Original Content podcast: Netflix’s ‘Mudbound’ offers a somber look at Mississippi in the 1940s

Mudbound, a Dee Rees-directed film currently streaming on Netflix, is both epic and intimate, telling the intertwined stories of two families (one black, one white) farming on the Mississippi delta.

That description might make the movie sound like a home work assignment, or perhaps a too-neat dissection of race relations in the American South. On the latest episode of the Original Content podcast, TechCrunch’s Darrell Etherginton and Anthony Ha discuss how we struggled with the movie — both its seriousness and its early reliance on nearly constant voiceover.

But once we got past our early hesitations, we were rewarded with a compelling, complex film, anchored by a deservedly award-nominated performance by Mary J. Blige. You can hear more of our thoughts in the episode above.

The episode also covers two big pieces of streaming-related news — the FCC’s vote to kill net neutrality and Disney’s deal to acquire Fox’s film and TV divisions.

You can listen to the episode in the player above, subscribe using Apple Podcasts or find us in your podcast player of choice. If you like the show, please let us know by leaving a review on Apple. You also can send us feedback directly.

Featured Image: Netflix