There is much riding on a title like Race (2016).  Put differently and in the context of the film I am about to review for you, it is a loaded word with multiple meanings.  If you are at all familiar with the history behind the movie, which is about famed Olympic runner Jesse Owens (Stephan James), then the first thing you might think of is the color of his skin.  There is also his chosen sport, track and field, which called upon him to literally run races.  Then there is the racism that followed him wherever he went, including in his moments of greatest triumph.  What I take solace in is the fact that God does not judge us by any of these categories, whether it is our race, our physical abilities, or how others see us.  God looks straight into our heart, and we are judged by what He finds.  If you do not wish to be found wanting, I recommend running your race to the best of your ability.

It is 1933 at the start of Race, and Jesse is honing his abilities while running through the streets of Depression Era Cleveland, Ohio.  He needs to be home soon because he is about to set out for Ohio State University to run track and field for the school.  His family is proud, but he promises to take care of them as best he can.  They are not his only priority.  Before getting on the bus, he stops in the salon where Ruth Solomon (Shanice Banton) works.  She is the mother of their three-year-old daughter, which raises eyebrows among their peers and her parents, though he is adamant that he intends to marry her.  Such thoughts are about to be put on hold as soon as he gets to college and meets Coach Larry Snyder (Jason Sudeikis).  Though kind, he is also no-nonsense, his main concern being that his athletes have the same commitment to winning as he does, with the end goal being the 1936 Berlin Olympics in Nazi Germany.  In his view, natural ability is nothing if it does not come with hard work.  This is something Jesse has been preparing for his entire life, but he also has to find literal employment in order to pay for school and help with Ruth and his family in Cleveland.  As such, despite being ordered to be either in class or on the track, Coach Snyder finds that Jesse is missing practices.  Upon discussing the matter further, Jesse finally and defiantly admits to his responsibilities.  Taken aback, Coach Snyder arranges for Jesse to get a position as a page for the state government.  It is strictly ceremonial, but it pays and allows Jesse to devote the bulk of his time training.  Things are going well until days before the first major competition when Jesse injures his back trying to show off for his friends.  Though he says he is fine, Coach Snyder preaches caution.  The advice is ignored, and Jesse goes on to have a banner day, setting a number of records.  It is the sort of performance that gets the notice of Olympic selection committees.  Yet, the United States’ participation in the upcoming games is in question.  Jeremiah Mahoney (William Hurt), the president of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), the body responsible for sending athletes to the games, advocates that the United States boycott the Nazi event.  Also on the board is New York real estate developer Avery Brundage (Jeremy Irons), who opposes such a drastic measure.  In order to gather more information, Avery is sent to Germany to assess the situation.  In meeting with the Nazi minister of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels (Barnaby Metschurat), Avery seeks, and seemingly gets, assurances that there will be no objections to any of the American competitors, and that the Third Reich will tone down the Nazi rhetoric.  With that, the measure is passed by the AAU to allow American participation.  This means that all the competitions and notoriety gained from his victories are about to pay off for Jesse.  However, there are some tests.  The first is personal.  While in California for a meet, Jesse is approached in a dance hall by Quincella (Chantel Riley), who reminds him that he is not in Ohio.  Their dalliance makes newspaper headlines, leading to Ruth finding out about the affair.  Eventually, he comes to his senses and travels back to Cleveland seeking forgiveness.  Ruth is not keen on giving it, at first, but he camps out all day outside her salon and eventually she agrees to marry him.  The newlyweds visit his parents, but they are not the only visitors.  Also there is Harry Davis (Glynn Turman), a representative of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples (NAACP).  While the organization is proud of Jesse’s achievements, they believe he can make a bigger statement by not going to Berlin.  Though Jesse is upset by the request, he is about to follow through with it.  He tells Coach Snyder, who is aghast that the fastest man on the planet would not be going.  Before Jesse can completely rule out running, Coach Snyder convinces the athlete to at least take part in the Olympic trials.  Those are successful for him, too, but it is his main rival, Eulace Peacock (Shamier Anderson), who sways Jesse back to competing in Berlin.  Once there, it is evident that Goebbels and Adolf Hitler (Adrian Zwicker) are stunned by Jesse’s series of medals.  Indeed, they snub Avery’s request that Jesse meet them, which should not be surprising.  Next, using famed German director Leni Riefenstahl (Carice von Houten) as translator, Goebbels pressures Avery into not allowing the American Jew runners to be in the 400-meter relay.  The two are understandably angry, but they impress onto Jesse the importance of winning.  As such, Jesse goes home with four gold medals.  Despite his heroism, the final scene features Jesse and Ruth going to dinner in his honor, but being forced to use a service entrance owing to their skin color.

If you read on about Jesse’s life after the events depicted in Race, you will see there are more struggles beyond the indignity of not being able to go in the front entrance of buildings.  Despite his celebrity, there were times when he worked as a gas station attendant and a janitor.  It is the kind of institutional racism that, sadly, does not seem to have ended with the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.  No matter what you think of the current crackdown on immigrants in the United States, there is certainly a type that the government is going after.  Recently, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled that authorities may use racial profiling in locating people suspected of being in the country illegally.  In troubling times such as these, I take comfort in the fact that the Catholic Church stands with the oppressed.  Her record is a little muddled regarding Her activities during World War II.  Some make the claim that then Pope Pius XII did not do enough in standing up to the Nazis, as did Jesse and others at that time.  Instead, Pope Pius XII never spoke out against fascism, earning him the dubious nickname “Hitler’s pope.”  In recent years, this narrative has changed.  Quietly, and at his direction, the Vatican engaged in a great deal of humanitarian work, including hiding Jews being hunted by the Nazis.  It was not perfect, but times such as those make for difficult decisions.  I relate this to Jesse being presented by Harry with the request that he not compete in Berlin.  What Harry wants is the kind of gesture many wanted the Church to make during World War II.  Yet, Jesse decides to make his own statement, and it is God alone that knows the truth of it in that moment.

The truth is that Race is a good movie about an uplifting moment in a dark time.  Another gesture I could have mentioned is that of German long-jumper Carl “Luz” Long (David Cross), who defied Hitler by letting Jesse compete fairly.  When defiance can also build understanding between people, that can only be God’s grace at work.