George C. Wolf’s reimagining of August Wilson’s Pulitzer prize-winning 1982 play, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, is a story of the “Mother of the Blues.” The film features Viola Davis as one of the first African American professional blues singers, known for her lyricism and fiery stage presence. The movie, now streaming on Netflix, depicts two storylines of a single recording session in the summer of 1927 with Ma Rainey and her band, including a charismatic and ambitious trumpeter named Levee, played by the late Chadwick Boseman. The plots mimic the reality of the time period by showcasing the struggles Black musicians faced by being silenced by their white counterparts.