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Drone uses lifelike graphics for a funny, yet ominous glimpse into AI < Back Drone uses lifelike graphics for a funny, yet ominous glimpse into AI E.D. Films, 2023 15 minutes Director/Writer: Sean Buckelew Reading Time: 3 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, B&B Pictures Drone Solatium Mysterium (KKCUB6QA8KN9QZSR) 00:00 / 03:09 Ginger Thought-provoking movies and TV shows Saffron Movies and TV shows with great visual effects Reba Chaisson 2023-07-26 Drone is an animated short film by Sean Buckelew about a drone that grows a conscience. With the use of artificial intelligence (AI), a drone, dubbed “Newton,” is presented at a CIA press briefing to announce AI-enhanced drones as new military hardware. Demonstrating its capabilities during a livestream in front of the audience, the press secretary engages in a pleasant conversation with Newton, indicating the drone is ready to show what it can do. Things go awry when the drone fires a missile into an empty building, but then verbally acknowledges it committed a grave error when it detects that a person was killed in the explosion. Feeling guilty, the drone vows to “never inflict pain and suffering on anyone again,” and people around the country embrace him for it. Buckelew does such an exquisite job of presenting the drone as self-aware, that you are likely to find yourself referring to it by its name or pronoun. The drone is presented not as an “it,” but as an object personified with human emotions of happiness, sadness, and even guilt. It makes me wonder to what degree AI will eventually make us feel emotionally close to inanimate objects, beyond the guitars we play or the cars we keep in our garage. Drone is both a funny and important film with astounding graphics that presents racially and ethnically diverse, lifelike characters, who smoke and use social media on their smartphones. It is not only a joy to watch, but it imparts lessons about our social and political realities in the age of livestreaming and government arrogance. The political fallout for the drone’s mishap provides a glimpse into what happens behind the scenes when things do not go as planned, and agencies and leaders are embarrassed by what transpires in full view of the public. Drone also helps us understand how an outcome, even a tragic one, can be twisted into a pretzel to justify staying the course. The rationalizations make it clear that handshakes and signed contracts occur long before Newton and his cousins get their first bolt. We are a long way from the days when robots looked like painted cardboard boxes with eyes, or even when they were made of stiff metal, like “C3PO” and “R2D2” of Star Wars fame. They now resemble objects we have been in awe of, such as cars, mobile phones, and yes, airplanes. This is the first step to feeling a kinship or connection to robots, as they gradually begin to fit into our world. Giving them names and adding AI to put them in conversation with us normalizes them as belonging in our space. And who knows? Maybe, eventually, we will feel as if we need them there. Available on Film Shortage Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

War is Over! shows how bonds can be formed amid desperate situations < Back War is Over! shows how bonds can be formed amid desperate situations ElectroLeague, 2023 11 minutes Director/Writer: Dave Mullins / Dave Mullins and Sean Lennon Reading Time: 4 minutes 📷 : Photo from Pixabay War is Over! Storyteller (ISEAHXTOBZNX3FRV) 00:00 / 04:14 Ginger Thought-provoking movies/shows Mint Movies and TV shows in cold weather and blizzard conditions Chris Chaisson 2024-03-18 I spend a lot of time playing chess online, mostly against one of the many bots that are free to play against. His name is Antonio, and I can’t stand him or his stupid pre-programmed responses. My resentment is built up from having played him dozens (hundreds) of times, and I have reached the conclusion that it is way too easy to start new games and play over and over again. If it took more of a concerted effort, I may appreciate the game and my opponent more. Now pluck me from the comfort of my heated apartment unit and into a more primal setting, and this game may become my only escape. War movies can be dark, grisly and bleak. Despite the critical acclaim many receive (i.e. Platoon , Saving Private Ryan , Braveheart , The Hurt Locker ), they can be a tough second watch, particularly for the squeamish. Nonetheless, the genre consists of some of the most visually stunning works cinema has seen, thanks to creative filmmakers and sizable budgets. The biggest challenge for war movies, one could argue, is instilling their story with a glimmer of hope for the audience to take with them as they file out of the theater. Particularly when based on real-life events, this challenge can prove too much, if embraced at all. Dave Mullins' Oscar-winning short, War is Over! , pulls off this feat by juxtaposing war with a fun board game. This critically acclaimed animated work takes place during World War I, as a pair of soldiers on opposite sides of the battlefield become entrenched in a spirited game of chess. Both have their own board set up and communicate their moves via carrier pigeon. The pigeon takes the messages containing the newest move back and forth across the battlefield, dodging flying projectiles to reach the other side. The catch is that neither soldier really knows who the opponent is, let alone that they are technically an enemy. The game becomes an escape not just for the two, but for the soldiers around them who observe and cheer their comrades on. The fun comes to an end when a general discovers the game and berates his soldiers for taking part instead of focusing on the mission at hand. He knocks the board over and even physically assaults his soldier to teach him a lesson. Forced back into battle, the soldier ends up engaged with his chess opponent in a fight to the death before their carrier pigeon finds them in the middle of the battlefield. Is the realization of their connection enough to stop the violence? While only 11 minutes, War is Over! highlights several unfortunate truths. For instance, in the course of their training, soldiers are often forced to purge any shred of their individuality. This tactic makes it easier for them to dehumanize their enemy and even themselves to a large degree. The display of a soldier playing a game he enjoys and the response from his general show the deliberate attempt to suppress any humanity that may come about during wartime. The fact that the soldier is able to bond unknowingly with someone on the other side shows that there is common ground to be had, even among senseless violence. Aside from any war themes, the biggest takeaway from War is Over! is that limitations create not only bonds but increased levels of passion. Many people might like chess or any other game, but playing via carrier pigeon takes a different level of dedication. In our comfortable, tech-filled lives, many modes of communication have made it too convenient for us to discover what, or who, we care about the most. While our productivity has been boosted, we no longer must give the same effort to maintain relationships or follow through on promises. So the next time you think of a friend or family member you haven’t seen in a while, pull out your feathered quill and parchment and send them a handwritten, bird-delivered hello (kidding). Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

Alt Poster Art Gallery Check out the alt poster artwork from these talented graphic designers! Agustín R. Michel We bsite IG X Aleks Phoenix IG X Alessandro Montalto IG X Alexander Kaufmann Website IG X Bartos Gyorgy Website IG Facebook Christian Niemann Webs ite IG X CMB Graphic Design Website Dustin Knotek Website I G Edgar Ascensão Pos t erSpy Geoffrey Riccio Website Izzy Aghahowa Website Jaime Ventura Website X John Hanley W ebsite Kacper l SevenHeavens Design I G X Matt Needle Website IG X Nuno Sarnadas Website Ryan Keeble IG Pos t erSpy Ryan Layah IG X PosterSpy Rye Coleman IG X PosterSpy Sarah Sumeray Portfolio Scott Saslow We bsite IG X Siddharth Vinod IG X Snollygoster Productions I G Theo Peng IG X Vini Kick X Visualsofazmet IG X Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

Eye Two Times Mouth makes thematic use of light < Back Eye Two Times Mouth makes thematic use of light Cine CANÍBAL, 2023 23 minutes Director/Writer: Lila Avilés Reading Time: 2 minutes 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock Eye Two Times Mouth Joy (YJQJ3VTNKTOZBWTI) 00:00 / 03:14 Chamomile Family dramas Jasmine Movies and TV shows with heart, positive vibes, and warm messages Reba Chaisson 2023-06-21 Eye Two Times Mouth is an unappealing title for a short film about an early 30-something woman who aspires to become an opera singer. Despite its namesake, Lila Aviles's new short film manages to be quite compelling. Set in Mexico, Luz Suarez, played by Akemi Endo, works at an art gallery, seemingly as a security guard and helping in other areas when needed. A professional opera soprano in real life, Luz, whose name means light, is often depicted alone when she is at work – even when there are people around. She quietly sings during idle periods and at times loses herself practicing operatic dance. The film is shot with dark cinematography, making it difficult at times to appreciate what is transpiring between the characters on the screen. A poignant moment, though, occurs in soft light when Luz spends time with her voice teacher Lucian, played by professional opera tenor Alan Pingarrón. Like the actor, Lucian is blind. Luz articulates her curiosity about how he visualizes color, and he beautifully explains how he interprets color in the context of music dynamics. People with visual disabilities are rarely engaged by colleagues and acquaintances about how they “see” the world and manage their way around it. As Rosemary Mahoney explains in her New York Times article on “Why We Fear the Blind,” people who are blind are “perceived as a people apart.” Indeed, many people are afraid to engage visually impaired persons at all, let alone ask what may be construed as direct or perhaps seemingly offensive questions. In this moment, the film allows the audience to live vicariously through Luz as she bravely asks her friend, teacher, and mentor about his ways of seeing the world when he lacks the ability to see with his eyes. Luz and Lucian’s relatively prolonged discussion on color provides an interesting contrast with the dark cinematography. Avilés’s use of tints and shades for the film also suits its quietness, as there is little dialog, and the focal points are the usually quiet, classical genre segments of the fine arts. The title, Eye Two Times Mouth , relates to facial symmetry - that the mouth is twice the size of one eye. This notion of balance is at the center of the film’s theme. Our understanding about what it means to live in darkness is elucidated through Luz and Lucian’s conversation, as well as Luz’s inability to be seen at her job, to being seen as someone with immense operatic talent. Available on MUBI Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Babes humorously conveys the ambiguity of parenthood FilmNation Entertainment, 2024 104 minutes Director/Writer: Pamela Adlon / Ilana Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz Reading Time: 5 minutes Babes Make It Last 00:00 / 05:57 📷 : Pixabay Oolong Movies and TV shows that make you laugh or involve physical activities like dance and exercise Jasmine: Movies and TV shows with heart, positive vibes, and warm messages Chris Chaisson 2024-06-18 I watched a decent amount of 60 Minutes growing up, and one particular segment sticks out in my mind. Felicity Huffman of Desperate Housewives fame was being interviewed by Lesley Stahl, who asked her, “You have two little girls…Is this the best experience of your life, being a mommy?” It seemed like a tee ball question to gush about her family and motherhood in general, but Huffman instead responded, “No, no, and I resent that question. Because I think it puts women in an untenable position. Because unless I say to you, ‘Oh Lesley, it's the best thing I’ve ever done in my life,’ I’m considered a bad mother.” She then admitted to not knowing whether or not she is a good mother. Her answer acknowledges an ambiguity that many parents likely feel but are discouraged from verbalizing. As much of a blessing as parenthood can be, raising children is challenging and even overwhelming at times. Yet we often expect parents to be absolute in their gratitude for having kids or never ponder how their life would’ve been different without them. Most comedies surrounding family focus on the relationships fostered between family members or in competition with a neighboring family. Television shows like The Brady Bunch or Leave it to Beaver give the impression that every day ends with resolution and happiness. While this is fine, it is refreshing to have entertainment that recognizes that being a parent is not always the happiest experience. Pamela Adlon’s ( Better Things ) new indie comedy Babes illustrates these ups and downs of parenting and the occasional doubt that creeps in. Babes revolves around the friendship of Eden (Ilana Glazer, Broad City ) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau, Happiest Season ), two lifelong pals whoare inseparable despite the fact that Dawn is married with children. Their bond is tested, however, when Dawn has her second child and Eden becomes pregnant after a one-night stand. Both feel at times overwhelmed by not only their bodies changing but the amount of responsibility that has come with their new roles. Eden enjoys her single and unattached existence. Her apartment is a reflection of her playful, childlike personality, as she has a soda machine and other décor that would likely appeal to an adolescent. It also doubles as classes for her yoga studio that she runs classes out of. When she decides to keep her child, she does not fully know the path ahead but intends to rely heavily on Dawn’s support and guidance. Dawn suddenly feels stretched very thin in terms of her time and energy. Her older child, a toddler still in diapers,behaves like an infant and demands a lot of attention. At the same time, Dawn feels pressured to provide emotional support to Eden. Eden’s co-dependency slowly but surely erodes Dawn’s patience, as Eden refuses to adjust her expectations to give Dawn a break. In a sense, Dawn has three childlike figures dependent on her, even with an active and supportive husband (Hasan Minhaj). The most endearing aspect of Babes is that it acknowledges the hardships of childbirth and parenting rather than portraying them as an entirely positive experience. Often, the depictions of pregnancy in movies and television are overly wholesome and unrealistic. Instead, Eden experiences a full range of emotions and bodily functions that range from benign to completely gross. In the movie’s opening sequence, Dawn is at the end of her pregnancy and hilariously carries on hanging out with Eden as if her water has not clearly broken. Their actions are exaggerated for comedic effect. But Dawn and Eden still effectively convey how their bodies are changing in ways that feel more authentic than in other works. Another noteworthy detail of the film is the absence of a malicious father figure. Dawn’s husband is a loving and committed parent, and Eden makes the deliberate choice to raise the baby herself. While Eden’s relationship with her own father was no picnic, her father expresses support and admiration for her. Eden’s doctor (and his revolving collection of hairpieces) offers his guidance and patience during every one of her visits. This addition of supportive male characters in the movie keeps the focus on the ups and downs of the platonic relationship between the film’s co-leads. It also allows for shedding light on the challenging experiences of pregnancy and parenting, even with the encouragement and assistance of others. The closest comparison to Babes is the 2008 comedy Baby Mama , about a businesswoman who hires a surrogate mother. Starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, the movie, just as in Babes , foregrounds the platonic relationship between two adult women, while the romantic relationships take a backseat. Both films contain several hi-jinks caused by the pregnant characters responding to unpredictable changes to their bodies in hilarious fashion. Babes , more than most other works, succeeds in not showing parenthood and pregnancy through rose-colored glasses. Rather, it conveys them as the up-and-down struggles of life stages that comprise parts of the person’s identity and not their whole being. 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< Back Fair Play is an adults-only story that considers the cost of over-investing in our work MRC Film, 2023 113 minutes Director/Writer: Chloe Domont Reading Time: 5 minutes Fair Play Rogue (00ND732RQNI7IRCI) 00:00 / 06:09 📷 : Used with permission, Netflix Dandelion: Movies and TV shows with heavy subjects Honeybush: Nonfamily dramas with strong adult and/or socioeconomic themes Reba Chaisson 2023-10-11 Despite being culturally aware of women’s skills and abilities as being no less sharp and infinite than theirs, many men still struggle to accept it when the person they love most earns more and advances more readily in their careers than they do. Fair Play features Phoebe Dynevor ( Bridgerton , Younger ) and Alden Ehrenreich ( Oppenheimer , Brave New World ) as Emily and Luke, a mid 30-something couple passionately embroiled in a romantic relationship and recently engaged. Both are career climbers working at the same investment firm where stakes are high around billion-dollar deals and careers can be suddenly enhanced or derailed. This thrilling story of corporate gamesmanship and fierce lovemaking gives off an adrenaline rush that we normally experience with a good action movie. Fair Play , however, is an intense drama wrapped inside a compelling story. The issue is an old one, which is the degree to which men struggle to deal with the success of their female partners. The inciting incident is Emily’s promotion to the coveted position of portfolio manager (PM) where bonus checks are multi-six-figure rather than just five. She is reticent about sharing the news with Luke and displays a sense of guilt about being promoted over him given his high hopes for getting the position. When she finds the words to tell him, Luke takes the news well, responding in his sedate and charming demeanor, “That’s amazing.” Research doesn’t indicate that women feel guilty about being more successful than their male partners. Indeed, women’s promotions into executive ranks that hold decision-making power are rare, so such an advancement is received as a form of self-affirmation. Studies do show, however, that women’s guilt usually lies in them being less available to their children . But in Fair Play , Emily and Luke do not have children, which indicates that Emily’s sense of guilt is linked to Luke’s aspiration for the job and his disappointment for not getting it. While he is initially supportive of Emily, Luke will not celebrate with her and over time becomes resentful of her. The depths of his resentment become clear when he angrily tells Emily, “You took my job. It was mine and you took it.” Men’s identity is strongly linked to work, and their gender role is tied to being the family’s provider. Luke’s behavior indicates that he is struggling with this conflict between his identity as a man and a reality that doesn’t align with it. What is surprising is the degree to which his behavior toward the love of his life devolves over the course of the 113 minute film – even to the point where he can’t get excited enough to engage in sexual relations with her. Eddie Marsan (Ray Donovan , Ray Donovan: The Movie ) plays Campbell, the uncompromising and staunch leader of the firm whose focus is on making money (even if it means demeaning his employees to do so). As we see in this film, being fired from Campbell’s firm is mortifying, as the experience makes people cry like babies, destroy company property, and even bring grown men to their knees. It is also a place where the employees are accustomed to witnessing such meltdowns. This reality is demonstrated when a group casually chooses to increase the volume on an obligatory ethics video rather than stop and stare at the performance of yet another colleague being humiliatingly terminated. Given all of this, it makes us think that while Luke self-destructs, he is perhaps not wrong in some of the stupor-ridden advice he imparts to Emily. One piece of his advice consists of making sure Campbell and others understand that she is not available to them 24/7. To ensure our careers do not overtake our identities, should we make it a point to draw boundaries between what we do and who we are? Are the extreme reactions to being fired from the firm indicative of the person’s inability to draw lines between their personal and professional lives? Writer/director Chloe Domont meticulously presents a complete story beginning with the couple’s enthrallment of each other through its gradual and sad fracturing. Her deliberate casting of Emily and Luke as unmarried and with no children elucidates the source of stress in their relationship as strictly work-related. It helps us zero in on the question of whether Emily’s new responsibilities at work change how she relates to Luke and vice versa. This is critically important for us to see in order to consider the power of socialization in shaping who we are as individuals and how we make sense of our place in the world. Fair Play is good and uniquely thrilling given its story and central themes. It would be interesting, though, to see such a story about same-sex partners. Do things get equally crazy in same-sex relationships or are they significantly different in some way? Fair Play reminds me of another film about a firm, the law firm depicted in the 1993 movie, The Firm . Starring Tom Cruise as Mitch, The Firm is about a recent graduate from Harvard Law School who lands a role at a prestigious firm in Memphis and realizes its rampant lack of ethics. In threatening to expose them, he puts both his career and his life in peril with his no-nonsense and corrupt bosses, played by Gene Hackman and Hal Holbrook. Like in Fair Play , the stakes at Mitch’s law firm are high and the concept of fair play is non-existent. You get on board fast or get out now because the firm’s priority is to make money – and lots of it. Damn equity, ethics, individual careers, personal feelings, and even the people we love. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Flamin’ Hot speaks to vision and the need for support to realize it Searchlight Pictures, 2023 99 minutes Director/Writer: Eva Longoria / Lewis Colick, Linda Yvette Chávez, Richard Montañez, Judy Montañez Reading Time: 7 minutes Flamin' Hot How Do I Say This (C5SRMZJ81V79THDF) 00:00 / 08:33 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock Barley: Movies and TV shows with a lot of dialog White: Movies and TV shows that make you laugh, or involve urgency, like chase scenes or other physical activity Reba Chaisson 2024-10-03 I am not sure if you remember the song by the late Minnie Riperton called “The Edge of a Dream,” but it kept ringing through my head as I watched this film about a man who, indeed, had only a dream. Based on a true story, Flamin’ Hot is about Richard “Richie” Montañez, a down-on-his-luck married father of two in the mid-1970s. After applying for dozens of jobs, Richie, played by Jesse Garcia ( Snowfall , Narcos: Mexico ), finally lands one as a janitor at a Frito Lay factory in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Upbeat and social, everybody likes Richie, even his supervisor, Lonny, played by Matt Walsh ( The Hangover , Veep ). However, Lonny dismisses Richie’s aspirations for doing more meaningful work at the factory and even his ideas for customizing the company’s products to appeal to the Hispanic segment of consumers. This is not because Lonny believes Richie’s idea of a spicy (Flamin’ Hot) recipe for its Doritos and chips is preposterous, but because the idea’s source stems from someone with no occupational prestige, marketing credentials, nor level of authority in the company. So, Richie goes home each night dismayed because he doesn’t see himself as having value nor advancing beyond his current role. Early on in his tenure at Frito Lay, Richie meets Clarence, played by Dennis Haysbert ( 24 , Major League ), an engineer at the factory and the only African American of his stature. Although Clarence is recognized as being the best engineer at the plant, he has hit a glass ceiling. He too has not been promoted to a “white shirt” manager despite his years of service and high level of skill and expertise. Eager to learn from him and believing he can “fix anything,” Richie, against the advice of his friends to stay in his own lane, asks Clarence to teach him what he knows. Initially skeptical, Clarence buys into Richie’s initiative and infectious enthusiasm and takes him on as his new protégé. One of his first lessons to Richie is to listen carefully rather than speak, adding that he can tell which machine is off simply by the directional hum of the room. Flamin’ Hot is an upbeat comedy with a lot of laughs, but as with most comedies it carries a lot of truths. For instance, director Eva Longoria pulls no punches in presenting the blatant hierarchy and segregation that is most evident in the Frito Lay plant’s cafeteria. While Richie comically introduces the sections of the cafeteria by jobs and rank, the occupations line up, not so coincidentally, by race and ethnicity. Sitting together is a group of Hispanics, responsible for the most unsanitary and physical jobs designated by the baby blue uniforms they are assigned to wear. Except for Clarence, the engineers are White and don blue coats, while their supervisors, all White men, are set apart by their white shirts and hard hats. What they all have in common, though, is their frustration with feeling stuck in their jobs at the plant and not advancing to the corporate office in administrative roles. Flamin’ Hot is a story about how difficult, or rather unlikely, it is to get where you want to go alone. While Richie is the main character, it is just as much about others who support him in his journey as it is about him. This is particularly the case with his wife Judy, played by Annie Gonzalez. When Richie and Judy were kids, for instance, they were teased and ostracized by their White classmates for being among the few Mexican students in their elementary school. As a result, the two grew closer and ended up sharing a strong deep love and supportive bond, ironically forged by the disdain of their classmates and the negative treatment of police. At one point in the film, a 10-year-old Richie is handcuffed and arrested for attempting to purchase candy with his own money because the police officer suspects he stole it. It reminds me of a scene from the 1998 hostage movie, The Negotiator , when Rudy (Paul Giamatti) said with frustration while handcuffed to a filing cabinet, “Once you familiarize yourself with the chains of bondage, you prepare your own limbs to wear them.” Being handcuffed doesn’t just influence how others think of you; it influences how you think of yourself. The act of handcuffing someone, whether the person is culpable or not, criminalizes them and has consequences for who they are and what they can become. In Flamin’ Hot , Richie hints at this understanding as well when he says, “Once they treat you like a criminal, you act like one.” Indeed, his challenges in landing a job or even believing he can do so can be tied to his experiences with the authorities as a child. Over time, Judy grows even closer to Richie, and her support of him persists throughout their marriage. In a classic example, Richie struggles to complete the education portion of a job application, so she immediately sits down with him and offers to help. While he degrades himself, Judy says, “Stop! Can you do the job?” Richie replies, “I guess.” She stiffens her demeanor and asks the question again, and he changes his reply, “Yes, I can do the job.” Judy says, “Well alright then. You have a high school diploma” as she fills in the section of the application. This funny, matter-of-fact moment typifies Richie and Judy’s ‘we’ll deal with it’ relationship. Judy’s constant and unwavering support continues throughout the couple’s numerous and lengthy periods of financial instability. Richie’s outlook changes when he inadvertently sees a video of the company’s CEO, Roger Enrico (Tony Shalhoub) compelling employees to “think like a CEO.” With an idea in his head that he expects will catalyze the Hispanic market segment, he finally gets up the nerve to call Enrico to pitch his idea, but he first needs to get past his secretary, Patti (Lori Martinez-Cunningham). Executive secretaries are typically gatekeepers, put in place in large part to grant or deny access to people, such as Enrico, in privileged positions who hold a great deal of power. Getting past Patti is the equivalent of getting your best shot. According to the film, Richie talks his way in, takes his best swing, and ultimately his boss bites. Richard Montañez has been much maligned in the media with intimations that he didn’t create Frito Lay’s Flamin’ Hot recipe. As I said in my review of the Amy Winehouse biopic, Back to Black , it is difficult to know what is true, what is embellishment, and what is patently false when it comes to biopics. These nuances, though, do not change the essence of this story about sitting on the edge of a dream and leaning into it until it blends with reality. Whether entirely factual or not, Eva Longoria deserves kudos for going behind the camera and bringing to the screen a story for people at the bottom of the social hierarchy. It is both an important and entertaining film that pushes the possibility of dreams as something realizable with vision and the support of people who take just a little time to care. For Richie in Flamin’ Hot , these include his wife Judy, his mentor Clarence, and someone whom he doesn’t know, Patti, who grants him access for his pitch to the CEO. Hmmm. I’m thinking about the equivalents in my life. Who would be the equivalents in yours? 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< Back The Source and Impact of Smith's Actions Two Perspectives on "The Slap" Chris and Reba Chaisson 4/3/22 Reading Time: 10 minutes 📸: Licensed from Shutterstock Chris’s Thoughts To catch the unaware up to speed, Chris Rock took to the Oscars stage to present the Academy Award for Best Documentary. However, being the seasoned comedian that he is, Rock threw in a couple of quips, certainly with the encouragement of the producers, before moving on to the presentation. Among those quips was a punch line at the expense of Jada Pinkett Smith, sitting front and center with husband Will. “Jada, love you, G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it.” As Jada has recently shaved her head in response to an alopecia diagnosis and subsequent hair loss (reportedly unbeknownst to Rock), she was not amused and rolled her eyes. Will Smith, sensing her discomfort, then rose, marched toward Rock, and smacked him across the face before returning to his seat and screaming, “Keep my wife’s name out your f— mouth!” Though it may not seem so on the surface, there is nuance to this exchange. Chris Rock poked fun at both Will and Jada when he hosted the Oscars several years ago. Will and Jada have been transparent about the ongoings of their marriage, making them the butt of many jokes online and even amongst colleagues. Lastly, Will himself has admitted to continuously coping with the feelings of inadequacy he developed as a child from not being able to defend his mother from abuse. Another topic to provide context to the incident is how award shows for entertainers are often produced and the resulting tension. Frequently, the committee chooses someone with a comedic background, if not a standup comic themselves, to host. The objective of this booking is to have a recognizable jester poke fun at the regal atmosphere that the committee generates. Having exceedingly rich people gather in fancy garb to exchange pleasantries and take turns congratulating themselves will draw a larger TV audience if someone is there to poke fun at them (you may have heard about the exploits of one Ricky Gervais, for instance). There is an unspoken divide here, as many actors (whether they say it or not) do not take kindly to being mocked. Regardless of their feelings on roast comedy, they want nothing to do with being the butt of any gags on their special night. Beyond all these details exists an even larger talking point, which is the normalized ostracizing of Black women’s hairstyles. In both comedy and society at large, it has become so commonplace to denigrate how Black women dress, speak, respond to situations, and wear their hair that many people do not even recognize these disparaging remarks when they hear them. Thus, Jada’s decision to shave her head was measured and well thought out, knowing what the aftermath would likely be. Chris Rock, being the critical thinker that he is, still chose to take a jab at her. Contrary to popular belief, few people just snap over one comment. The source of the rage and frustration dates back much further in time for most instances. In this case, Will and Jada are a famous couple whose transparency about their marriage and daily lives comes at a time when the most possible people have access to them. In the 80s, 90s or even early 2000s, Chris Rock’s quip may have been a little easier to brush off. Unfortunately, Jada has likely caught so much flack leading up to this awards show from anonymous people that she has never and will never meet. Though it may seem trivial, these insults cut much deeper than we realize to the point that even loving friends and colleagues ribbing you becomes angering and tiresome. What we saw on Jada’s face was not just pain, but fatigue. Reba’s Thoughts During much of its existence, the Oscars has been a politically contested space. Presenters and awardees often use their time on stage to make statements on a broad range of social issues like the environment, geopolitics, human rights, Guantanamo Bay, LGBTQ rights, women’s issues, and race. And nearly since its inception, it has been wrought with controversy, some more well-known than others. In 2019, the Academy’s announcement that awards for Cinematography, Live Action Short, Film Editing, and Makeup and Hairstyling would be presented during commercial breaks created significant social media backlash. While it reversed this decision due to social pressure, the organization received quite the lashing for the absence of women nominees in the Best Director category that same year. Also in that year, the show went without a single host when Kevin Hart resigned after significant criticism for what were labeled as “homophobic jokes” he made in the nascent stages of his career. Indeed, some issues around the Oscars have been quite repugnant. Woody Allen’s award nominations, after news broke about his relationship with his adult stepdaughter in the late 1970s is one example. And Roman Polanski’s nominations after he pled guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor before fleeing the U.S. to avoid prosecution is probably the most egregious. The industry’s punishment was to expel Polanski from the Academy for life. Like Allen, his work, though, would continue to be recognized, celebrated, and awarded for years to come. Undoubtedly, there is a tension between where the celebration of cultural accomplishments ends and accountability for moral failings and legal troubles begin. Blending the two means canceling people wholesale. In the case of Polanski, I think this is warranted; otherwise, I am simply not down for that. Nonetheless, this seems to be the abyss where Will Smith is headed, given news of his resignation from the Academy and rumblings of various movie deal cancellations. It’s going to be a while before we know the full impact of Smith’s actions at the Oscars on Sunday. Admittedly, on the one hand, I felt some sense of validation as a Black woman – seeing a Black man stand strong for his Black wife. On the other, I felt ashamed and embarrassed even though I personally had no part in it. My feelings stem from the fact that what one Black person does typically gets transferred onto the collective. So, what Smith did affects anyone who looks like me and lives here in the U.S. Whether it was due to pent-up anger from social media comments, or the singular joke made by Chris Rock, Smith’s physical assault of Rock was unwarranted – particularly in plain view. There is simply too much at stake for Black and Brown people still working to gain entry into this space. At a time when we were all but absent at the Oscars, awardees of color and some White presenters showed that they were acutely aware of what was at stake and comported themselves in a manner that recognized this. A proverbial elephant in the room existed at the show in 1939, when Hattie McDaniel was presented with the Best Supporting Actress award. As Fay Bainter, who won the previous year’s award in the same category, makes her presentation speech, the camera pans the audience and homes in on several expectant, White nominees, but never on McDaniel. Bainter stated in part during her presentation, “To me [the award] seems more than just a plaque of gold, it opens the doors of this room, moves back the walls, and enables us to embrace the whole of America.” The White women in the audience seem a bit perplexed. When announced by Bainter as the winner, McDaniel walks to the stage with pride, shoulders back, and gives a brief, pointed speech that concludes “I sincerely hope that I may always be a credit to my race. …” In 1964, Sidney Poitier won the Oscar for Best Actor, where he simply thanked colleagues and the Academy but mentions nothing about race, despite being only the second Black performer to win the award in the Academy’s then 36-year history. Poitier is keenly sensitive to the significance of the win, however, as can be heard in his speech after receiving the Academy’s Honorary Award at the 2002 Oscars. In it, he speaks about the absence of customs for him to follow upon his arrival in Hollywood and how he benefited from a handful of visionaries who made “courageous, unselfish choices.” “Each,” he adds, “with a strong sense of citizenship responsibility to the time in which they lived. …” Eight years later, Sacheen Littlefeather, an Indigenous activist, acknowledged an award on Marlon Brando’s behalf. Dressed in traditional Indigenous garb, Littlefeather rejected Brando’s Best Actor Oscar because of the persistent, dehumanizing depictions and treatment of Indigenous people in Hollywood film. According to the report, John Wayne was offended by the statement and had to be restrained by several men to keep him from going onto the stage and removing Littlefeather during her 60-second, audience-jeered speech. This despite her concluding that “I beg at this time that I have not intruded upon this evening and that we will in the future, our hearts and our understandings will meet with love and generosity.” Years later, in an interview with The Guardian , Littlefeather said, “I didn’t use my fist [she clenches her fist]. I didn’t use swear words. I didn’t raise my voice. But I prayed that my ancestors would help me. ... I went up there with the grace and the beauty and the courage and the humility of my people.” Smith showed no such grace. On the contrary, his blatant assault of Rock likely embarrassed every Black and Brown person who has been striving to get on a stage for decades. His actions marred the event and detracted from the celebrations of the nominees and their work. Coincidentally, Questlove won his first Oscar that night. His Best Documentary win was the first award announced immediately after the incident, when he and his team had to pretend as if nothing had just happened. It is not unusual for Black folks to have to suppress openly acknowledging what is obvious. For decades, people of color have fought to get their stories told on screen and to loosen their identities from unflattering depictions since the advent of film at the beginning of the 20th century. Arguably, significant gains have been made. But as recent as 2016, the absence of acting nominations for Blacks and Hispanics led to the cultivation and trending of #OscarsSoWhite , indicating we are not there yet. With much work to do still, Smith commits an act on an iconic award show streamed across the globe that reinforces and perpetuates the very associations Black and Brown people have been and are still tirelessly working to disrupt. It is too soon to know if and how much of a setback this will be. What we do know is that Smith’s actions at the Oscars are regrettable and will be difficult to detach him– and ourselves from– for years to come. 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The Accident cautions about the danger of losing perspective < Back The Accident cautions about the danger of losing perspective Mar Abierto Productions, 2024 45 minutes Creator: Leonardo Padrón Reading Time: 7 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Netflix The Accident Emotive Shadow 00:00 / 08:34 Barley Movies and TV shows with a lot of dialog Masala Chai Movies and TV shows about toughness and athletic competition Reba Chaisson 2024-09-18 The Accident is a 10-part Netflix series about five families who are close friends, relatives, and/or business partners when a fatal event occurs during a child’s birthday party. Set in Santa Cruz, Mexico, the series stars Sebastian Martinez ( Pa' Quererte , Rosario Tijeras ) as Emiliano, an affluent lawyer who, along with his partners, is excited about the prospect of landing a 40-million-dollar deal from White developers, or “gringos,” in the U.S. to build an amusement park in Santa Cruz. On the day Emiliano expects a decision, he and his wife, police detective Daniela Robles, played by Ana Claudia Talancón ( A Circus Tale & a Love Song , El Galán. La TV cambió, él no ), are throwing a lavish outdoor birthday party for their 8-year-old son, Rodrigo. When Daniela tells Emiliano they are running out of ice, he rushes over to Moncho, his helpful gardener played by Silverio Palacios ( The Thin Yellow Line , Welcome al Norte ), and directs him to go to the store. Emiliano takes over the set-up from Moncho when his cell phone rings with the anticipated call, so he heads into the house to speak privately. While celebrating the good news with his partners, a strong gust of wind picks up and carries off the inflatable bounce house, resulting in the deaths of three children playing inside it. This tragic inciting incident leads to more than the families mourning their unimaginable loss. Over the next ten episodes, we see the fracturing of a once tight knit social network. At the center of the breakdown is the families’ insatiable appetites for vengeance and their obsessive need to hold someone accountable. What is interesting to observe throughout the series is how quickly relationships evaporate and the individuals’ space for reason is extinguished. For example, the U.S. investors express concerns about the investigation’s potential to disrupt the project’s timetable and consider canceling their contract with the firm. To avoid this, Emiliano and his partners offer money to Moncho and his family to take the fall despite knowing he is not the true culprit. Also exemplary of this fracturing and unreasonableness is Charro, a man who comports himself like a mobster by operating on intimidation. Before the accident, Charro, played by Alberto Guerra ( Ingobernable , El Señor de los Cielos ), observes a man at the party admiring his wife from a distance. Charro walks up to the man and says, “She’s so f***in hot, right? But if you mess with her, I’ll put a bullet between your eyes.” So, when Charro learns through the rumor mill that Moncho is responsible for the accident, even his wife challenges him to “take care of it.” On one level, The Accident is a story about class, as Moncho is blamed, beaten, and jailed for not staking down the inflatable. Thus, the initial response is levied at the person with the lowest rank in social class, the fewest resources, and the least perceived credibility. Contrast this with Charro, who is detained for severely beating Moncho and setting his house on fire with his kids inside, yet never sees the inside of a jail cell. His wealth, cocky confidence, and ever-present lawyer combine to ensure his detention never goes beyond the desk of the local sheriff. On another level, The Accident is about the potential corruptibility of greed. Emiliano and his law partners are so determined to maintain their contract with “the gringos” that they offer Moncho and his family money for him to take the fall. The matter of his innocence or guilt is not a concern. Their goal is to simply end the investigation into the matter at Emiliano’s home and cover up his true culpability in the bounce house incident. So, greed distorts the law partners’ ability to do what is just. The irony here is they are the ones actually sworn to be defenders of the law and advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves. The Accident also helps us see how grief can cloud perspective. Angry and grief-stricken over the loss of their children, partners cheat on their spouses because they can’t fix the hole left in their hearts, and opportunistic individuals take advantage of their vulnerability. Even the estranged parent of the sole surviving child returns home not to console her child, but to seize upon the media attention her child is garnering from her story of survival. As the Santa Cruz police investigate, they reveal that bounce house incidents are not uncommon, and that children are injured and killed each year when sudden gusts of wind carry the inflatables away. Researchers documented 132 cases of wind-related bounce house incidents that occurred worldwide over a 20-year period. They found that people suffered 479 injuries and 28 deaths because the inflatables were not properly staked and reinforced with sandbags, and the weather not monitored for wind shifts, something researchers indicate is needed to ensure safety. These facts should have made The Accident a heart-wrenching story from beginning to end. We would expect, for example, this series to have a feel equivalent to that of Dandelion and/or Yarrow tea. Dandelion tea is a tag COTC assigns to shows with difficult or heavy subjects. I am challenged to imagine anything more difficult than losing a child, yet this series evokes very little of this emotion. It should be yanking at the heart strings and leaving tear tracks on the face, but it does not. Yarrow tea is for shows with illness or that are set in hospitals. In The Accident , the children are at once playing and then gone. Their loss is sudden, not gradual. Their lives don’t linger over a period of time. In the absence of these elements, the show is left only with depictions of blame, anger, and fighting, making it more akin to a Masala Chai tag which signals toughness and competition. So, the show lacks the emotion fitting of the magnitude of this travesty, which is needed to connect with the audience. Despite this, though, The Accident contains salient themes and ethnic representations that challenge the prevailing depictions of Mexican people in films made in the U.S. Indeed, what I like about this series is that it depicts Mexican families as educated professionals with large, sprawling homes and upscale lifestyles. This portrayal contrasts sharply with the films produced in the U.S. frequently depicting Mexican families as poor, working class, and living in high density, violent communities in apartments too small to accommodate their large families. The Accident teaches us about the price we can pay for rushing to judgment, something we are much more prone to do when experiencing the excruciating pain of loss, unbearable weight of guilt, and desperation. Reason gets clouded and distorted, and much like a rabid dog or any wounded animal, we do a disservice to ourselves and those we care most about. It is only when we come close to losing someone else that we return to our senses and realize what we have done and who we are in danger of becoming. Despite the missed opportunity to imbue the series with a compelling emotive element, The Accident ’s thematic material and unique representations offer some appeal to those craving a Masala Chai-type story. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

Tell Me Your Secrets offers the latest story centered around a protagonist that cannot be trusted. < Back Tell Me Your Secrets offers the latest story centered around a protagonist that cannot be trusted. Made Up Stories, 2021 45 minutes Creator: Harriet Warner Reading Time: 3 minutes 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock Tell Me Your Secrets A Most Sinister Kind (YWT7JB4LVLTOMWKQ) 00:00 / 03:31 Ginseng Suspenseful and intense thrillers Matcha Mysteries or whodunnits Chris Chaisson 2021-07-25 We all have a friend who tells the occasional elephant story. You listen to their spiel and try to resist rolling your eyes or saying, “Stop; I know you’re embellishing.” However, part of the reason we let them keep going is because we are genuinely entertained. Hearing an exaggerated version of how something went down can be far more intriguing than the truth. Perhaps this contributes to our enjoyment of the “unreliable narrator” trope in both literature and entertainment. Tell Me Your Secrets offers the latest story centered around a protagonist that cannot be trusted; in this case, it is Emma Hall (Lily Rabe, American Horror Story ). Just released from prison after seven years for being an accomplice to her serial killer boyfriend, Emma tries to start over in a small town in Louisiana. The problem is that she cannot remember all the details of her past and has fading trust in her psychiatrist. Elsewhere, Mary (Amy Brenneman, Judging Amy ) looks for her missing daughter Theresa, one of the many victims of Emma’s boyfriend. As the body has not been recovered, she holds onto hope that Theresa is out there and enlists the help of convicted sexual predator John (Hamish Linklater) to find Emma for answers. While the various character motives and pasts seem straightforward from the jump, we quickly find out that none of the main characters are exactly who they seem. Is John completely rehabbed? Is Mary just a grieving mother? Is Emma the monster Mary has made her out to be? Tell Me Your Secrets plays on not only our tendency to look for completely virtuous and evil characters but also our expectations of what a victim or a perpetrator looks like. No one is exactly who they appear to be at the start. The series effectively conceals many details about what the characters have done and what they are capable of for the first several episodes. While initially frustrating, it sets the table for a second half of the season full of surprises. Extremely dark and eerie throughout, Tell Me Your Secrets picks its moments to show violence and gore rather than making it pervasive. Its ability to be selective keeps the focus on the elements of mystery in the show and makes the violence more effective. The unreliable narrator remains a tempting plot device to employ in any mystery thriller; the best way to pull the wool over the eyes of your audience is to have a deranged or inebriated character spinning the tale. Emma isn’t speaking directly to the viewer, but she is simultaneously loathsome to the audience for her past transgressions and sympathetic for her present state. Thus, the seeds of doubt have been sown before we even realize that she is struggling with her memory. The best comparison for Tell Me Your Secrets is probably not a show but two recent films, Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train . Both films utilize unreliable narrators and effectively offer enough misdirection to hide the psychotic or abusive nature of either themselves or other characters. As a movie is one continuous story rather than a series of episodes, this trope flows more smoothly in a film. Nonetheless, if you enjoy weeding through a barrage of confusion and misdirection, Tell Me Your Secrets may provide the whirlwind you’re looking for. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

Girls from Ipanema examines the many ways patriarchal power structures prevent women’s independence, specifically in the late 1950s-early ‘60s. < Back Girls from Ipanema examines the many ways patriarchal power structures prevent women’s independence, specifically in the late 1950s-early ‘60s. Prodigo Films, 2019- 45 minutes Creator: Giuliano Cedroni and Heather Roth Reading Time: 4 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Netflix Girls from Ipanema Bomba Estrella (UH9VYWDEJXXFHIGN) 00:00 / 04:34 Dandelion Movies and TV shows with heavy subjects Honeybush Nonfamily dramas with strong adult and/or socioeconomic themes Chris Chaisson 2022-03-05 “If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough.” Hollywood has seen a recent push for stronger leading female roles, with mixed success. As more female writers and directors forge their paths, talented actresses gain the opportunity to show their range. However, with Marvel now dominating both the big and small screens, the definition of “strong female lead” has often become a woman who can punch through brick walls. These portrayals fit in with what’s currently popular but at times interfere with the increased reputation of more down-to-earth depictions (i.e. Erin Brokovich ). This is not to be interpreted as a push to cancel the She-Hulk reboot but simply a memo to exhibit feminine strength outside of the fantasy realm. Enter the period piece Girls from Ipanema , a Brazilian drama about perseverance in the face of chauvinism. Girls from Ipanema examines the many ways patriarchal power structures prevent women’s independence, specifically in the late 1950s-early ‘60s. The two-season series follows Maria “Malu” Luiza (Maria Casadevall), a devoted wife and mother who arrives in Rio from Sao Paulo, Brazil, to discover that her husband, Pedro (Kiko Bertholini), has abandoned her. Left with nothing but the property they planned to establish a restaurant on, she decides to open a bossa nova music club called Coisa Maís Linda with the help of her new friend, Adelia (Pathy Dejesus), and lifelong best friend, Ligia (Fernanda Vasconcellos). Along the way, they also receive help from Ligia’s ambitious journalist friend, Thereza (Mel Lisboa), and business mogul Roberto (Gustavo Machado). Malu’s strength and determination make her one of the most endearing protagonists you will ever see. She is not only fierce but charismatic, most clearly on display in how she greets the club audiences. Malu faces down numerous threats on her club’s operations and proves to be both clever and fearless in her resolutions. Amid jumping through many hoops, she provides inspiration and words of wisdom to her female companions while also learning more about herself. Throughout the series, we see just how many roadblocks the controlling, adversarial male characters set to stand in the way of the women’s autonomy, be it from singing, printing a news story, running a business or raising a family. Most tragic is Ligia’s relationship with the abusive Augusto (Gustavo Vaz), who very much resents her desire to perform on stage or even at parties for fun. As the main characters jump through hoops, they not only discover creative solutions but find helping hands along the way, such as Roberto and Malu’s gruff but loyal alcohol vendor. Girls from Ipanema does not shy away from illustrating any social issues, including classism, racism, sexism and the intersection of all three. Most admirable about the show is its ability to display these ‑isms in their many facets rather than just over-the-top, fleeting, or symbolic ways. In one scene, Thereza pretends to be upset with a fellow female co-worker in order to appease the editor-in-chief watching from a distance. As a housekeeper, Adelia faces verbal abuse from the many wealthy White women she has worked for, and her frustration boils over in a conversation with the more privileged Malu when their club is abruptly flooded, putting them out of business. Malu must figure out how to retain full ownership of her club when the pesky Pedro returns, as property laws heavily favored men. The show even succeeds in showing generational gaps, as Augusto’s mother seeks to enable him and protect him from consequences. Pressed to come up with a comparison, the show is most reminiscent of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel , a more mainstream show from the same time period about a housewife becoming a standup comedian. Both series dive deep into all the ways that institutional sexism operates in the time period and carries through to present day. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Conclave highlights the elusiveness of infallibility Indian Paintbrush, 2024 120 minutes Director/Writer: Edward Berger / Peter Straughan and Robert Harris Reading Time: 9 minutes Conclave Over the Years (T5KTL7QBINSTAQET) 00:00 / 11:27 📷 : Used with permission, Theo Peng https://www.instagram.com/mrtheodorepeng/ https://x.com/mrtheodorepeng Honeybush: Nonfamily dramas with strong adult and/or socioeconomic themes Sage: Movies and TV shows with low-key characters Reba Chaisson 2025-01-31 I was raised Baptist and my church felt like my second home. In addition to choir rehearsal and Bible Study during the week, I was there every Sunday with my family from 9:00 to 1:30. I stopped going to church when I went to college and actually felt liberated from the more than half-day Sunday service. So, when we broached the topic of declining church attendance during a graduate seminar in the late ‘90s, I humorously speculated that long services could be the reason for the decline. Church attendance has been shrinking since the 1990s. Gallup studies this phenomenon regularly. Its most recent report shows that 30% of people in the U.S. attend religious services on a weekly basis, which is down from 42% 20 years ago. Adding to this phenomenon, Pew Research reported in 2009 that 17% of people claimed to be agnostic, atheist, or “nothing in particular.” Ten years later, 1 out of every 4 indicated as such. Individuals and families are often blamed for problematic social phenomena. But I’ve been considering what responsibilities the institutions themselves have for declining attendance and perhaps even diminishing faith? As I watched Conclave , these decades-old questions began to swirl in my mind once again. Conclave ’s inciting incident is the sudden death of the sitting pope. Ralph Fiennes headlines the film as Cardinal Lawrence, the pope’s dear and trusted friend. Soon after arriving at the Vatican, Lawrence learns of the Holy Father’s written order that he lead the Catholic church’s traditional conclave to select a new pope. Distraught but touched by his friend’s trust, Cardinal Lawrence carries on his duties by first summoning all the cardinals from across the globe to the Vatican for the proceedings. Consulting with Lawrence is Cardinal Bellini, a close friend and confidant of he and the late pope’s, played by Stanley Tucci. In case you’re unaware, a conclave is the process whereby Catholic cardinals appoint a new pope after the one in office has resigned or passed away. During this time, the cardinals are sequestered to the Vatican’s campus to avoid any outside influences on their decisions. The meeting itself is held nearby in the Sistine Chapel, where the cardinals' exchanges and votes are kept secret, and their notes and ballots are burned at the end of each session to ensure their inviolability. Black chimney smoke from the burnings signal to Catholic faithful that a decision on a new pope has not yet been reached, while white smoke indicates that a pope has been selected. The process can run from days to years. During their stay, each cardinal has a private room in the large dormitory on the Vatican’s campus. They eat meals together in an airy, spacious dining hall, while dressed in clean and starched robes and zucchettos. Isabella Rossellini plays the tough, stubborn, and protective Sister Agnes in Conclave , who leads the group of international nuns called in to support the cardinals’ domestic needs in the form of cooking and cleaning. Interestingly, their role is little different than that of most women in the secular world. That Sister Agnes is tight-lipped, stern-faced, and has few lines in the film signals the nuns’ narrow and traditional functions in the midst of a group of men with prestige and who each has authority over them. We know this for sure when she cracks a slight smile as one of the cardinals acknowledges the sisters during a prayer over the food, thanking God for the sisters who prepared it. On the one hand, the gathering of the cardinals brings to mind domestic and international college students converging on campuses for the start of fall semester. Like predominantly White college campuses, the Vatican has a predominance of White cardinals with a smattering of cardinals of color. Together, like students, the group is diverse in nationality. On the other hand, the setting feels like a high school with a strict dress code and beginning its first week of classes for the semester. Early on, there are smiles, hugs, and a bit of catch-up after the summer away from one another. And over time, they form cliques, secrets are revealed, and voice is given to what were once implicit biases. Quickly, we learn from this film that what we often view as perfect in religious institutions is far from it when we get to observe the goings-on in its inner sanctum. The movie reveals that conclave proceedings are more like politics than a process we might imagine as steeped in prayer, humility, and melancholy. While the cardinals are serious about the task at hand, for many, their own aspirations to be king — oh, sorry — pope, are top of mind. And those who insist they have no such ambitions, well, we learn differently not only when their names suddenly appear on the ballot, but especially as their names begin to drop in the number of votes they receive. When Lawrence suggests to Bellini early on that he is likely to succeed the pope, Bellini is modestly surprised and insists he doesn’t want it. But when his voting numbers begin to slip, he becomes indignant about the people who move ahead of him on the ballot. He even accuses Lawrence of wanting the papacy for himself despite his name not appearing on the ballot. So much for being close friends! Different from Bellini’s initial modesty, other cardinals are not shy in expressing their desire to be head of the Catholic Archdiocese. Cardinal Tremblay, who is played by John Lithgow, not only insists he should be the next pope, but he has a cadre of cardinals who agrees with him and votes in his favor. When Lawrence asks Tremblay if there is any truth to an allegation he learned from a priest who came to see him at the Vatican, Tremblay responds as if he’d been accused of blasphemy – “Oh God, of course not!” But as he does with others who throw their zucchettos in the ring, Lawrence instructs his assistant to conduct a background investigation on the cardinal. When he confronts him with his findings, Tremblay is forced to moderate his arrogance and swallow his indignation. Cardinal Wozniak, played by Jacek Koman, is openly racist and xenophobic, once even proclaiming in his native Italian, “We tolerate Islam in our land, but they revile us in theirs. What we need is a leader who believes that we are facing a true religious war. … We need a leader who fights these animals.” While this sounds more like a military zealot than a priest, Wozniak too has a cadre of cardinals who sides with him and casts votes in his favor. But when his bigotry is confronted by an unlikely source, his run too is short-lived. Even the Black cardinals get behind Cardinal Adeyemi, an ambitious cardinal from Nigeria played by Lucian Msamati, who insists he deserves the opportunity to be pope. But Lawrence finds that he too has blemishes on his record. Watching Conclave made me realize why conclaves can last years. It is an endless search for perfection among fallible human beings, none of whom began their lives as adults or priests. The process reinforces the ever-present somber reality that infallibility is both elusive and an illusion, that we must recognize we are works in progress and strive to be better. The film suggests, however, that strict adherence to the rules of the church is required and that there’s no margin for error when it comes to the papacy. This lack of flexibility could help explain why people seem to feel alienated from religion and religious institutions. While they are not one and the same, they both manifest in the lack of church-going. It makes you wonder, then, if the church itself is lacking in a relatability factor, where its leaders present themselves as pure and infallible and the congregation by contrast is made to feel like heathens. An interesting aspect of Conclave is the difficulty in locating the villain in the story. Coincidentally, COTC recently recorded a podcast on the different forms that a villain can take. In it, we also pose a question regarding audiences’ patience to watch films where the villain is not readily obvious. On the one hand, Cardinals Tremblay and Wozniak can be considered the villains for their dishonesty and bigotry, respectively. But perhaps the villain is less obvious. In his background checks and confrontations with cardinals, Cardinal Lawrence is determined to honor the late pope’s trust in him. But his efforts can also be viewed as a desperate fight to keep evil out of their sacred space. In this sense, he is not fighting the cardinals themselves; rather he is fighting the lust for power, which has the potential to corrupt the church throughout if that kind of power wins. From this perspective, power is the villain rather than the individuals themselves. Cardinals Tremblay and Wozniak behave poorly because they have been infected by a thirst for power that can ultimately fracture the church if they ascend to the role of pontiff. Given what is at stake, Lawrence’s wariness and diligence are warranted and admirable. At the same time though, it suggests he is in pursuit of an infallible human being, or perhaps just the appearance of one. I love movies that give you a glimpse of places and processes we would not otherwise see or experience. The value of Conclave is that it helps us appreciate Catholic clergy, or clergy in general, as flawed people, much like everyone else. What distorts this view, I believe, are the religious institution’s frequent adorning of accoutrements like crosses, starched robes, hats, and even certain colors (i.e. the notion of white for purity) to mask their imperfections and present themselves as holy, unbiased, without ambition, and always upright. We lowly parishioners can’t possibly measure up. Perhaps this is just naïvete on my part, but I wonder how clergy might modify their presentation to make themselves more relatable to the people they serve. Maybe this could be the beginning of making church feel like a second home again. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!