The film embodies the story of country singer Hank Williams, who became famous in the 1940s. It is an ideal story that embodies the spirit of singing in that period, but alcohol consumption and marital infidelity negatively affected the life of this man. It appears that this man was suffering from his career and his marriage to musician Audrey May Williams.
Hiddleston is compelling as Williams, the king of hillbilly music, noting that when he finds a note he's fond of, "I like to hang on to it." One might say the same about director Abraham.
Hank Williams was a musical colossus and his story is remarkable and fascinating. But you wouldn't think so from this dull and largely charmless film. What a shame.
There's some drinkin', some cheatin', some yellin', and some cryin'. But there ain't nothin' here that explains why, as Williams tells us, all kinds of people write to him just to share their troubles.
Saw the Light is not a movie that ever catches fire. One hopes the story will be told again, with more emphasis on what went on inside Hank Williams than on what went on around him.
I Saw the Light doesn't just fail to illuminate Williams' complicated life and his prodigious talent; it can't even capture the dark corners of a man with more than enough to peer into.
