Devotion

 

J.D. Dillard's Devotion is one of a host of motion pictures that, intentionally or not, are filling gaps in America's history left by the exclusion of stories about the roles people of color and other marginalized groups have played in building this country.

My sense is the numbers will increase as Hollywood and streaming services mine the historical record for stories worth telling to a public hungry for these hidden tales that our institutions are too often prohibited from sharing.

The story of fighter pilot Ensign Jesse Brown is certainly one of them.

As portayed by the versatile actor Jonathan Majors, Brown is an ace Navy pilot in a squadron in 1950 that has been idle since the end of the Second World War. Brown has won the respect of his mates in piloting the Bearcat but is thrown a bit when the Navy introduces the Corsair in response to Soviet activity. His challenges with the new plane are increased because he feels weighed down by expectations he will fail.

Brown's new wingman, Lt. Tom Hudner (Glenn Powell), quickly learns that the taciturn pilot is waging battles on many fronts. The academy-trained Hudner stumbles when trying to be supportive of his comrade during the times they are not airborne. For most of the film, they are friendly but not really friends.

Midway through the picture, after a squadron member has met a tragic end, Brown shares with Hudner why he is so guarded. It will no doubt be a familiar story to many audience members but Dillard and the screenwriters put it into an important new context.

Brown confronts himself in a mirror with cruel, damning slurs so that antagonism from others will have little effect on him. The words still wound him deeply but apparently he feels he must be tougher than his circumstances or else he will not survive.

The film features several terrific dog fight sequences and a sobering third act that will remind viewers how much it costs to fight battles that don't seem to end.