performances of a lynching themed balance strange fruit to be a call to arms, anslinger sets agent jimmy fletcher on holiday's case with instructions to infiltrate her inner circle and bring her down. you've heard those lyrics, they provoke people. # blood on the leaves and blood at the root. written by pulitzer prize winners suzan—lori parks and directed by lee daniels who made precious and the butler this retelling of holiday's story imagines a relationship between the singer and the federal agent sent to spy on her. understandable, when he's played by the broodingly handsome travanti rhodes, who made such an impact in the moonlight. it reminds them that they're killing us. ironically undercuts the more powerful narrative about holiday's roles of a voice of civil rights activism and the authorities�* desire to silence her by any means necessary. it doesn't help that daniels, who's always been a gleefully unruly director, throws the audience several stylistic cu rve balls. careening wildly from stagey interviews to hallucinatory horrors and audacious musical interludes giving the drama a distric

the jimmy fletcher piece was revelatory for me as well and made me love her even deeper.llie holiday? why is the government always after you? >> my song, "strange fruit." it reminds them that they're killing us. reminds them -- it reminds you too, reginald. >> we all have said we cannot wait to see this movie. you haven't seen it yourself. why not? >> you would bring that up. [ laughter ] >> curious. >> oh, no, you know what it is, i have to tell you, i -- my experience with lee daniels, with suzan-lori parks, with garrett, tyler, miss lawrence, natasha, melvin, i could say every single one of their names and every single interview and with the entire production was paradigm shifting and one of the most amazing experiences of my life so, you know, i will say because i'm scared, but i think the real reason is because it feels like watching the film is watching the culmination of everything we poured into her, and my experience with her was so amazing, and i love her spirit being sort of our spirits. commingling and it just seems like watching the film will be -- that's the