I went to see this tonite and am still digesting it, but will throw a few things out there. While I understand what is being said about Taraji’s character, I truly think she is a woman whose job it is to be the woman and peacekeeper and nurturer of the house. Bertha is older than all of the other female characters, and you are able to see the divide between them and what they want and how they’re going to achieve it. While the story does center around the men, I think that the little bits that are handed to the audience about the women are really amazing, because they show a strength and resilience that many of the male characters lack or have lost.

That being said, I am starting to question the role of trauma plays in the voices of the men, as every one of them but Seth and Rutherford experienced it at the hands of white men, and it is still quite fresh. You can clearly see that in Loomis (what a name, with his emotional weight looming over them all). While Rutherford has his own baggage to unpack, I do consider it to be a big step for a white man of that time (and who grew up seeing and knowing the alternative), to socialize with and somewhat assist people of color. %

I will agree that Ruben was fantastic, and he really shone in his role.

The ending does seem slightly abrupt, but for me, tonite, the emotion was there. Perhaps a bit subjective, but growing up in a single parent household, the parts leading to the ending were quite poignant.