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Mare of Easttown tries to strike a balance with representations < Back Mare of Easttown tries to strike a balance with representations Zobot Projects, 2021 60 minutes Creator: Brad Ingelsby Reading Time: 8 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, HBO Mare of Easttown Shadow Passage (8K382WTLKE7VG6UX) 00:00 / 09:33 Matcha Mysteries or whodunnits Dandelion Movies and TV shows with heavy subjects Reba Chaisson 2021-08-30 Several elements contribute to the power of film productions. In addition to story structure and strong acting, cinema exerts its influence through the representations of groups and the relationships between characters of different race, class, gender, generation, and other categories. Mare of Easttown exemplifies the power of these images on-screen, which seem benign—yet passively teach us about ourselves and how we think of others. Set in the fictional, small town of Easttown, Pennsylvania, this 7-part series follows Detective Mare Sheehan while she investigates a missing persons/murder case. The detective, played by Kate Winslet, is self-effacing and neither crude nor cruel. She is, however, unpretentious in her interactions, be they with suspects, friends, family, or lovers. A bit of a maverick, Detective Sheehan insists on working alone as she tirelessly investigates her cases. Undeterred by passage of time, injury, personal relationships, or even station politics, she relents only when she arrives at the most granular level of truth. As she finds though, this approach can also lead to tragic and regrettable consequences. A working-class area where people earn a living standing on their feet and working with their hands, Easttown feels straddled on the boundary between urban and rural. About half of the scenes are set in an urban working-class neighborhood with modest, closely situated two-story brick homes. The other half is set in rural areas peppered with small isolated, frame farmhouses that have dimly lit interiors and require long country roads to reach. Fall is signaled with near-constant overcast skies and thick clothing, which together give the feel of cool temperatures, short days, and damp weather. Although not snowy, Mare of Easttown moves much like Wind River . The story and dialog are Andante‑paced with strong actors who hold the camera and mouth telling dialog that immerses viewers into their characters’ lived experiences. As one character admits to her adult child “Truth is, I was angry a lot. That your father wasn’t the person I thought I’d married and I was angry I couldn’t fix him. And I took a lot of that out on you. And I’m sorry. …” Divorced and the single mother of a teenager, Detective Sheehan is obsessed with her work and simultaneously juggles it with maintaining custody of her young grandson and dealing with some long‑buried feelings of guilt. Although her specialty is crime investigation, the detective’s life is so intertwined with the lives of those in her lifelong community that they rely on her for more than her policing prowess. Here, neighbors and friends call “Mare” day or night for everything from checking their security system, tracking down relatives they have not seen in the usual day or two, to investigating a young neighbor leering at them. “I wanted to make sure you knew about this right away so the community’s safe in case this pervert’s still on the loose.” This level of comfort reaching out to the detective alludes to the residents’ decades-long familiarity with, and reliance on, one another. Indeed, most people of Easttown are lifelong residents as evidenced by a big celebration of the town’s high school basketball victory 20 years prior, where many of the female characters were teammates. The disproportionate number of retirees in the series and the age variation of the cast bring to mind the 1991 film, Fried Green Tomatoes . Released when Millennials were still being born, conceived, and considered, the film stars Generation-X actress Mary Stuart Masterson, Baby-Boomers Kathy Bates and Mary-Louise Parker, and Traditionalist, the late Jessica Tandy. As with Easttown, an appreciation grows for their close-knit relationships, reminiscent of those in small towns like Easttown and even Carlinville, Indiana as depicted in the 2014 film, The Judge . In a scene with his young daughter asking to come with him to his mother’s funeral, Hank, played by Robert Downey Jr., quips, “Trust me, nobody wants to go to Carlinville, Indiana. Everybody wants to leave.” Some in Carlinville, though, appreciate the small-town feel of the place, as Hank’s ex-girlfriend, Samantha Powell (played by Vera Farmiga), later retorted, “I am never leaving Carlinville. I love it here.” Most residents of Easttown fall into the latter group, appreciating the familiarity and valuing the relationships that small-town life can bring. However, we learn in Mare of Easttown that this is not for everyone, as a character grapples with staying for the virtues offered by the town, or like Hank, leaving for something different. Although Easttown is predominantly White, it depicts a smidgeon of racial diversity. It comes in the form of a couple of passing characters as well as two Black/African Americans with more substantial on‑screen presence. They include her police chief, played by John Douglas Thompson ( The Bourne Legacy , 21 Bridges ), and Beth Hanlon, played by Chinasa Ogbuagu. Other dimensions of diversity are represented in terms of sexual preference, disability, and age. All of these go beyond just representations in the series, but work to chip away at many long-held stereotypes associated with them. Mare’s teenage daughter, Siobhan, played by Angourie Rice ( The Nice Guys , Spiderman ), is a lesbian who shatters the “butch” stereotype often associated with women who prefer same sex partners. Julianne Nicholson ( I, Tonya , Black Mass ) plays Mare’s best friend, Lori Ross, whose daughter Moira, played by Kassie Mundhenk, has Down Syndrome. Unlike many shows of the past, Moira’s character is weaved naturally, yet realistically, into her family setting, school, and outside activities. Finally, Jean Smart plays Mare’s retired, enabled, incredibly smart, bold, and funny mother who lives with her, but with whom she often finds herself at odds. The series challenges the identities of lesbians, persons with congenital disabilities, and older adults, and even humanizes people in traditional working-class occupations and communities. However, it falls short on impugning popular cinematic tropes of Blacks as drug addicts and thieves. Structural explanations for drugs and crime in working‑class communities notwithstanding, for now, it is simply important to note that their prevalence in these areas requires a semblance of illicit activities in Mare of Easttown to maintain cinematic authenticity. But connecting them with one of the few Blacks in Easttown is problematic given the plentiful options for associating the activity with one of the many White residents in the community. So, while the series works to challenge the identities around some social categories, it falls back on the age-old stereotypes of race, specifically, Black. Seeming to apologize for this boondoggle, the filmmakers strive to balance this negative depiction with the town’s Black police chief. Mare is considered by her boss, Chief Carter, to be very good at her job, but due to her difficulties with a case, he requests a federal agent for additional support. Seeing a Black man cast opposite a White woman on-screen is rare. Indeed, I remember the uproar when Idris Elba was cast opposite Kate Winslet in the 2017 film, The Mountain Between Us . A fair number of Rotten Tomatoes reviews downgraded the piece, describing it as “unconvincing,” “unrealistic,” “horrendous,” and “[the] castings feeling VERY wrong, and out of place.” Keep in mind though, that movies are typically neither produced nor viewed in isolation, but rather against the backdrop of the political and social climates of the time. Given the tumultuousness of the period in which the film was released, it is likely that these elements colored the audience’s perceptions of Winslet and Elba in the film. At one point in Mare of Easttown , Chief Carter, a consummate professional, stands in Mare’s personal space and calmly berates her for doing something quite out of bounds: “Cut the bullsh*t Mare. I know it was you…Part of me wants to make sure you never wear a badge again…” Interestingly, I have been unable to find any backlash online. Hmmm. Could the changing political and social dynamics explain this absence? Overall, Mare of Easttown makes a valiant effort to strike a balance with diverse representations and goes further to break the mold in some. It is imperfect in this regard, but it does signal the filmmaker’s conscientiousness about identities and representations. Wrapping them in an immersive small-town story helps the series along and could keep you engaged. If you are sensitive to representations and you like small-town mysteries set in the fall, you might be interested in cuddling up in a blanket for this one. 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!

My Name inserts a less common hero into a common revenge tale < Back My Name inserts a less common hero into a common revenge tale Studio Santa Claus Entertainment, 2021 50 minutes Creator: Kim Va-da and Kim Jin-Min Reading Time: 6 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Netflix My Name Treacherous (HASFF8RDHNWNIWOB) 00:00 / 06:09 Rosemary Movies and TV shows with intense action Chris Chaisson 2023-04-04 “To take revenge is to become a monster. A monster is what you are.” The action genre is littered with revenge stories. More often than not, though, the central character is a man with combat training and a violent past. He is an underdog merely in the sense that he is outnumbered and has made strides to retire his violent persona. Less common in the genre is a revenge story centered around a female protagonist going undercover in order to achieve said vengeance. Ji-Woo (Han So-hee, Nevertheless ) is that protagonist, joining organizations on both sides of the law in the Netflix K-drama My Name . When her father (Yoon Kyung-ho, All of Us Are Dead ), a cop masquerading as a powerful gangster, is murdered while trying to protect her, Ji-Woo seeks both the truth and payback. She joins the dojo of gangsters funded by her father’s closest friend, Choi Mu-Jin (Hee-soon Park, Seven Days ), and learns martial arts. Once she has honed her skills, she infiltrates the local police force, operating as a mole for Choi Mu-Jin’s criminal organization. Once she gains her footing in law enforcement, Ji-Woo transfers to her father’s old unit in order to gain access to the documents she hopes will lead her to her father’s killer. The draw of My Name is Ji-Woo’s character arc, with the story taking place over a 6-year period. She must keep growing both as a martial artist and a detective if she wants to achieve the vengeance she craves. As a teenager and student, she has raw anger and aggression that she must learn to harness. Ji-Woo fends off an attack from school bullies, showing that while she is not a trained fighter, she can still defend herself. When she first goes to Choi Mu-Jin for help, he puts a knife in her hand and challenges her to stab him as though he were her father’s killer. She cannot bring herself to even make an attempt, causing him to impatiently throw her out of his headquarters. After she returns, she becomes a highly skilled and disciplined fighter over time, besting all of the male gangsters in the dojo who have harassed and bullied her. Ji-Woo’s ability to quell her blind rage and learn to think like a detective make her a lethal weapon. We see Ji-Woo’s progression continue when she first joins the police force. Thanks to her experience of being surrounded by violence and misogyny at the dojo, her gut instinct in every mission is to beat up the bad guys rather than complete the objective in covert fashion. This tendency lands her in hot water multiple times with Pil-do (Ahn Bo-Hyun, Itaewon Class) , who eventually becomes her partner. Once Ji-Woo learns to operate with patience and discipline, she draws less attention to herself, which allows her to escape several close calls where her identity is nearly revealed to her co-workers. As she admits multiple times throughout the series, Ji-Woo has made her entire existence about catching her father’s killer. This would be hampered if her motives were found out prematurely. Where My Name excels the most is in its action sequences. Ji-Woo’s petite frame makes her appear overmatched in every fight, so she must use her agility, quickness and any objects handy. In the very first episode, she finds herself in a caged match at the dojo with dozens of other gangsters as part of a free-for-all. They must fight until only one of them is left standing. She and fellow martial artist Gang-jae Do (Yull Jang, Welcome to Waikiki ) outlast every other member and face off with one another. Many other scenes show Ji-Woo taking on several villains in confined spaces: bathrooms, narrow corridors or even elevators. She generally does not have the option to run, rely on back-up, or even use a firearm. The claustrophobic nature of the hand-to-hand combat illustrates the sense of self-reliance Ji-Woo has had to take on without her father’s protection. As the fight scenes play out, a recurring thought a viewer may have is that Ji-Woo does not really have to endure any of these life-and-death situations. Yet, as she states, “I gave up my future and my name to get my dad’s murderer!” She grieves over his death many times throughout the series, as seeking information about those responsible forces her to relive the agony repeatedly. While on the surface level she is fighting for temporary survival, Ji-Woo is always essentially fighting for revenge. A major motif of revenge stories is whether or not success ultimately fulfills the protagonist. Generally, the main character finds that they are still not satisfied when they reach the end of their mission. They still carry the emptiness they previously had and realize that nothing will bring back the loved one they lost. Ji-Woo questions out loud not only if vengeance is worth what she loses but also what the quest for vengeance has turned her, and others, into. Similar to other revenge stories, My Name incorporates the “fish out of water” trope. In shows like Lupin and The English , the main character comes from a different background or socioeconomic situation as the villains they target for vengeance. In spite of her combat skills, Ji-Woo certainly qualifies as a fish out of water by first infiltrating an all-male criminal organization and later the predominantly male police force. Her mission is not steeped in greed and malice like the gangsters, but it is also not in criminal justice like the other police officers. She is merely there to avenge her own father’s murder. As far as revenge stories go, My Name is most reminiscent of the 2010s ABC hit Revenge (hard to get more on-the-nose than that). Emily Thorne arrives in the Hamptons seeking payback against those who wronged her father. While Revenge is more based around money than violent crime, Emily and Ji-Woo both serve as good examples of characters who have broken off their life paths in search of retaliation. 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< Back A Girl Upstairs centers the dangers of agoraphobia Goreella Media, 2024 90 minutes Director/Writer: Kevin Van Stevenson / John Gee Reading Time: 4 minutes A Girl Upstairs Feast (ZG3K1GRB0QYOOPPU) 00:00 / 04:59 📷 : Used with permission, Goreella Media Yarrow: Movies and TV shows about illness or set in hospitals or similar medical institutions Chris Chaisson 2024-04-25 Over the past decade, many adolescents in the Gen Z age group have tuned into a minimalist music genre called lo-fi hip hop , for which there are many YouTube live streams to help tune out your surroundings and focus on studies. One such beat from this genre is titled “Solitude” by the artist Nymano. It borrows a sound byte from a popular anime called Cowboy Bebop in which a character says, “Instead of being in a group, it’s better to have real solitude all by yourself.” The man she is talking to responds, “You were just afraid they’d abandon you, so you abandoned them. You distanced yourself from the whole thing.” The exchange is meant to shed light on how humans can use isolation to shield themselves from pain, even if the loneliness is painful itself. This sound byte, as well as the song, echoed through my head as I watched Kevin Van Stevenson’s psychological thriller A Girl Upstairs . Written by John Gee, A Girl Upstairs revolves around a talented canvas artist named Dulce who, due to a traumatic childhood event, has developed agoraphobia. She remains barricaded in her loft above a movie theater, only occasionally peeking out of the window or a hole in the wall facing the screening room. Her only consistent interaction is over the phone with an art gallery owner who sells her work. Their conversations only contribute to Dulce’s mounting anxiety. Throughout her day, Dulce sporadically interacts with her paintings, much in the way Robert Neville in I Am Legend converses with the store mannequins. The single character, single-location story approach poses its fair share of challenges, but it is also oddly relatable for viewers. Though we interact with peers, neighbors and family on a regular basis, the most neurotic of us identify with Dulce’s feelings. With an excess of thoughts pinging around in your head, you can feel alone a lot more than you are by never expressing them to those you confide in. Watching Dulce, played by Holly Blair, meander around her apartment, two main questions enter the audience’s mind: what happened to trigger this agoraphobic state and will she eventually face her fear? After discovering that a movie theater employee that she has admired from afar has a girlfriend, Dulce tries to destroy a painting she made in his likeness. To her surprise, her efforts have an unexpected consequence, as her art comes to life. She enjoys the new company and takes on the role of caregiver. Assuming this responsibility not only boosts Dulce’s spirits but allows her to take better care of herself in turn. One looming reality is that her painting-come-to-life is not encumbered by her own past trauma and will likely seek to explore the world, forcing Dulce to face her agoraphobia simply to hold onto her newfound happiness. The set design and music in A Girl Upstairs paints the bleakness of Dulce’s mental state. While she has space to move around in her loft, the clutter, peeling wallpaper and dim lights accentuate the pressing need for her to overcome her fear. This seems a clever depiction, as a more luxurious environment would undermine her main inner conflict. Similarly, the soundtrack creates an ominous mood throughout, foreshadowing the eventual climax and heightening several nightmarish moments during the course of the story. Dulce’s haunting flashbacks are revealed in very short, sporadic clips that accurately represent the imperfect memories we all possess. It also gives the added bonus of hinting at a traumatic event without fully displaying it in a triggering manner. An old quote from Seneca goes, “We suffer more in imagination than in reality.” With this in mind, leaving Dulce’s childhood trauma as a fragmented memory for much of the film allows the viewer’s imagination to run wild. A Girl Upstairs presents as a single-location psych thriller and delivers its fair share of tense moments. Nonetheless, my closest comparison comes from a more light-hearted crime drama from the early 2000’s, Matchstick Men . Nicolas Cage plays Roy, a con-artist with his own affliction, similar to Dulce. When his estranged teenage daughter unexpectedly arrives, similar to Dulce’s humanoid paintings, he must assume new responsibilities and face fears that he’s been avoiding for years. Though Dulce does not mirror any of Nicolas Cage’s patented rants , A Girl Upstairs entertains, shocks and makes you reconsider the thought of embracing loneliness. 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!

Bloodline reveals that outcasts/monsters are created – not born < Back Bloodline reveals that outcasts/monsters are created – not born KZK Productions, 2015-17 60 minutes Creator: Glenn Kessler, Todd A. Kessler, and Daniel Zelman Reading Time: 5 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Netflix Bloodline Altered Fate (JADIEIFGX0QKXZJ1) 00:00 / 06:01 Dandelion Movies and TV shows with heavy subjects Peach Movies and TV shows with a springtime feel or with images of the season Reba Chaisson 2021-07-25 When I was in graduate school, my professor stated, “Inequality is violent.” I listened attentively to his explanation then, and while I thought he made a solid case I never fully bought into it. Even the most socialist and altruistic countries have inequality, which indicates it is something that is inevitable and occurs naturally. I do agree, however, that the scale of inequality in the U.S. is obscene and must be remedied through policy. What is violent is unequal treatment and unequal access to opportunities because they allow for castigation, marginalization, and even dehumanization of people who do not have the resources valued in the culture—or in the case of Bloodline , the family. Bloodline is a Netflix original series about a traditional family of six in present-day Florida Keys, an untraditional but serene setting. Sam Shepard and Sissy Spacek head the cast as Robert and Sally Rayburn, a set of older Baby Boomers who own Rayburn House, a beautiful resort set on the ocean. As the patriarch of the family, Robert is loved and revered by his four adult children, while Sally is adored and overprotected by them. Skeletons haunt the family, as we learn through flashbacks, old pictures, and of course the dialog between the characters. While the family is highly respected in the community and appears to be close‑knit, it harbors strong anxieties and a general distrust of Danny, the eldest sibling. At the root of these are Robert’s sentiments for his son and the lifelong purgatory he has relegated Danny to because of a pivotal moment of poor judgment he exhibited as a teenager. As the siblings follow Robert’s lead in his ostracism of Danny, we painstakingly realize that outcasts and monsters are not born, rather they are molded and shaped through years of harsh and unequal treatment. The style and setting of Bloodline are reminiscent of the 1960s Elvis Presley movies shot in Hawaii. White sandy beaches, palm trees, and tropical foliage are omnipresent. Boomer hippies sit around in straw hats singing songs backed by the music of Robert’s ever-present ukulele, along with a speckle of teenagers to draw young audiences. The tone and subject matter of the story, however, are serious, making Bloodline a stark contrast from Blue Hawaii , Girls! Girls! Girls! and Paradise, Hawaiian Style . When he is unable to stay an extra day, a guest jokingly says to Sally “I feel like I am being kicked out of paradise!” Far from paradise, the series is particularly disturbing in season 1, where I often found it difficult to sleep after watching an episode. Generation-X is well represented with the 40-something children led by Kyle Chandler ( Friday Night Lights , Early Edition ) as John Rayburn and Ben Mendelsohn as Danny ( The King , Ready Player ). And while Robert and Sally Rayburn present as hippies, Rayburn House offers very little in diversity by way of its employees, guests, or friends of the Rayburn family. Except for the Hispanic workers who have stereotypical roles of carrying the guests’ suitcases, driving the hotel shuttles, and turning down the beds, the resort—indeed the cast—is overwhelmingly White. But according to the U.S. Census Bureau , Key West is 60% Non-Hispanic White. This means 40% of the island consists of other groups, namely, Hispanics who comprise just under a quarter and Blacks who make up about 14%. Their absence in Robert and Sally’s circle after 50 years on the island reinforces the show's ‘60s aesthetics feel. Interestingly though, each of the siblings has a working or personal relationship with a member of one of these groups, as if the writers were positing the message that time has moved on. Finally and annoyingly, Sally is flappable at every unexpected turn of events. Despite establishing the reputation of the Rayburn House with her husband over the last 50 years, she repeatedly asks how, why, and when questions like she’s clueless, and she defers meaningful business and family decisions to her husband and children. They, in turn, consider the degree to which their decisions will please or upset “Mom.” Sally’s relinquishing of her power is another example of the throwback feel of the show. She is the matriarch of the family, but she does not assert her authority by making her wishes known. Instead, she retreats, refusing to deal with the difficult things and expecting the men in her life to “take care of [them].” Unlike her mother, Meg, played by Linda Cardellini ( The Green Book , Daddy’s Home 2 ), is a strong‑willed, tenacious, and competent lawyer who handles the legal aspects of the family business. Throughout the series, she is revealed as fun‑loving and quite the opposite of a traditional wallflower. Her portrayal hammers home the generational difference between her and her mother. Make no mistake about this show. While it is a ‘60s feel story in a contemporary, bright, beach setting, the subject matter is serious and can be quite disturbing. Stories about family dysfunction often are this way, some less scratch-the-chalkboard-surface than others. But our tastes and appetites vary. While I struggled to get past season 1, this series might just work for you. 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< Back A Beautiful Life adds the human dimension to pop stardom SF Studios Production, 2023 98 minutes Director/Writer: Mehdi Avaz / Stefan Jaworski Reading Time: 5 minutes A Beautiful Life Dreams to Reality (XZ5GCXZ3C4EKRARA) 00:00 / 05:21 📷 : Used with permission, Netflix Ginger Thought-provoking movies and TV shows Jasmine Movies and TV shows with heart, positive vibes, and warm messages Reba Chaisson 2023-06-16 Entertainers, or more specifically music artists, are rarely viewed as being invested in anyone other than themselves. They are often begrudged by less successful people for their wealth and talent, and frequently objectified by fans as icons that churn out likable tunes but who are void of humanity. This seems like a harsh assessment, but one need only pick up any pop star magazine or check out the number of celebrity Twitter followers to realize this is the case. What is interesting about A Beautiful Life is its depiction of pop stardom as all these things, with the added dimension of the human element. Set in Denmark, A Beautiful Life follows Elliott, a late 20-something who works as a fisherman, saves his pay, and lives alone on an unseaworthy, small wooden boat. A gifted musician, he has no aspirations to perform professionally. His best friend, Oliver, however, does, so Elliott performs the guitar accompaniment for him at a local club in Ebeltoft. But on a night when a major music producer is expected in the audience, Oliver is unprepared and goes cold mid-performance, forcing Elliott to play and sing to cover for him. Predictably, Elliott gets noticed for his talent and Oliver, played by Sebastian Jessen ( While We Live, 4Reality ), is shunned for his lack of it, leading to friction between the two friends. Played by Danish pop star Christopher, Elliott, who was orphaned at a young age, initially resists demonstrating his range of musical talents, so much so that his producer Lilly, played by Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas ( The Last King, Women in Oversized Men’s Shirts) , considers giving up on him. Guilt-ridden, Elliott needs to be cajoled into seizing the opportunity in front of him, but indulging it is like punishment. It is as if he feels undeserving of the chance to become hugely successful at something he loves. A Beautiful Life brings to mind the 1997 film, Good Will Hunting , with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon as best friends from a working-class area of Boston. While both work alongside each other in building demolition, Matt’s character, Will, is a math genius who insists on staying with his friends and busting bricks for life, rather than exploring opportunities readily available to him in math and engineering. Like Elliott in A Beautiful Life , this reluctance is a part of his deeper issues around loyalty, fear, and sense of guilt. In Good Will Hunting , Will’s therapist, Sean, played by Robin Williams, gets him to understand why he won’t take this step. Elliott has proxy therapists, so a good portion of the film is spent with him brooding while those around him offer sage advice and tough love. Also, unlike Will, whose best friend Chuckie insists he seizes his opportunities — telling Will “If you’re still around here in 20 years, I swear to God I’ll kill you” – Elliott’s best friend is too jealous to do such a thing. Instead, Oliver asserts that Elliott’s limelight should be shared with him “since [Elliott] is living [his] life.” The similarities and nuances between the two films are not meant to suggest that A Beautiful Life is a potential Oscar contender, let alone winner, like Good Will Hunting . The film does not spend enough time letting the audience get to know Elliott before he shifts into the world of music. It is as if the film wanted to get to the frenzied life of being a professional musician with pressures all around to wear a mask of happiness and perform on cue. With no family, what did Elliott do in his spare time? What comprised his social life with friends other than Oliver? How is it that Oliver is so important to him when they are only shown bickering with one another? What kinds of things did he enjoy other than music? Additionally, Elliott’s insistence that he lacks interest in pursuing music professionally is at odds with his level of talent that surely took time to develop. Who doesn’t pick up a guitar and imagine him– or herself performing on stage? Even accepting this, what drove him to hone his musical talents – and how did he become so good? It is as if the film tried too hard to fashion Elliott as a unicorn. Elliott’s high level of talent suggests that music did indeed matter to him and that he aspired to play professionally. The omissions and inconsistencies in the film make the story seem disingenuous. But the film’s theme that deeply personal issues keep us stuck in the mud rings strong and true. Moreover, the film adds the dimension that while loss can lead to inertia and dampen aspirations, it can also instill strong will and determination if you keep company with people who care about you and vice versa. These elements get at the depth and breadth of humanity that move Elliott’s celebrity from icon to being just human like the rest of us, dealing with hardship. 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!

Operation: Cavity makes a strong statement about understanding experiences from a kid’s point of view. < Back Operation: Cavity makes a strong statement about understanding experiences from a kid’s point of view. Silvermine Productions, 2022 18 minutes Director/Writer: Alex Morsanutto Reading Time: 2 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Alex Morsanutto Operation: Cavity Seeing Results (N1PNDA1PEINSBVGA) 00:00 / 02:58 White Movies and TV shows that make you laugh, or involve urgency, like chase scenes or other physical activity Yarrow Movies and TV shows about illness or set in hospitals or similar medical institutions Reba Chaisson 2022-09-25 Operation: Cavity is a comedy about four friends who devise a scheme to get revenge on their dentist for the years of filled cavities, pulled teeth, and awkward x-rays. It is a short, hilarious film that packs a big punch, with multiple settings and bright aesthetics that bring back memories of childhood films like The Sandlot , The Bad News Bears , and Mighty Ducks . The exquisite cinematography and continual movement of the story time-travels us to the days when we were 10 and 11 years old: loyal to our friends and doing goofy stuff like challenging people—knowing we would get our butts kicked. Indeed, the inciting event of Operation: Cavity occurs when Douglas, played by Jonathan O’Reilly, gets clobbered while standing up for his friend Timmy, played by Declan Foley. Doug’s subsequent visit to the dentist brilliantly presents the experience from his vantage point, with bright lights, whizzing tools, and intimidating instruments—and care providers. Something so necessary appears nonetheless quite daunting, if not traumatic, through Doug’s eyes. As far as he and his friends are concerned, the dentist exists to inflict pain. Realizing what a visit to a medical provider looks and feels like from a child’s point of view may take some audience members aback. The experience is quite scary, and the procedures are seen as assaultive rather than caring acts. They are traumatizing rather than calming. And dental work amounts to punishment for a crime they didn’t commit. This is sure to motivate adults to consider ways to mitigate children’s anxieties around what they see as “the dreaded visit to the dentist,” with more comforting words offered by providers, perhaps. Permitting parents/guardians into the room for procedures and allowing children headphones so they can listen to the music of their choice may also help. Made as a proof of concept for a young adult TV series, director Alex Morsanutto's short film conveys strong themes about what friendship means to pre-adolescents and the importance of appreciating experiences from a child’s perspective. The fact that the cast is age-, gender-, and racially-diverse adds an inclusive element to this relatable work of art. 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!

< Back You Hurt My Feelings examines self-awareness and tough love FilmNation Entertainment, 2023 93 minutes Director/Writer: Nicole Holofcener Reading Time: 6 minutes You Hurt My Feelings Imaginative Play (MKVM0XFUDZYWYUI0) 00:00 / 05:23 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock Barley: Movies and TV shows with a lot of dialog Chamomile: Family dramas Chris Chaisson 2023-05-30 Whether comedies choose to be dark, light-hearted or somewhere in between, they often still have a menacing antagonist that the main character has to overcome. It may be the principal who heavily values perfect attendance ( Ferris Bueller’s Day Off ) or the new camp counselor enforcing strict rules and fitness ( Heavyweights ). Nevertheless, penning a slice-of-life comedy allows the opportunity for more of a disembodied villain. This sort of bad guy can simply be a character trait, like the negative self-talk that many of us consistently experience, echoed in the comments of someone we hold dear. Such is the case in the 2023 comedy You Hurt My Feelings . Julia-Louis Dreyfuss ( Seinfeld, Veep ) stars as Beth, a writer and teacher who leans on her husband Don (Tobias Menzies, Casino Royale ) and sister Sarah (Michaela Watkins, Paint ) for emotional support. Similar to many creatives, Beth suffers from insecurities about the quality of her work, in large part due to how long she has been in the business. One day, she overhears Don talking to Sarah’s husband Mark (Arian Moayed, Succession ), admitting what he would never say to her directly: that despite reading many drafts, he dislikes her most recent novel. This admission devastates Beth, shaking her confidence not only in her work but in the strength of their relationship. She is left to figure out how, if at all, to confront Don about the issue. Before doing so, Beth must mull over whether she is angry about his dishonesty or the criticism itself. As a slice-of-life comedy, You Hurt My Feelings addresses a constant dilemma of relationships, romantic or otherwise, which is how to tactfully critique your loved ones. Having unconditional love for someone does not necessarily equate to having unconditional love for everything they do. Writer/director Nicole Holofcener hits on this theme effectively through her characterization of Don. He is not a cold-hearted, abusive spouse in the mold of a Tyler Perry antagonist. In fact, he is not an antagonist at all. He adores Beth and is unrelenting in his support of her, so much so that she would have been none the wiser had she not eavesdropped on his conversation. The reason Don’s criticism stings Beth as much as it does is because her profession already requires so much vulnerability. Working in a creative field exposes you to effusive scorn from complete strangers who do not care about your feelings at all and even measured criticism from those attempting to market you. Many professionals take solace in the approval of their loved ones as the only constant that they have. With this context, it is easy to see how Beth’s feelings can be so hurt but also why Don would hesitate to be truthful. Though Don’s confession is the inciting incident for the movie, the theme of how to critique those close to you resurfaces among several characters throughout the film. Don and Beth have a son Elliott in his early 20’s, who works in a marijuana dispensary and lives with his girlfriend. As the story progresses, Elliott questions whether or not he was raised with an appropriate level of self-awareness or coddled into thinking too highly of himself. Similarly, Don’s work as a therapist comes under the microscope. With markers of progress being so undefined in his field, it is tough at times to figure out whether or not he is really helping his patients get better and if they have any faith in his abilities. Sarah is a high-end interior decorator who questions her own life’s work several times, as she struggles to please a difficult client. These portrayals all feel very relatable, causing the audience to assess every situation and question how they would handle it. Jonathan (David Cross, Arrested Development ) and Carolyn (Amber Tamblyn, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants ), a married couple who are two of Don’s clients, serve as the control group in this story of rocky relationships. They bicker constantly in their sessions with Don and lack any intimacy or even basic respect for one another. In a strange way, it stands out as the most candid relationship of the film, even if completely unhealthy. Jonathan and Carolyn’s fights and teeth-gritting insults at one another give credence to Don’s decision to swallow his tongue about Beth’s work. Seeing a brutally honest married couple argue and hurt each other week-after-week could make anyone second-guess the value of being completely forthcoming about a loved one’s flaws. While far less dramatic, You Hurt My Feelings bears some resemblance to the late 90s rom-com The Story of Us . Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer play a couple who are on the verge of divorce and fight constantly. Despite couples therapy and having two children, they struggle to settle their differences or move on from past betrayals. Don and Beth never have such high stakes for their quandary, but the core issue of their marriage, how to be tactfully critical, translates to any and every relationship. 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 Challengers shows us what it’s like to handle a different type of loss Frenesy Film Company, 2024 131 minutes Director/Writer: Luca Guadagnino / Justin Kuritzkes Reading Time: 7 minutes Challengers Afterpxrty (YYABID45DSUN9L0A) 00:00 / 08:14 📷 : Used with permission, Bartos Gyorgy https://www.instagram.com/bartosgy https://www.facebook.com/methwarddesigns https://www.bartosgyorgy.com/ Masala Chai: Movies and TV shows about toughness and athletic competition Honeybush: Nonfamily dramas with strong adult and/or socioeconomic themes Reba Chaisson 2024-05-01 Loss is often viewed as the death of a loved one, but it can also refer to the sudden loss of an ability we once had. In both instances, we grieve. After denial, anger, bargaining, and depression, the stages of grief note that we accept our loss and figure out a way forward by discovering or nurturing a newfound purpose. But according to psychologists , sometimes we never get to acceptance. Because the loss is so devastating, we carry the emotional weight wherever we go, and it manifests in our treatment of others. In addition to being a story about a love triangle, Challengers is about the damage such baggage can inflict on us and those we care most about. Played by Zendaya ( Spiderman: Homecoming , The Greatest Showman ), Tashi is a confident but sociable 18-year-old tennis phenom who believes a match is about “a relationship” with her opponent. She is quick on her feet, powerful with the racquet, and has an intense yell when she wins a long and active volley. Smitten by her beauty, talent, and passion for winning, roommates and best friends Art and Paul, who are strong tennis players themselves, fall for Tashi while attending one of her matches. Their mouths drop the moment she removes her sweater and steps onto the court. The heads of the spectators turn left and right with the movement of the ball, but Art and Paul stare only at Tashi, as if in a drunken daze despite neither having had a drink. In a conversation with Art and Paul during a party at her home, Tashi mentions that she’s going to Stanford in the fall. When Paul (Josh O’Connor) asks why she prefers to beat up on college girls in tennis rather than go professional, she laughs flirtatiously and responds, “You know nothing about tennis.” It’s a “relationship” with the other player, she explains. Paul and Art become so enraptured by Tashi that a years-long competition ensues in a game the boys might call, “Who gets the girl?” and Tashi would dub “Which boy is most aggressive on the court?” Tashi’s standards are simple; you must win. On this point, she is inflexible. Already a student at Stanford, Art (Mike Faist) becomes close friends with Tashi. Both are at the top of their tennis games until Tashi takes a fall that ends her tennis career. No longer able to play, she pours herself into coaching Art at the professional level, imploring him to win every match and even questioning his desire to win when he loses. She is viewed in the tennis world as a good coach, but behind the scenes she is mean about it. Challengers reminds me of the 1983 movie, Class , with Jacqueline Bisset, Rob Lowe, and Andrew McCarthy. It’s about an 18-year-old boarding school student falling for an older woman who turns out to be his roommate’s mother. The movie was promoted as a comedy, but the story contained themes about deep sadness, mental illness, and the difficulties of being mired in controlling families with huge amounts of wealth. I always felt the movie’s marketing team shot itself in the foot with this one, since it was a more important and meaningful story than just a film about laughs. Roger Ebert wrote that “the movie's ads [were] devoted to revealing that very point.” The New York Times commented that “The movie can't make up its mind whether it's a lighthearted comedy … or a romantic drama.” Today, Rotten Tomatoes rates Class at 49% and IMDB gives it a 6.0. Promotions for Challengers suggest it is a fun film where a tennis phenom toys with two guys vying for her affection. Like Class , it has some funny moments, but the film says much more. Challengers is a commentary on what can happen when we are no longer able to do what we once could. And the younger we are, the more difficult a time we have coping with the loss of a significant part of our identity, one we have honed for the previous 15 of our first 18 years of life. We question who we are now and wonder where we direct our energy. When musicians lose the ability to play, they go through periods of frustration and mourning. This is vividly depicted in the 2019 movie, Sound of Metal , where Ruben, a professional heavy metal drummer, begins losing his hearing. He smashes things in his home and is impatient with the people around him in his desperation to just “fix the problem” now. Gradually, he learns to communicate in other ways. The same frustration and mourning applies to athletes, particularly when they are robbed of their abilities early on in their careers, before they have had the chance to challenge themselves and see how far they can take their talents. To stay connected to their game, some elite athletes immediately move into coaching. Researchers argue that this “fast-tracking” of players is premature. An article by Mentally Tough Tennis acknowledges that elite athletes have some clear advantages over coaches who have not played at a high level. It adds, however, that the former phenoms have not focused on honing skills like patience, empathy and athletic skill‑development, all needed to nurture a player’s growth and maturation. Researchers have also expressed concern that fast‑tracking “may perpetuate incorrect, inappropriate, and even abusive coaching practices” which sometimes stem from the newly minted coach's time as a player. Years after her injury, Tashi still demeans Art whenever he loses a match. When he explains that he is tired and ready to retire, she ignores him. Instead, she devises an unscrupulous plan for Art to win and even involves his friend, Paul, in the scheme. Living vicariously through others is one thing. Behaving as if our most central identity is deeply entangled with other people’s accomplishments indicates something is awry, that some level of maturation has not been achieved. Tashi doesn’t seem to have accepted that she is no longer the player. Art’s life is not hers, nor are his tennis competitions hers to win. No matter how hard she tries, she cannot undo the injury that ended her own aspirations to play professional tennis. Her refusal or inability to accept this risks the wellbeing and friendship of the two men closest to her. Tennis has a feel and cadence, which is reflected in Challengers . Much of the movie is shot during the daylight with warm, sunny weather and calm winds. People are lightly dressed in bright colors and their spirits are high. The game commences only when the chatter dies down upon the umpire’s announcement to “Quiet please.” Then, there is no noise except the sound of the ball being served. The heads of the audience move with the rhythm and tempo of the play. So, during the film, spectators are frequently shown turning their heads in unison from left to right and right to left, coordinated with the ball’s impact against the racket and its bounce on the tennis court. The faster the ball moves, the faster the spectators’ heads move. It is as if the ball, the racket, and the court are providing background music for an otherwise quiet affair, until a point is won. Like tennis, Challengers is layered, visiting the characters’ pasts and volleying back to the present. This can be a bit disorienting at times because it is not always clear what is the past versus the present. Nonetheless, Challengers is a film whose look and feel draws you into a story about a love triangle, where each participant struggles to get what they want without losing the other two. At its center, the film is a story about handling loss in a way that doesn’t lead to us losing everyone that means something to us. 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!

The Brothers Sun uses pure entertainment to negotiate tension between traditional and unconventional < Back The Brothers Sun uses pure entertainment to negotiate tension between traditional and unconventional Brad Falchuk Tely-Vision, 2024 69 minutes Creator: Brad Falchuk, Amy Wang, and Byron Wu Reading Time: 6 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Netflix The Brothers Sun East Meets West (0J9CSWYXZD8LTPO8) 00:00 / 06:36 Oolong Movies and TV shows that make you laugh or involve physical activities like dance and exercise Masala Chai Movies and TV shows about toughness and athletic competition Reba Chaisson 2024-01-12 I love this entertaining 8-episode series about a family’s struggle to break free of longstanding cultural and familial constraints. This action-packed series, which combines spoken English and English subtitles, features the Sun family. Big Sun and his early 30-something-year-old son Charles live in Taiwan and run the Jade Dragons segment of the notorious Triads criminal organization. Mother Eileen and her 20-year-old son Bruce have lived a “normal life” in Los Angeles for over 10 years. Apart in mindset and physical distance, the Suns are nonetheless bonded by a secret held by Eileen that gives her family leverage should anything in the Triads organization go awry. Led by Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh as Eileen Sun, The Brothers Sun mixes drama, humor, and a lot of martial arts to draw us into this story about the tension between traditional and unconventional lifestyles. When Charles, played by Justin Chien, is attacked in his home and Big Sun (Johnny Kou) is shot by the unknown assailant, leaving him in a coma, Charles flies to Los Angeles to protect his estranged kin until it is determined who is out to destroy the Suns. The Brothers Sun has the cinematography and feel of a Quentin Tarantino film to go along with a soundtrack that is broad in genre. Rap, doo wop, guoyue, smooth rock, country, techno club music, and Asian club music combine to give the film a deep texture. But the heavy mix of music takes away from the production. A soundtrack typically functions as the glue that connects the scenes, so the production feels seamless. Here, multiple genres of music disrupt this continuity and, at times, make it unclear how to interpret the presentation. At one point in the story, for example, Charles gets his heart broken. In a subsequent episode, he sings Sheryl Crow’s version of “The First Cut is the Deepest” on a karaoke machine in what comes across as a moment of hilarity. But is this meant to be funny or a dramatic expression of his feelings? Frequently, in the series, there seems to be a disconnect between the music and the event, making it difficult to interpret the work. But then again, maybe the point is to not take ourselves too seriously. The humor in the series draws from its extensive contrasts. Having been raised in the U.S., for example, Bruce, played by Sam Song Li ( Never Have I Ever , Better Call Saul ), has a lighthearted and easygoing personality. Charles, on the other hand, takes on a more stoic demeanor, having been raised with traditional expectations of being the family’s protector and his father’s right hand man. Add Charles and Bruce’s blood relation and the fact that they are becoming reacquainted, we not only laugh, but become invested. In this sense, The Brothers Sun adopts the tactics of the long-running series, Frasier , where Frasier’s upscale lifestyle frequently clashes with his live-in father’s (Martin) working-class simplicity. Moments such as Martin mounting a big screen television on Frasier’s living room wall, Martin’s dog Eddie that cramped Frasier’s style, and the ever-present tattered recliner were all frequent sources of humor throughout the show’s 11 seasons. No one in The Brothers Sun is who they appear to be, and everyone wants to be someone they are not. Charles, a career killer and top member of a major organized crime family, is obsessed with being a pastry chef. Bruce, a pre-med student, wants to do improv, so unbeknownst to his mother, he sneakily takes improv classes at night. Envious that his brother is recognized as brave, Bruce brags to him that he is a “rebel.” Charles responds, “A rebel if [Mom] knows about it. If she doesn’t, just a liar.” Also in the series, everyone wants everyone else to be someone they are not, such as when Charles gives Bruce an ultimatum to be a gangster or not be his brother. Bruce wants his mother to revert to who she was before Charles arrived - a typical mom who works a 9 to 5 and is otherwise home and available. The women in this series are as competent at fighting as the men, with stiff competition even in cross-gender battles. The series has an Asian-diverse cast, with characters from China, Taiwan, and South Korea. For groups that are missing, they are seen in other ways, such as Bruce’s mention of the “Filipino cover band” on his t-shirt. With a film grounded in Asian representations, it can be argued that the broad music genres are meant as an invitation to other groups to enjoy the entertainment experience that The Brothers Sun offers. There are a few exaggerations in The Brothers Sun , which were likely intentionally inserted for comedic purposes. Although this is Charles’ first trip to Los Angeles, for example, he drives himself around town without the help of GPS - as if he is familiar with LA’s geography. Furthermore, in this age of smartphones, Charles uses a flip phone, which is especially hilarious when we consider that Taiwan is the biggest semiconductor chip producer in the world. The Brothers Sun is a fun, fun series, so much so that you might be tempted to binge-watch it. Be forewarned, though, that there are quite a few jokes and quips around weight that could be offensive to some people. Note that this is a cultural issue. What is considered heavy, thin, or even just right varies from culture to culture. Keeping this in mind would be helpful as you hear some of these lines. What we learn from this film is that there are different kinds of strengths and toughness. While Bruce lacks physical prowess, martial arts skills, and suave, he often comes up with helpful ideas. Charles, on the other hand, is brave, strong, and capable, but to no surprise he has a tender side. As overlooked as women often are in most cultures, Eileen is a strategist, a planner who shares what is necessary and only when it is ready for sharing. Sounds like a lot of moms, right? Enjoy! 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!

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!

Anatomy of a Scandal emphasizes the difference between facade and reality < Back Anatomy of a Scandal emphasizes the difference between facade and reality 3dot Productions, 2022 45 minutes Creator: David E. Kelley and Melissa James Gibson Reading Time: 5 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Netflix Anatomy of a Scandal True Crime Investigation (D3SGMJXWKFQOQMKJ) 00:00 / 06:21 Barley Movies and TV shows with a lot of dialog Honeybush Nonfamily dramas with strong adult and/or socioeconomic themes Reba Chaisson 2023-07-10 Erving Goffman, a social theorist, coined the concepts “front stage” and “back stage” to convey that we all have a public-facing persona, or front stage, that is very different from our private one, back stage. For those of us who are heavily invested in our career aspirations, particularly as they relate to politics, the stakes are high. In this case, realizing them and gaining influence relies heavily on our front stage appearance. How well we take care of this can be the difference between achieving our goals or remaining a relative unknown. The television series, Anatomy of a Scandal , drives this home, as it centers on a crisis faced by an affluent, political family in Britain. The six-episode story presents Peter Whitehouse, a very handsome, eloquent, and perfectly well-dressed member of the British Parliament accused of raping Olivia Lytton, a colleague in his office with whom he had a long-time affair. While both admit to the affair, it is the context of their last encounter that is in question. Before the story breaks, Peter, played by Rupert Friend ( Homeland , Asteroid City ), rushes home to tell his wife, Sophie, about both the accusation and the affair – in that order. Keenly aware that it would be disruptive to his family, made perfect with his beautiful wife, two kids, and even a housekeeper and dog, Peter uses a political consultant to help control the story. Sophie Whitehouse, Peter’s partner since their time at Oxford University, doesn’t receive the news well, and the cynical political operative in their living room doesn’t help matters any. Peter admits to the affair, but he vehemently denies the rape and the case goes to trial. While not a political thriller, Anatomy of a Scandal is riveting, with some special effects that add suspense to the drama, tempting us to binge watch the series. It also helps that the story is not contained to the courtroom, but moves throughout London, taking us in, out, and around offices, homes, and Westminster Abbey, all of which are nice distractions from the extensive dialog in the series. As an affluent political family, it is important that the Whitehouses, whose name likely stems from the U.S.’s own sex scandal during the Clinton administration, display both the accoutrements and demeanor of their class to maintain appearances. Thus, Sophie attends court with Peter, despite things being less than harmonious at home. In this narrow sense, the series is similar to The Law According to Lidia Poët . While Lidia presents as a member of Italy’s wealthy and influential class, she has no money of her own, despite growing up wealthy. She is even kicked out of her apartment, which forces her to move in with her brother and his family. Despite this, Lidia continues to dress like a member of the elites. In Anatomy of a Scandal , Peter and his family present as unified, and they possess the wealth and influence their presentation suggests. Like Lidia, though, this outward appearance of unity is inconsistent with a core aspect of their private life, the increasing disintegration of the family’s harmony at home. Another focal point of the series is the highly skilled prosecutor, Kate Woodcroft. Played by Michelle Dockery ( Downton Abbey , The Gentlemen ), Kate insists on handling the case herself, and believes, quite vehemently, that Peter is guilty of rape. In the courtroom, she skillfully questions both the accuser and the accused about the most minute details of their affair and the ensuing event. Both provide equally eloquent and impressive testimonies, as respective versions of their sexual encounters and the rape are shown through flashbacks. Nearly every response to every question is upsetting to Sophie, as the intimate acts they describe are familiar to her – at times even overwhelming for her. Complicating the trial is Peter’s long-time connection to the prime minister. A best friend since college, the prime minister stands by Peter, asserting his innocence to the press and suffering political backlash for it. For his part, Peter, with great eloquence, self-control, and even humility, focuses on maintaining appearances so as not to blow up his chances of realizing his political aspiration to succeed his friend as prime minister. After a while, the series begins to feel like a game of Whac-a-Mole as more and more details of Peter’s affair come to light, and he then feels compelled to explain away the events to Sophie, played by Sienna Miller ( American Sniper , The Lost City of Z ). For appearances, she is pressured to be in the courtroom with him, but repeatedly hearing the details of their relationship is excruciatingly painful for her. Each time, Peter eloquently rationalizes what was revealed, essentially conveying that the details are not what they seem and again reasserting his innocence. And each time, Kate ramps up her cross-examination, and grows even more determined to prove his guilt. Peter’s seemingly daily explanations prime his wife to stay in the fight with him, and essentially, mentally prepares her for the next day’s revelations. But between the details, political pressures, the press, and the poignant questions by the prosecutor, Sophie becomes increasingly unable to maintain the facade. Oxford-educated like her husband, Sophie mentally relents and gives in to her instincts, wondering about the man she married and why such an accomplished and skilled prosecutor took on this case. She begins asking some questions of her own, which gradually reveal truths about who people are and what the trial is about. What we learn is that like most situations in life, things are not always as they seem. 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!

Hamdardi presents a story about how to effectively communicate < Back Hamdardi presents a story about how to effectively communicate Taba Productions, 2023 29 minutes Director/Writer: Stefan Fairlamb and Ashley Tabatabai / Ashley Tabatabai Reading Time: 4 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Ashley Tabatabai Hamdardi Just A Dream (IXCLFGULPVPQ4U18) 00:00 / 04:27 Chamomile Family dramas Dandelion Movies/shows with heavy subjects Chris Chaisson 2023-09-07 Hamdardi uses the backdrop of the controversial 2017 U.S. travel ban for its compelling story. The short film takes us into the tug of war between Ethan Reynolds, a U.S. immigration officer, and his superior, Hank Henson. When two siblings from Iran, 18-year-old Reza and 9-year-old Parvaneh, are detained at the border, Ethan struggles with whether or not to grant them admission into the U.S. to be reunited with their ill father. Hank, Ethan’s rules-oriented boss, exhibits impatience with the siblings due to the language barrier. Rather than seeking to accommodate them, Hank arranges a flight to send them back to their homeland, as he does with multiple other detainees. As Ethan is currently experiencing separation anxiety, being denied visitation rights to his own daughter, he shows more compassion than Hank and teeter-totters between following orders and rebelling. A voice in one of Ethan’s ears is Carol, a bilingual lawyer pressing Ethan to stand up to his boss. In his other ear is Hank, using his by-the-book approach to influence Ethan. Set in early 2017, writer/director Ashley Tabatabai’s enthralling short highlights the conflicting emotions that many immigration officers likely feel. Though Hank is the antagonist of the story, his mindset reflects that of most people in the middle of a chain of command. “I don’t make the rules” is a familiar refrain for anyone who does not have the freedom to make unilateral decisions. Many use the concepts of just doing their job and following orders to shed any guilt that they feel about a task that is inherently immoral or dispassionate. The act of separating families as part of law enforcement most likely does not sit well with everyone who carries out the task, but they do it nonetheless because they have been trained to obey marching orders and question nothing. Ethan, on the other hand, looks at Parvaneh and sees his daughter. He cannot maintain the emotional distance to simply abide by his boss’s wishes. His inability to disassociate is egged on by Carol, and after a game of Tic-Tac-Toe with Parvaneh, he calls the mother of his child and leaves a voicemail begging her to let him see his daughter. Drawing from his own pain, Ethan not only shows more compassion than Hank but also seeks out any path to reuniting Reza and Parvaneh with their parents. What Hamdardi adeptly highlights is how the inability to communicate can generate impatience and mistrust. Once it is clear that Reza does not speak English, Hank’s attitude becomes more and more hostile. While this could simply be written off as xenophobia, it can also be interpreted as Hank attempting to exhibit more control over a situation than he actually has. Rather than bridging the gap in communication, which would take more time and understanding, he resorts to intimidation by raising his voice and speaking sharply, a common tactic of people in positions of authority. For someone like Reza, who does not speak the language and is playing the role of protector for his younger sister, this elicits resentment and a lack of trust. All he knows is that he is being yelled at. Ethan takes a softer tone and makes more direct eye contact, highlighting how Hank’s approach is unnecessary but serves as an additional way to maintain emotional distance. The story of Hamdardi likely still resonates with anyone who follows the news and remembers this time of uncertainty. While it has a much heavier subject matter, the film reminded me of the early 2000s one-location comedy The Terminal . Tom Hanks plays an eastern European traveler stuck in the JFK airport for an extended period of time. He too encounters a language barrier with the employees of the airport, and despite the disconnect, must learn how to coexist and communicate with them until he can be on his way. Both films accentuate the importance of showing patience, making effort and demonstrating compassion with people from other cultures, as well as taking a personal risk to do right by others. 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!