Mudbound: Dee Rees’ almost-epic spreads the narrative through a handful of different (but connected) characters (narrators would probably be a more precise description), and that enriches the film. The voice-overs are poetic, standing somewhat in opposition to the more cliché dialogue and characters; the sum, nevertheless, is positive. Performances are on average solid, but not particularly memorable; Mary J. Blige and Rob Morgan give the best ones, Jason Clarke is the weakest link, and everyone else falls somewhere in between. Director of photography Rachel Morrison lights the film beautifully. Production design is fine, as is costume design; costumes, however well-designed they are, also are unrealistically squeaky-clean and brand-new-looking, in particular considering the setting (the same can be said about the vehicles used).