Review for ‘‘Marbles and Bullets’’ by Richard De Witt

Long though the journey of Marbles and Bullets' production may have been, spanning two decades from its inception by Richard De Witt to release, we are fortunate to have witnessed this film, a true Civil War epic for the 21st century, a passion project encompassing most of the major societal issues of these last years.

The plot at the center of the film's explosive and inhumane setting revolves around the two protagonists, a freed black boy and a wounded confederate soldier, that, somewhat unwillingly, embark on a common journey through the war-torn countryside. Through the initial tension and unease born from the hate and prejudice imbued in the confederate fighter, their relationship evolves and goes to unexpected places. All along the journey, a series of grisly encounters and metaphysical visions bend and mold the two personalities in a way only the terror of war can.

Heavy in symbolism, the film doesn't shy away from tackling both the obvious themes of racism, political and social division and PTSD, but also more subtle points on isolation, guilt, racial identity, paternity, and the collapse of societal structures in the face of unprecedented crisis.

Technically, nearly every part of the film excels. The cinematography is hauntingly beautiful, costume design and makeup spare no expense in crafting the tragic atmosphere of war-torn America, while the editing and effects bring the more metaphysical and dreamy sequences to life. The washed-out color scheme perfectly communicates the depressive conditions the characters find themselves in.

In conclusion, a breath of fresh air in the war epic category, Bullets and Marbles takes an original approach to the american civil war, an odyssey of two conflicting characters that express two sides of the same society, all the while balancing between horror and beauty, cruelty and hope, prejudice and love, horrific realism and levity.