Synopsis
Cecil Gaines was a sharecropper's son who grew up in the 1920s as a domestic servant for the white family who casually destroyed his. Eventually striking out on his own, Cecil becomes a hotel valet of such efficiency and discreteness in the 1950s that he becomes a butler in the White House itself. There, Cecil would serve numerous US Presidents over the decades as a passive witness of history with the American Civil Rights Movement gaining momentum even as his family has troubles of its own. As his wife, Gloria, struggles with alcoholism and his defiant eldest son, Louis, strives for a just world, Cecil must decide whether he should take action in his own way.
Facts
Setting
Washington, D.C., Birmingham, Nashville, Memphis, Macon, North Carolina
Filming location
New Orleans
Original language
English
Trailer
Stills
Festival History
- BAFTA Awards 2014 generic
- Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2014 generic
- Village Voice Film Poll 2013 generic
