The Best of Enemies

The Best of Enemies is currently streaming in Australia on Netflix, and in the US on MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel and Wonder Project Amazon Channel, and it rewards the patience it asks of you. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. 487 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. Taraji P. Henson anchors it with a performance that rewards close attention. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Netflix.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, The Best of Enemies is worth clearing space for. Character-driven storytelling at its most effective — The Best of Enemies earns every emotional beat it goes for. Centers on the unlikely relationship between Ann Atwater, an outspoken civil rights activist, and C.P. Ellis, a local Ku Klux Klan leader who reluctantly co-chaired a community summit, battling over the desegregation of schools in Durham, North Carolina during the racially-charged summer of 1971. The incredible events that unfolded would change Durham and the lives of Atwater and Ellis forever. Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. The Best of Enemies came out in 2019. What elevates The Best of Enemies is a refusal to let any character off the hook too easily. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

For anyone looking for storytelling that takes its characters seriously, The Best of Enemies delivers. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Taraji P. Henson carries the material with a performance that rewards close attention. Worth starting sooner rather than later.