along with scriptwriter Suzan-Lori Parks ( Native Son , 2019), Daniels packaged The United States vs. Billie Holidayto capture the personal moments experienced by Billie Holiday after the United States government judged his song could trigger greater social friction between African Americans and their oppressors (read: white citizens). Unfortunately, the storytelling presented by Daniels and Parks often loses the focus of the story which slowly makes this film lose its strength as well as its storytelling appeal.
Instead of making Billie Holiday the central character by extracting strong and deep characterizations, The United States vs. Billie HolidayInstead, he prefers to tell stories about the men around him – most of whom come with a romance story with Billie Holiday's character. Even so, at the same time, Daniels and Park were also unable to present an interesting story wrapping of the relationship that Billie Holiday's character had with these male characters. These stories then end up like episodes of a soap opera drama that is far from attractive and drowns out the essence of Billie Holiday's character, both as a singer and as a formidable figure whose influence is feared by a number of parties in the United States government.
The United States vs. Billie Holidayonly able to present interesting storytelling moments when the storyline of this film revolves around the "cold war" that occurred between the figure of Billie Holiday and the United States government. Harry J. Anslinger's character is, again, not able to be presented properly in the excavation of the story. However, the political conflict created between the two characters can give a strong emotional intensity to the storyline of the film. This film can also feel alive when the character of Billie Holiday is given its own story space that explores the side of her personality. Starting from his hypnotic singing ability, his dark past, or when the character spends time with his close friends. With a storytelling duration that runs for 130 minutes,
Daniels did fail to present a quality story that was qualified for a figure as strong as Billie Holiday. However, The United States vs. Billie Holiday can still be enjoyed thanks to the appearance of the line up for the acting department. As the figure of Billie Holiday, Day has succeeded in presenting a character who is not only attractive but also able to leave a deep impression on every eye who sees her. An acting performance for singer Day, Day never wavered in his efforts to bring to life a figure as iconic as the character Billie Holiday. Hedlund's role as Harry J. Anslinger and Trevante Rhodesas Jimmy Fletcher did not get a strong portion of the story. Still, the appearances of Hedlund and Rhodes make these two characters quite meaningful in their presence in the story of this film. The United States vs. acting department Billie Holiday was also strengthened by the appearance of Natasha Lyonne , Rob Morgan , Da'Vine Joy Randolph , and Evan Ross .
