Billie Holiday spent much of her career being adored by fans. In the 1940s, the government targeted Holiday in a growing effort to racialize the war on drugs, ultimately aiming to stop her from singing her controversial ballad, "Strange Fruit."
Acting
Andra Day's transformation is bone-deep, not impersonation.
Direction
Lee Daniels leans into melodrama that honors Holiday's operatic suffering.
Sound
The voice—raw, damaged, transcendent—is the whole argument.
Director
Lee Daniels
Andra Day
Billie Holiday
Trevante Rhodes
Jimmy Fletcher
Garrett Hedlund
Harry Anslinger
Leslie Jordan
Reginald Lord Devine
Miss Lawrence
Miss Freddy
Adriane Lenox
Mrs. Fletcher
Natasha Lyonne
Tallulah Bankhead
Rob Morgan
Louis McKay
Da'Vine Joy Randolph
Roslyn
Evan Ross
Agent Williams
Tyler James Williams
Lester 'Prez' Young
Tone Bell
John Levy
Blake DeLong
Agent Carter
Dana Gourrier
Sadie
Melvin Gregg
Joe Guy
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
US
