The first trailer for filmmaker Lee Daniels’ The United States vs. Billie Holiday has arrived from Hulu. It is a stunning tease for the film that will premiere on the streaming giant on February 26 and tells the story of the iconic singer that legions of her fans and appreciators have been clamoring for since she passed away July 17, 1959.
The title of the film comes from the government’s premeditated effort to arrest and jail the singer who was spurring the budding Civil Rights movement. They knew about her issues with drugs and even if it was on a drug charge, those in charge wanted her behind bars so she couldn’t sing and foster what they felt were dangerous ideas, such as integrating her audiences.
Daniels is the perfect storyteller to bring Holiday’s life, legal troubles, and once-in-a-lifetime talent to life. The man who gave us Precious and The Butler is no stranger to capturing the reality of African American life through our history and even more importantly—to do so in a manner that puts it in context to the larger picture.
There are many elements that stun with this trailer for The United States vs. Billie Holiday, not the least of which is the coming-out party that the film should serve for Andra Day. The Grammy-nominated singer certainly nails the musical aspect of Holiday’s life, but it is her searing presence as the icon that will surely turn heads. She led a challenging life, simultaneously trying to open doors for her people while trying to keep herself together, mentally, and physically.
The best biopics, in my opinion, focus on one aspect of a real-life person’s life journey instead of attempting to cram a lifetime of experiences into two hours. Daniels’ film tells Holiday’s story and reveals her impact on music and society through its centering around the trial for her drug arrest. Specifically, it was her recording of the song Strange Fruit—about lynching in the South, and her performing of that track, that most troubled many whites and those in charge of the “carrying of justice” for the United States. Look for the storyteller to utilize his vast gifts to focus on this time period, while letting it speak volumes about the entirety that was Holiday’s life.
The cast also features, Trevante Rhodes, Tyler James Williams, Natasha Lyonne, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Rob Morgan, and Garrett Hedlund.
Synopsis:
The legendary Billie Holiday, one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time, spent much of her career being adored by fans across the globe. Beginning in the 1940s in New York City, the federal government targeted Holiday in a growing effort to escalate and racialize the war on drugs, ultimately aiming to stop her from singing her controversial and heart-wrenching ballad, Strange Fruit.