BFF FILM & FESTIVAL BLOG
'Shiva Baby' Review: A Comedy With Bite
Wayward soon-to-be college graduate Danielle is desperate to conceal the truth when she attends a Jewish funeral service with her parents and unexpectedly runs into an ex-girlfriend and her current sugar daddy.
Written by Aubrey Benmark
Molly Gordon as Maya. (Utopia)
Rachel Sennott as Danielle and Polly Draper as Debbie. (Utopia)
Diana Agron as Kim and Danny Deferrari as Max. (Utopia)
The tension is wound tighter than an egg timer in Emma Seligman’s debut feature film Shiva Baby, based on her short film of the same name. While attending a Jewish funeral gathering with her parents, a young woman fretfully attempts to maintain self-control and keep the truth from being exposed when she encounters her ex-girlfriend and current sugar daddy.
“What’s my sound bite again?” Danielle (Rachel Sennott) asks her parents before entering the suburban home where the shiva is already underway for a family friend. She wants to make sure they’re all on the same page when inquisitive minds, or simply meddlesome relatives, ask about her professional prospects after college. Danielle’s meager achievements fall far below expectations, so they concoct a vague lie to save face, a tactic she is not unfamiliar with. Her quarrelsome parents Debbie (Polly Draper) and Joel (Fred Melamed) have no idea their daughter is a sugar baby, a young woman who offers attention and sexual favors to older men for money. Danielle just came from a rendezvous with Max (Danny Deferrari), her primary source of income, unbeknownst to her as a former employee of her father.
As they head into the shiva, Danielle spots Maya (Molly Gordon), her childhood bestie and former girlfriend with whom she still has explosive chemistry and unresolved tension. Debbie instructs Danielle, “No funny business with Maya,” an unnecessary line her daughter is bound to cross. Once inside, Danielle is further harried by stiff small talk, prying questions, and contentious conversations with Maya, all before she can make a plate at the buffet table. Almost every woman at the party comments on her weight, more concerned than complimentary, with one acquaintance flat-out suggesting Danielle has an eating disorder. Her mother quips, “You look like Gwenyth Paltrow on food stamps, and not in a good way.” As if there weren’t enough anxiety-inducing interactions on the menu, enter Max, the sugar daddy with his own secrets to hide, soon joined by his gorgeous and successful wife Kim (Dianna Agron) and their infant daughter. Too stressed to eat, Danielle blunders from room to room trying not to cause a scene, but she often fails with amusing and painfully awkward results.
The ensemble cast offers superb character work, with Rachel Sennott delivering a stand-out performance. Much of the comedy and drama hinges on her facial expressions alone. The film’s darkly comedic tone is accentuated by a discordant string-laden musical score more evocative of horror or psycho thrillers, revealing Danielle’s inner struggles and heightening the tensity of an ordinarily somber occasion. The score is coupled with tight close-ups and handheld camerawork that only add to the sense of claustrophobia. As a result, the audience is given an obtrusive view, as if they were another mourner at the shiva, gawking as the drama unfolds.
Director: Emma Seligman
Running Time: 77 minutes
Available: on VOD and in select theaters
Film as Poetry: When Art Intersects
Over the years, several independent filmmakers have married visual storytelling with poetic rhythm, be it through form, subject matter, or concept. This piece details three short films whose poetic elements amplify the complicated and mundane meaning of their characters' lives.
Written by Kennedy McCutchen
The intersection of two art forms into one creative entity has the potential to breed a magical and idiosyncratic experience; all the more so when those two art forms prioritize a kind of rhythmic sensory aesthetic that makes one treasure the budding trees of springtime or reexamine a kiss from a loved one. Over the years, several independent filmmakers have taken advantage of such artistic marriages in powerful and innovative ways. Poetry and its typologies have emerged as one medium on-screen as a subject, as an identity, and as an idea. The list of short films below consists of filmmakers whose poetic identities and interests reveal themselves as intricate and palpable stories.
Film as Haiku: Nettles (2018)
Photo Credits: Aaron Jaker, via Nettles - Chapters
A Bushwick Film Festival competitor and prize-winner, this short film written and directed by Raven Jackson exudes a haunting elegance characteristic of many women’s most subtle and traumatic moments in life. Composed of six nearly silent chapters, viewers are taken from body part to body part, both literally and figuratively. A little girl’s eye watches a father figure let his wet towel fall to the floor in what feels like a vacant home. An older woman’s back is quietly swept away in the currents of a muddied river. These little instances of difference and the liminal reminded me—and I’m sure many others—of my own intimate moments with fear, grief, healing, and sexuality.
Jackson is a published poet (her most recent work is a chapbook titled little violences), but her film does not prioritize nor celebrate poetry directly. Rather, it is the delicate haiku-like audiovisual experience that resembles something of an atmospheric slam session. The film’s short stories mimic the length and precision with which Jackson writes her poems. An excerpt from her poem “i watch papa bury our dog in a grave the size of a pond” strikes the same tone as her bodily Nettles chapters: “my jaws lock in mid-sentence and hands cover your last white leg with dirt.” Just as a haiku emphasizes the beauty of nature or the simple moments of life in only three lines, Jackson needs only the skip of a small girl’s jump rope over crunching leaves to foreground links between innocence, femininity, and the earth.
The fourth chapter, Throat, further displays the ephemeral and complex moments of a woman’s life. The audience watches the protagonist unflinchingly gut a chicken as the camera closes in on the innards of the bird, refusing to cut away. Confronting the uncomfortable while nevertheless carving a familiar ambience, the chapter continues to explore necessity and desire as we begin to watch the same woman masturbate. The director’s choice to juxtapose the scenes embodies the direct and often provocative nature of the well-known three-line poetic structure. Singularly evocative and desperately poignant, Jackson’s knack for stinging the viewer with an efficient, transient aesthetic keeps the tension high. Shot with 16 mm film and with little to no dialogue, Jackson’s work indeed reminds one of a rich haiku: short, intentional, and surprising.
Stream on The Criterion Channel
Film as Freeverse: How to Be at Home (2020)
Photo Credits: Andrea Dorfman’s YouTube Thumbnail
Directed by Andrea Dorfman in collaboration with songwriter and poet Tanya Davis, How to Be at Home is an endearing and timely short film made via still-shot animation. A narrator’s melodic voice recites a poem, a sequel to the pair’s first film How to Be Alone (2010), as Dorfman turns the pages of an illustrated book, each new leaf revealing a depiction of the words spoken. Made in the throes of the recent pandemic, How to Be at Home both comforts and mourns alongside our isolated bodies that are still coping after more than a year of living in the era of coronavirus. Kind suggestions of healing greet you at every corner. “Appreciate the kindness in the distance of strangers,” we’re told; “lean into loneliness and know you’re not alone,” our invisible friend says as hands hold along the bind.
“Feed your heart - if people are your nourishment, I get you. Feel the feelings that undo you while you have to keep apart.”
The film serves as a stylistically rhythmic lullaby, not abashing our self-pity nor ignoring the triggers that grind themselves against our identities and loved ones at every fresh news notification. It’s a short film about the familiar. It’s a two-dimensional pot clanging against a two-dimensional spoon. It’s a seagull beating above waves that can resemble our calmest spaces. It’s a poem, spoken and seen, reminding us that spaciousness in solitude can create a more holistic individual, one that can find connectivity and “truth” in the murk of death and isolation.
Stream on YouTube
Film as Elegy: The Poet and Singer (2012)
Photo Credits: Cinema on the Edge
“Hell subverting hell becomes heaven,” recites the poet of The Poet and Singer, a 21-minute short film directed by Bi Gan. The film follows an artistic pair along their casually murderous trek. Two men contemplate ambition, the Diamond Sutra, and toothaches in transitory non-places, all points from A to B: a river, a cave, a path along a field. Lightning bolts flash sporadically, cloaking the film with a sense of unexpected danger while maintaining voyeuristic awe regarding the extraordinary capabilities of nature. The poetry reveals itself out of the aforementioned toothache, out of meeting the father of a man they were paid to kill. A knife lingers from scene to scene; it doesn’t seem to surprise.
“Hell subverting hell becomes heaven.”
The lack of shock value is precisely why the melodrama of the film feels relatively unimportant. What does hold import is the contemplative and serene nature of Bi Gan’s artistic vision. For this reason, even given the abstract nature of the piece, The Poet and Singer best embodies that of an elegy, a reflection on a serious subject matter. A murder occurs along the river, but the philosophizing and ambition of the main characters’ are not limited to their callous act; in fact, they seem hardly troubled by it at all. Just as “the old man” claims the singer’s toothache “doesn’t matter,” neither does their crime. Instead, the political and spiritual realizations, as disguised as they may be in the film, are lamented with the poignancy of a silent paddle upstream.
Stream on The Criterion Channel
Filmmaker Tess Harrison: From Inspired Shorts to Her Feature Debut, The Light Upstate
Bushwick Film Festival alumna Tess Harrison discusses her short film work and her upcoming feature debut.
Written by Marisa Bianco
Photo Credit by filmmaker Tess Harrison
“I think I am terrified of losing someone - so finding a way to visualize that space in between life and death is comforting to me,” says Bushwick Film Festival alumna Tess Harrison about her upcoming film, The Light Upstate, which explores grief and its myriad of complexities. Harrison is a filmmaker and actor whose momentum is on the rise. Her work in short narrative film and music videos shows her capacity to tell visually and narratively exciting stories in just a few short minutes. Soon we’ll have the opportunity to see what Harrison can do with the feature-length format in her directorial debut, The Light Upstate, an adaptation of her 2018 short Take Me Out with the Stars, an official selection of the 11th Annual Bushwick Film Festival.
Across Harrison’s directorial work is a talent for capturing setting and character in harmony. The worlds in which her films take place feel real, and the characters feel as if they are in and of those worlds. In her first short, 2015’s DOG, a group of teenagers sit around a bonfire, playing truth or dare. The conversation is silly and innocent enough until one character, Alex, admits a dark secret. It's a startling change in the tone of the conversation, but it works because the film’s visual style remains constant. In the beginning, the smiles and laughter of the bantering teens don’t match the ominous shadows of the flames moving across their faces. It is almost a relief when Alex tells his secret—it diffuses this tension, the mismatch between visuals and dialogue, that Harrison so expertly builds. We’re left with the melancholy of watching these teens’ relationships change before our eyes. The camera lingers on one girl, who is realizing, perhaps for the first time, that we don’t always know people as well as we think we do.
Harrison returns to the bonfire setting from DOG in her 2018 short Take Me Out with the Stars. The short follows two adult siblings as they struggle with the fact that their dying father fled the hospital he was staying in. In the end, the siblings sit at a bonfire, looking up at a stop-motion animated yellow star, representing their father’s spirit, that somehow they can both see. Harrison reveals that she “wanted the star to feel like it was in between the world of the film and the world of the audience.” She says that “the movement of [animator Zuzu Snyder’s] figures really spoke to me,” and “stop motion in particular has such a material presence on screen, especially against a live-action background.” Harrison uses the star to shift focus, which she suggests “allows for the audience to feel that sense of dizziness that you experience in grief - that sense that the world is moving under your feet.”
Take Me Out with the Stars is the type of short that tells a complete narrative, yet draws you into its world so skillfully that I couldn’t help but yearn to know more about the characters and their relationships—with each other and with their father. I want to live in the magical realism a little longer, where we can see the love and the spirits of those we grieve animated across our skies.
Photo Credit by filmmaker Tess Harrison
In The Light Upstate, the siblings are portrayed by Harrison and her real-life brother, Will. Harrison wrote the film for herself and her brother, and “though we are definitely not the characters in the film, we share a shorthand as actors and siblings that created an inimitable tension on screen.” Tess and Will Harrison previously acted together in Tess’s 2015 award-winning short It’s Perfect Here. Describing their experience making the feature, she says, “It was super challenging and rewarding to work on this material together, so hopefully that creates a unique experience for an audience.” In the feature, the missing parent is instead the mother, “a renowned children’s book author and illustrator.” The literal connection to childhood in this character allows the film’s tone to be “steeped in this childlike, magical imagery.” Tess’s character, Eve, “is burying herself in her mother’s art as a way of accessing and staying in the magic of her childhood, while the reality of her mother’s death is pressing on her.” Harrison focuses on the character’s “minute changes,” expressing her hope that “those little shifts in self-awareness are as moving for an audience as they are for me as the writer, director and actress.”
Harrison also has an impeccable sense of how to use music and sound design in visual storytelling. In Take Me Out with the Stars, the titular animated star skips across the screen, seemingly enlivened by the spritely score. The yellow star and its music provide a warm balance to the cool winter tones and the characters’ dark grief. Standout sound design is further apparent in her 2017 short film Things Break In, an official selection of the 10th Annual Bushwick Film Festival. At certain moments we hear the gentle, folksy score, punctuated by short swells of strings and piano, while at other moments we hear the sounds of the farm and nature, whose musical cadence seems like an extension of the score. Then, when a thunderstorm comes, nature and score come together like a serendipitous symphony, just as the two characters come together.
Photo Credit by filmmaker Tess Harrison
In addition to her short film work, Harrison co-directed a narrative podcast series produced by and starring Cole Sprouse called Borrasca in 2020. Written by Rebecca Klingel, whose credits include The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor, Borrasca is a horror story and mystery reminiscent of Stephen King’s It and Nic Pizzolattos’ True Detective. The congruity of dialogue, sound effects, and music makes this story an immersive auditory experience. Harrison describes directing a podcast as “like theatre in a lot of ways. Moves fast, you can play around with the performances and clock the tiniest changes in delivery when you are only working with the voice.”
What’s next for this emerging writer, director, and actor? This fall, Harrison will participate in the Nostos Screenwriting Retreat in Italy, where she’ll work on the film The French Movie, “about an American teenager studying abroad in the south of France in 2005,” which explores “themes of sexuality, coming of age and national identity.” She is also working on an adaptation of her short film, Things Break In. You can see all of Tess Harrison’s work on her website.
'Tina' Review: Her Story on Her Terms
The HBO documentary Tina delves into the personal life and career of rock icon Tina Turner. Utilizing never before released sound recordings and archival footage, the film exposes how media coverage of her abusive first marriage to Ike Turner furthered her traumatization, but never overcast Tina’s phenomenal talent.
Written by Aubrey Benmark
Tina Turner in 1973 Photo Credit Rhonda Graam/Courtesy of HBO
The new HBO documentary Tina, directed by Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin, examines the personal life and decades-long career of the legendary singer Tina Turner. It begins with archival footage of her performing “Ask Me How I Feel” to a packed stadium of energized fans fueled by Tina’s powerful voice. The concert’s visuals continue as the music fades into an old sound clip of a reporter asking Tina if anyone has approached her to make or create the story of her life.
She replied, “Yes, but I don’t want to play the part. I’ve done it. . . It was just so unlike me, my life, that I don’t want anyone to know about it. . . it wasn’t a good life. It was in some areas, but the goodness did not balance the bad. So it’s like, not wanting to be reminded. You don’t like to pull out old clothes, you know?”
Tina truly donned many costumes and played many roles in her life: singer, dancer, mother, daughter, a survivor of domestic abuse, a triumphant star. And yet, throughout much of it, she lacked the agency to make her own choices. Tina, a story told in five compelling acts, allows the singer to take control of her narrative and put the final footnotes in the margins.
Tina was born Anna Mae Bullock in 1939 and raised by sharecroppers who grew cotton on a farm fifty miles outside of Memphis, TN. Her parents fought constantly. They eventually abandoned Tina and her siblings, leaving them in the custody of an older cousin with next to nothing. At the age of seventeen, she met Ike Turner when she went with her sister to see his band play, billed the hottest band in town. Intent on being in the band, Tina relentlessly urged Ike to hear her sing, although she knew nothing of show business at the time— a weakness Ike would later exploit in his favor. They were never legally married, but without asking, Ike gave her the name Tina Turner and declared them a couple as a marketing ploy to sell more records.
From 1962 to 1978, they were Ike and Tina Turner, the sensational music duo. Tina dazzled onlookers with her undeniable talent. The documentary is flush with recordings of live performances that ignite fans as much today as they did back then. It seems unfathomable that the same person was simultaneously experiencing what Tina described as “basic torture.”
“I was living a life of death. I didn’t exist. But I survived it. And when I walked out, I walked. And I didn’t look back,” Tina said.
Ike got everything they built together. During Tina and Ike’s divorce proceedings, Tina asked for nothing but her stage name. Now in her forties, Tina used it to propel herself forward, dreaming of being the first black rock and roll star to fill stadiums like The Rolling Stones. However, she was hindered by an ageist, racist, and misogynistic industry that didn’t understand her or why she was no longer with Ike.
In 1981, to distance herself from her former partner and establish herself as a solo act, Tina did an interview with People magazine detailing some of the brutality she suffered at the hands of Ike Turner. She hoped it would make interviewers stop questioning her about him, but it only made their questions more intrusive. After the success of her debut album, 1984’s Private Dancer, the intrigue around her marriage grew. She penned I, Tina, with co-author Kurt Loder in 1986, hoping that she could put the story out there and be done with it. Instead, it became public domain.
Official Release Poster HBO
The film delves further into how the extensive and invasive media coverage of the abuse she endured perpetuated her traumatization, specifically obscene questions from various TV interviewers over the years. “Is there a real lowlight, something you’d love to forget?”, one reporter asked Tina, as if she were there only to give him salacious sound bites about domestic violence. Her husband and partner for the last 35 years, former music executive Erwin Bach, likened her experience to “a soldier coming back from the war.” Tina didn’t want to revisit the battleground.
While Tina recounts some of the savageries she experienced during her marriage to Ike, it doesn't show it or glorify it. The documentary focuses on how the media’s sensationalizing of her story affected Tina throughout the rest of her career despite her enormous success. It is the story of an amazingly talented woman trying to come to grips with why the darkest parts of her life could become such an inspiration for many, but also a sick fascination for others.
During Tina’s interview for the film, at the age of 80, she said, "You let it go because it only hurts you. Not forgiving, you suffer, 'cause you think about it over and over again. And for what? I had an abusive life. There's no other way to tell the story. It's a reality, it's a truth. That's what you've got. So you have to accept it."
In many ways, Tina's 1981 interview with People magazine was a #metoo moment long before social media existed, and a long time before women felt safe discussing domestic violence or sexual abuse publicly. In the end, Tina’s fans aren't inspired by the gory details of the torture she suffered. Instead, they are inspired by her musical legacy, the courage it took to share her story, and her determination to rise above it.
‘Tina’
Directed by: Daniel Lindsay & T. J. Martin
Running Time: 1 hour, 58 minutes
Streaming: HBO Max
Woman of the Photographs: A Photogenic Exploration of Self in Relation to Others
Written by BFF 2020 Ambassador, Nace DeSanders
Written and directed by Takeshi Kushida, Woman of Photographs is a drama that still manages to be rather droll. Starring Hideki Nagai, the story is about Kai, a middle-aged photographer with a phobia of women that meets and falls for Kyoko, played by Itsuki Otaki, a young instagram influencer. Both protagonists' lives are dictated by their work and as a result both the film and their love is also centered entirely around their work.
After Kai and Kyoko’s not so cute meet-cute, they go to eat dinner. In a trendy shopping complex in Azabu Juban, the clock strikes midnight and music plays: Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers. Kyoko, a former dancer, begins to dance ballet in the spacious plaza. At this moment, I desperately feared Kyoko’s character being a manic pixie dream girl, as she does present all the symptoms of such disease early on. Luckily, Kyoko is not a manic pixie dream girl. In fact, I can not think of a specific term or category to put her character in. Kyoko very much exists for this story, specifically. She is not entirely real, nor is she completely fictionalized.
Our protagonist, Kai, wears a white suit throughout the film. It looks fantastic. He is an older gentleman, and the suit really makes him seem like he is from a by-gone era. It’s perfect for his character. He lives a simple life. He works, eats, takes care of his pet, partakes in his hobby and bathes at the local bathhouse. That’s about it. The white suit lends itself to that well. It suggests a life and time with less distractions. The film, for the most part, takes place in the sleepy Tokyo neighborhood where Kai resides. It all comes together to paint a portrait of who our protagonist is from the start.The supporting lead actor, Kyoko, however, was not so well dressed, in my opinion. When not in yoga outfits, she wore a very busy patterned, pink top, with floral patterned blue capris, and red stilettos. It was just such a peculiar choice. I wish she had just stayed in her yoga outfits through the entire movie. That would have made more sense. On a positive note, her central color is red and that was often referenced in the film. She wears a red dress when she realizes that she has been physically hurting herself in the name of instagram likes. She wears the red heels, her finger and toenails are red, and her ever-present bleeding wound is, of course, red. That was an aspect of her costuming that I did like. Without giving anything away, there is a scene where the photographer, in a public bath, pours water over his head. It appears to us, the audience, as thick red blood instead, representing Kyoko. With this as an example, there were a lot of interesting stylistic choices made in this film that kept me fully engaged throughout.
The two side characters really helped bring the story to life. There was an old man whose young daughter had long passed away and whose wife left him. As well as a tragically insecure woman looking to marry. The two of them work to suggest the central themes of the story to the viewer. The man shows more positive aspects of the photography business; he uses the service to prepare a photo for a funeral in the opening of the film. Later he uses the service to digitally age his deceased daughter, allowing him to see what she may have looked like had she been given the opportunity to grow up. The woman looking to marry, on the other hand, displays a warped sense of beauty and self-worth in her desperate need to be digitally edited in a manner that more so reflects purikura (1) than a professional editing service. Her breasts are augmented, her eyes widened, her chin slimmed, her nose pinched, and she still wants more done!
In this film, the cinematographer was the MVP for sure. This film is Yu Oishi’s first credit as a cinematographer and it certainly will not be their last. The regular suburban-looking streets of residential Tokyo are filmed as if something completely new. The photographer's apartment and work studio, very realistically too full of stuff and not particularly beautiful, are shot in an engaging way that keeps the audience's eyes throughout. The camera movements are never distracting and effectively transported us to the locations of this film. The editor is also in need of a shout-out. The comedic beats that hit, did so because of the editing. The cut-aways happen at just the right time and I found myself giggling throughout the film.
My gripes with the film are small but they certainly bothered me throughout. For such a quiet movie, the sound mixer was a little overzealous throughout the film. I can understand hearing the praying mantis chew and the photos being retouched as a stylistic choice but when every footstep, clothing rustle, and arm movement is as loud as the characters speaking, it becomes extremely distracting. Perhaps this is not a comment for a film review but instead for some kind of linguistic dissertation but I found a lot of subtitling choices to be odd. There were times when direct translations were used and I felt that a more nuanced translation would have served better. There were also times when the exact opposite occurred. The translations were not direct but differed from the words spoken (I assume, in the name of clarity) when I felt, a more direct translation would have been perfect. The result is a lot of dialogue that reads as unnatural in English when that simply is not the case in Japanese. The Japanese dialogue is well-written and, in my opinion, very natural sounding throughout.
The film obviously has commentary on social media use and the way it affects our self-esteem and self-worth. However, it also has a much more interesting take on the roles men and women play to one another. Represented by the female praying mantis that eats her mate when finished, Kai suggests that this is simply the role of a partner. He suggests that now, enamored with Kyoko, it is his role to serve her. The side character looking to be married suggests something similar, in her willingness to become the person shown in her edited photos for the sake of a partner. It is very much a more exaggerated take on the traditional Japanese marriage views that persist today and I wish the film had made time to explore it further.
Woman of the Photographs is Takeshi Kushida’s debut feature film. He immediately shows promise and I am excited to see what is to come from him next. Woman of the Photographs is a thought-provoking exploration of social media’s hold of our lives, self-worth, and perhaps most importantly, what our roles are as partners. I recommend this film to anyone who likes quiet films with very specific and rather weird symbolism.
Purikura: Japanese photo-booths that automatically edit your image to make you look like a caucasian (read: white) doll
A Haunting and Atmospheric Slow Burn: 4 out of 5 ⭐️
Written by BFF 2020 Ambassador, Bec Fordyce
From the moment Sanzaru begins, director, Xia Magnus creates an unshakable sense of dread. The story follows Filipina healthcare worker, Evelyn (Aina Dunlao), who takes care of her ailing employer, Dena (played beautifully by Jayne Taini) in an isolated Texas homestead.
As Dena succumbs to her dementia, Evelyn starts to notice things about the house that don’t seem right, especially, at night. Is she just imagining things - or is it something more sinister? As Evelyn starts to interact more with the family members, it is clear that each family member harbors trauma and dark secrets.
What I love about the film is the fusion of an Eastern ghost story with a gothic horror. Magnus has done an incredible job of creating an eerie atmosphere. Special mention also goes to Mark Khalife for his beautiful cinematography. The film can sometimes be a little too slow with its pacing, but over all this is a good film with excellent production value.
“Sanzaru” is an intelligent ghost story that never resorts to jump-scare tactics. Instead, it is a slow burn, that leaves you with an unshakable sense of dread, right until the end credits.
Milkwater: A Realistic Look into the Complicated Friendships of New York
Written by BFF 2020 Ambassador, Nace DeSanders
Written and directed by Morgan Ingari, Milkwater is about a young New Yorker, Milo (Molly Bernard), who becomes a surrogate mother for a new friend, Roger (Patrick Breen). The film also stars Robin DeJesus and Ava Eisenson as Milo’s closest friends. Milkwater opens up with a baby shower scene reminiscent of the opening baby shower scene from Like a Boss. It’s comedic, up tempo and immediately tells us what kind of lady our protagonist is. It sets the tone and let’s us know, we are in for a fun ride. Milkwater delivers.
The story is surprisingly real and believable. The film does not divulge into unfunny shticks or ongoing gags that don’t hit. It’s a character-driven story first and a comedy second. The way that the characters banter with each other is quick and witty. I think, in a lot of films, this starts to sound like people reading from a script. Being constantly quick and witty becomes annoying but Milkwater avoids that by not letting every joke hit. At one point, Milo jokes about fighting people off to protect someone’s bag. The joke misses. He says “What?,” confused not amused. As an endlessly witty moron myself, I know that reaction too well. It’s believable, thanks to believably written characters. That being said, let’s jump into the characters.
Our protagonist, Milo, similar to Kiera Knightly’s character in Laggies, watches her peers hit the traditional milestones of adulthood and feels as though she is doing it wrong (it being life). I would say that Milo’s character is an archetype of female comedies. She is the woman-child like Frances Ha, Annie from Bridesmaids, or even Abbi and Ilana from Broad City. Milo is a funny, likeable protagonist but her flaws are what make her come to life. You love her but absolutely understand the other characters’ gripes with her. You also definitely know someone like her. That familiarity you immediately have with her makes her easy to follow through the story.
A main staple of the woman-child archetype is her relationship with her friends. Milo meets Roger in a very rare and adorable friendship meet-cute. Friendship meet-cutes happen way more often than romantic meet-cutes, right? Why do I only see the romantic ones? Milkwater is a portrait of friendships between Milo and a number of others. It only makes sense that we start with a platonic meet-cute. I thought Milo’s relationship with her pregnant best friend, Noor, was very realistic. They weren’t perfect friends who had a fight over the course of the movie. They were close friends with issues seeded in their relationship for a long time, a side of female friendships not seen often. We see the complicated nature of their friendship when Noor reacts badly to Milo’s news of surrogacy. Milo storms out of her apartment but stops, turns around, and sees that Noor had gone after her. The women slap each other’s faces lightly and smile. The issues that arose in the argument were not ameliorated but they forgive one another because they love each other.
Milkwater highlights the New York LGBTQ plus scene in a way that traditionally films have a hard time doing. There are plenty of gay characters and many scenes take place in a drag bar but the films does not focus on the character’s queerness. It is as much a part of their character as their fun senses of humor, their life plans or their relationships to Milo. Films about queerness are fine but the reality is that LGBTQ people do not walk around existing exclusively as LGBTQ people. Queer characters whose entire existence is being queer might be considered a stereotype at this point. So having a film that focuses on an LGBTQ experience, surrogacy, while still getting to be about life. I also like that our straight protagonist hangs out with mostly LGBTQ people. This film does not have the token gay friend or the token ethnic friend. When we let queer filmmakers tell their own stories, we get real stories!
The film is very clearly and obviously, set in Brooklyn. It’s full of brooklyn-based actors, throws in jokes about the L-train and a number of jokes about what New Yokers must do (like seeing a drag show). The setting very much plays a big role in the film. It doesn’t add to the story, but it does add to the atmosphere and worldbuilding. Showing at Brooklyn-based film festivals, like the Bushwick Film Festival, locals will get an extra kick out of recognizing locations and references.
The film was well-paced with an understandable timeline. The conflict evoked a sense of poignancy. This, for me, came from the familiarity of Milo. I felt like I knew her, sometimes I was her and so her failures and difficulties were mine too. Milkwater is absolutely a success. It accomplishes everything it sets out to achieve. I absolutely recommend Milkwater to every 20 something year old who is watching all their friends and kids they knew in high school get married and have babies. It’s a specific demographic but I know there are a lot of us!
13th Annual BFF Film Bites: Cotton Candy, Frederick Douglas Boulevard & Take Out Girl
Written by BFF 2020 Ambassador, J’Nique Johnson
Cotton Candy
This film explores the cultural divide between Haiti & the Dominican Republic in such a creative way. I love the imagery, the depiction of familial relationships and the message that there’s room in this world for all of us to thrive. It’s a nice reminder that we all have a common goal in life and that’s survival and it’s easier to survive when we work together.
Frederick Douglas Boulevard
As a black woman, this movie resonated deep within my soul. I personally believe that it is a hilarious, yet very real fantasy that many people of color have about combating gentrification. This scenario was executed beautifully with some occasional laughs, as well as uncomfortable moments that were necessary to evoke the discomfort of gentrification. A must see especially for those looking to move into newly gentrified neighborhoods.
Take Out Girl
The premise of this film was enough to draw me in immediately. A young Asian woman selling drugs through her mother’s restaurant to create a better life for her family. As if that’s not crazy enough, it has an unexpected twist that will literally have your jaw on the floor. The acting and cinematography is phenomenal. It will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time!
11 “Oscar Bait” Films for the 2020 Academy Awards
Written by Samuel Kahler
While the 92nd Academy Awards ceremony is still six months away, the blogosphere is already abuzz with anticipatory predictions about Hollywood’s biggest night.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced several rule changes back in April that will take effect for the 2020 Oscars (for example, the “Foreign Language Film” category will now be called “International Feature Film”). What remains uncertain is how the Academy will decide to approach its persistent controversies, such as the increasingly-contentious selection of the ceremony's host and the diversity of category nominees. Plus, with the year 2020 being an election year, the winners’ speeches might run just a tad long.
The Academy isn't the only one wringing its proverbial hands about its upcoming awards ceremony. Studios are hungry for nominations and wins and will try their best to campaign aggressively in pursuit of those 8.5-pound bronze Oscar statuettes. Some believe that certain films are greenlit specifically to please the award committees. While much has been written and said about films that are perceived as “Oscar bait,” it seems impossible to create straightforward criteria for what qualifies and what doesn’t. Is it a gauzy biopic starring an A-lister? A sand-and-sword epic? A rags to riches story? Yes and no.
It’s an exhausting exercise to try and make sense of the differing opinions. Perhaps as many varieties of Oscar bait films exist as there are film genres. Still, in general, it seems that either the film contains some element of a certain movie cliché, or else the campaigning [strategy?] displays an obvious thirst for the award.
Through a certain lens—a cynical one, admittedly—couldn’t every major Hollywood film be interpreted as having a certain Oscar bait quality? With that in mind, we’ve drawn up eleven film genres that scream Oscar bait—all in the name of good fun—each paired with a genre-specific film that might qualify for the 92nd Academy Awards.
(Disclaimer: The author of this article has not seen any of these films yet.)
The adaptation of a contemporary bestselling novel
“The Goldfinch,” based on the 2014 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Donna Tartt.The biopic about a Classic Hollywood star
“Judy” is a biographical film about the life of Judy Garland.The ensemble drama with several “Best Actor” candidates
“The Kitchen” co-stars Tiffany Haddish, Melissa McCarthy, and Elisabeth Moss.The new Martin Scorsese joint
“The Irishman” is Scorcese’s ninth feature collaboration with actor Robert De Niro.The musical biopic about a tortured pop star lost in the turmoil of fame and genius “Rocketman” is a musical film about the artistic awakening of Elton John and his subsequent success and struggles as a world-famous musician.
The “how has this not been made yet?” historical film
“Harriet” is based on the life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman.The vehicle for classically-trained English actors to show their stuff
“The Good Liar” stars Ian McKellen and Helen Mirren.The serious political drama
“The Report” follows a Senate investigation into CIA conduct in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.The intimate family drama
“The Farewell” is being praised for its ability to portray dynamic family relations.The sci-fi space thriller
“Ad Astra” stars Brad Pitt as a man who travels into space in search of his missing father.The one with a comedic actor in a serious role
“Newsflash” stars comic actor Seth Rogen as news anchor Walter Cronkite.
Oscar bait or not, we can’t wait to see all these films. Tell us, what other Oscar bait sub-genres did we miss?
Best LGBT Shows This Summer
Written by Naliah-Alexandra Bryan
It’s been a BIG summer for all things queer!
Euphoria
Breakout star Zendaya Coleman really shines through in this visceral TV drama. I've witnessed her shake off her “Disney child star” persona as she delivers her most standout performance with rich authenticity. This drama is centered around Zendaya’s character, 17-year-old Rue Bennett, who narrates and divulges the harrowing trials and tribulations that she and her peers undergo within the confines of their tiny suburban California beach town. Euphoria serves as a window into the boundless complexities that Generation-Z faces today, along with showcasing an effortless-rule-breaking spin on the typical queer teen love story.
Stream Season One now on HBO.
Schitt’s Creek
After binging Schitt’s Creek on Netflix for the 10th time this summer, I think it’s time to share the love. Schitt’s Creek has all the qualities of the perfect summertime show: it’s light, funny, and easy to binge. The sitcom follows a wealthy family that suddenly finds themselves completely bankrupt, and their only remaining asset is a small town called Schitt’s Creek. What sets this show apart is how tactfully and effortlessly it displays intersectionality and a range of LGBTQIA+ characters. Between Catherine O'Hara's impeccable comedic timing and the hodgepodge of oddball characters, this show is absolutely delightful.
Stream Seasons 1-4 now on Netflix.
Tales of the City
It’s a great time for LGBT stories, and Tales of the City proves just that, as it trended for two weeks straight on Netflix. In this 10-episode sequel miniseries, Mary Ann Singleton, played by Laura Linney, returns to 28 Barbary Lane, for the 90th birthday of her former landlady, Anna Madrigal. Twenty-three years have passed since the last time she was in San Francisco, and this series is chock full of gutsiness rooted in the underlying story, which is framed around the original series’ premise amidst the initial counterculture movement of the 60s. What’s beautiful about this show is how well they depict their LGBT characters, straight or queer: none of their stories stem from a place of contrition, which is refreshing to see. Just like in the original, underneath all the complex plot twists and tragedies, the sequel reverberates with the sweet sincerity of hopefulness.
Stream all 10 episodes on Netflix.
Jordan Peele Carves Out the Truth in the Hulu Docuseries Lorena
Written by Celeste Erlander
For many, the name “Lorena Bobbitt” will likely be a familiar one, and funny at that. The mention of the woman who cut off her husband’s penis is usually met with a chuckle, a smirk, a hilarious re-hashing of the national scandal. Details like the police’s scramble to find the severed appendage, or Lorena’s initial statement explaining her violent action – her husband, John Wayne Bobbitt, orgasmed and she didn’t – are easy punchlines.
The domestic scuffle rose to a national scandal almost instantly, aided by relentless media coverage and headlines such as “Latest wedge between the sexes is also the sharpest” (Doylestown Intelligencer, 1993) and “She wanted a divorce. He got a separation!” (Chen, 2019). Overnight, Lorena was painted as a jealous and impulsive woman, heartbroken over her impending divorce. Meanwhile, her husband John was portrayed as the innocent golden boy, a former Marine with “all-American good looks” (Chen, 2019). At first glance, the story appears rather clean-cut, but not everything is what it seems.
Producer Jordan Peele delves into the truth of the story with his new, four-part series Lorena, which premiered at Sundance and is currently streaming on Hulu. In the first episode, viewers are thrown into the dramatics of the case: phone calls with the police; testimony from the microsurgeon who performed the reconstruction operation, an interview with Kim Masters, writer of the Vanity Fair article “Lorena Bobbitt: Sex, Lies and an 8-Inch Carving Knife” (Masters, 1993). We are swiftly pulled into the taboo tabloid story of the 90s: – shrew of a wife cuts off husband’s penis in spite.
However, the next three episodes pull back the covers on the deeper, darker truth. Without giving away too many details, let’s just say that looks can be deceiving. Viewers are also guided through theatrical courtroom battles – Lorena was accused of malicious wounding, which can lead to 20 years in prison, and John was charged with rape.
The conclusion is anything but tidy, and life must go on for both Lorena and John post-national scandal. But sometimes lemons can be turned into lemonade. Today, with her Lorena Gallo Foundation, Lorena shines a light on domestic violence and abuse, maritalrape, and sexual assault, focusing in particular on immigrant women in the United States (Medeiros, 2019). On the other hand, John, after first trying and failing as an actor, now finds himself alone without much to show for other than three failed marriages.
Perhaps most importantly, Peele succeeds in clearly showing the public’s unabashed focus on Lorena’s one action – and shows how today we can now reexamine it within the context of years of abuse and marital rape. Director Joshua Rofé has described how the #MeToo movement recontextualized the entire story. No longer is it a humorous tale of a wife gone wild, but rather a darker tragedy of helplessness, abuse, and what the media will do to a woman it decides not to believe.
Sources
(n.d.). Latest wedge between the sexes is also the sharpest. Doylestown Intelligencer.
Masters, K. (2019, February 15). SEX, LIES, AND AN 8-INCH CARVING KNIFE. Retrieved from https://www.vanityfair.com/style/1993/11/lorena-bobbitt-interview-sex-lies-carving-knife
Medeiros, M. (n.d.). Now, Lorena Bobbitt Is Using Her Story To Help Others. Retrieved from https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/where-is-lorena-bobbit-now-2019-jail
The Way The Media Actually Handled Lorena Bobbitt In The '90s Is Crushing, Joyce Chen: https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/02/224498/1993-lorena-bobbitt-headlines- news-stories
Sad Love Stories That Leave You Wanting More
Written by Diomarys Mendez
The theme of unrequited or unfulfilled love is one that has been uniquely retold time and time again. Stories of longing, lingering passion, and hope for an intangible love can evoke empathy, nostalgia, and melancholy.
Today, I will be recommending three foreign films with very different meditations on love, but that will all leave you wanting more.
In The Mood for Love (pictured above)
In the Mood for Love was directed by Wong Kar Wai in 2001. It is set in 1960s Hong Kong and follows two characters, Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung) and Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung), who develop a tragic love story through their unfulfilled marriages.
The story is a powerful reflection on oppressed love and is both a technical achievement and a poetic musing on human longing. This atmospheric film effectively portrays quiet and intense desire by playing with time through repetition/slow-motion, framing, body language, and dialogue. Thus, the audience feels the gradual heightening of emotions boiling under the surface of these two characters’ interactions, but that ultimately leaves no trace.
Shoplifters
2018 Palme d'Or-winning film Shoplifters is a unique tale that explores the meaning of family. It raises the idea that one does not have to be limited to bloodlines, but can instead choose what family to belong to. Along with the overarching theme of what constitutes a family, the film also poses many important questions about poverty, government and societal neglect, and social norms.
The film begins with an impoverished family that essentially kidnaps a young girl and introduces her to their way of surviving. Although at times questionable, the actions taken by each member of the Shibata household stem from love.
This story is tender and complex, and director Hirokazu Kore-eda skillfully peels away the layers, revealing secrets about the family in a slow yet fluid pace. This film felt very authentic because it allowed the audience to observe the dynamic of this family in an environment free of judgment. In addition, the performances in Shoplifters were exquisite, and the cinematic language, although complicated, visually translated the narrative to the screen beautifully and seamlessly.
Kore-eda masterfully tells a story about compassion and love, challenging audiences to rethink the definition of family. Shoplifters is an honest yet tragic account about the lives of these complex characters, who briefly come together to embark on a journey where they discover the meaning of familial love.
Us and Them
“Happiness is not a story. Misfortune is,” Qing Jian muses in Us and Them. This cynical statement from the film encapsulates the tone and overall driving force of this story.
Rene Liu’s directorial debut tells the story of two characters, Qing Jian (Boran Jing) and Xiao Xiao (Dongyu Zhou), and their decade-long relationship, along with all the natural unfolding and undoing that happens during that time. Us and Them has many themes, but it mainly examines the contrast between the effects of personal change on an individual versus their relationships. The film shows how, at times, the steps necessary to grow can ironically result from mistakes made and connections lost.
The underlying tragedy of this story lies in the characters’ inability to communicate and express their love for one another, which eventually leads to them parting ways. Through flashbacks and moments of silence, we see how these two characters reflect on and cope with love lost, and the unbearable truth of not being able to turn back time to change the outcome. This nostalgic film reminisces on the sweet and sour seasons of love and essentially asks, If you had the chance to see a past lover one more time, what would you do and say?
Although very different, each of these three films interprets the many flavors that love has to offer and leaves audiences weeping and profoundly moved.
Are you ready to bring out the tissues and embark on these journeys?
Diomarys Mendez is a film lover and has dedicated her life to creating and providing more diverse narratives in the film and music scene. Diomarys has a background in Business, Music, and Theater and lives in New York City.
Celebrating Mother Figures in Film & TV
Written by Amanda Lederle
Our mothers, grandmothers, and mother figures can be our guides, our best friends, or our first frenemies. Whichever relationship you may have, you can honor the mother figures in your life by watching the mother figures in these films and TV shows. Click the images for trailers.
Fresh Off The Boat
This comedic family story depicts the life of a Taiwanese-American family in the 90s. It was inspired by the life of now-famous chef Eddie Huang. It has been renewed for a sixth season and is the first Asian-American family show on a primetime network since 1994. Yay, Asian representation on the small screen!
Though the main voice comes from the narrator and eldest son, Eddie, the star of the Huang family is arguably Jessica, the mom. Played by Constance Wu, Jessica represents the strong female foundation that holds this family together. Her sassy, quick snaps are hidden behind a beautiful smile—you definitely don’t want to mess with her. She is truly a bad-mutha.
But like most strong Asian females who can run a household, there is always one other strong Asian female who has the final word: Grandma. Mother-in-laws are always protective of their sons and are not afraid to show it. In later seasons, they eventually restore their relationship, because what else can years of criticism really represent in uncommunicative Asian relationships but respect?
One Day At A Time
You may recognize the title, as the current version of the show is a revival. This series was originally created by sitcom legend Norman Lear, known for popular 70s shows like All in the Family and Sanford and Sons.
Matriarch Penelope “Lope” Alvarez is a veteran, nurse, and single mom of two. Her mother, Lydia, played by the vibrant Rita Moreno (famous for her performance as Anita in the 1961 movie West Side Story) lives with the Alvarez family in a little apartment in LA. Like most good family sitcoms, their landlord frequents their apartment and behaves like an adopted uncle. Everyone wants to be a part of this loving family.
Lope works hard to ensure her Cuban-American family is safe, proud of their heritage, and provided for. She shows resilience and is not afraid to speak up when she sees injustice. She serves as a strong female figure for her daughter, Elena.
In the episode titled “Anxiety,” Lope experiences panic attacks: the scene turns from color to black and white, and she suffers from heavy breathing and sweating. Later on, Elena also experiences anxiety. Lope reveals to her daughter that she has it too and that she goes to therapy to manage her post-traumatic stress.
The Alvarez family does not hesitate to discuss matters that pertain to mental health and addictions, immigration (under the current presidency), racism, and LGBTQ+ issues. Whether it is a protest, discussion about anxiety or respecting pronouns, Lope stands by Elena.
Unfortunately, this three season series was canceled, leaving fans in an uproar.
The Guilt Trip (Fletcher, 2012)
I am a sucker for Seth Rogen films. It’s not only because he is Canadian and has an adorable chuckle—his humor and choice of stories are refreshing and relatable. In this film, mom Barbra Streisand (gasp!) follows her son, played by Rogen, on a trip to showcase his invented product on a home shopping channel. This movie is a great example of a quintessential relationship between a Jewish mom and her son, full of overbearing and unwavering love, support, and courage.
Black-ish
This comedy surrounds an upper-middle-class African-American family and is a show that does not shy away from social, political, and cultural contemporary issues in America, including what it means to be black.
This household is run by doctor and mom of five, Rainbow “Bow” Johnson, played by Tracee Ellis Ross. In the episode titled “Mother Nature,” Bow experiences postpartum depression. Grandmother Ruby, played by the incomparable Jenifer Lewis, is another strong female figure in the Johnson household. She steps in to reconcile her relationship with Bow, in order to best support her daughter-in-law. The Johnson children also rally together to support Bow, and she explains the normalcy and stigmas of mental health in life.
Black-ish has an Emmy, is Golden Globe-nominated, and has two spinoffs, Grown-ish, and its soon-to-be-released prequel, Mixed-ish. Black-ish is in its fifth season.
Mom
Reconciling an old mother-daughter relationship is the main storyline in this sixth season primetime sitcom. This comedy is about Christy, a young mom (played by the hilarious Anna Faris), who is recovering from alcohol addiction and goes to AA alongside her mom (the amazing Allison Janney).
This show is a great example of mothers in recovery struggling to mend broken relationships while also figuring out their own lives. Another hit from sitcom king Chuck Lorre, this show brings viewers inside the world of AA meetings, highlighting the fellowship of the sponsor/sponsee relationships and life in the program. Representing addiction on a primetime comedy series is a impressive step forward in discussing mental health in the media.
Workin’ Moms
In this Emmy-nominated Canadian comedy series, writer, creator, and star of the show, Catherine Reitman (recognize that last name?) showcases the strength of new moms. She is the daughter of Ivan Reitman, director of classic films like Ghostbusters (1984) and Kindergarten Cop (1990).
In the cold opening, we get a glimpse of the show’s bold and innovative style with the sight of female nipples! Finally! Why male nipples are readily shown on television while women hide theirs is unknown to me.
This story follows the unlikely friendship between four women as they each struggle within their early stages of motherhood: juggling work, family, and their mental health. This refreshing Canadian mom show is just what we’ve needed to see.
Jane the Virgin
Our protagonist, Jane, is your average Venezuelan-Mexican girl who lives with her young mother and abuela. She has a Type A personality, a loving boyfriend, and she’s a virgin. Life is hopeful and bright until—she finds out she is pregnant!? How does this happen? you may ask. By way of accidental artificial insemination: she was impregnated by her boss Rafael's sperm. What will she tell her detective boyfriend, Michael? What does her future hold? And is she still a virgin?
Jane later does become a mom and is guided by her mother, Xiomara, a sexually-charged, laid-back dancer who had Jane at a very young age. Of course, this means that Jane’s abuela, Alba, has experience with young single moms. Alba becomes the executive voice for the younger generation. Her daughter and granddaughter go to her for advice about love, work, and following one’s heart.
This quick-humored, narrated telenovela combines drama, comedy, and romance. When I first watched the show, I honestly didn’t think I would like it (it can be a bit cheesy), but eventually fell in love with its humor and the honesty of the characters.
Gina Rodriguez is gorgeous and also an amazing actress; she won a Golden Globe for her role as Jane. See her in her newest Netflix’s film, Someone Great (Robinson, 2019). You can see my take on the film in my post, 13 Films & TV Shows To Watch.
Snatched (Levine, 2017)
This movie was so fun to watch, but you probably don’t want to watch it if you are going on a trip with your mom in the near future.
This film is like all mother-daughter renewal storylines, except that what binds these two them together is their kidnapping. It is a hilarious and fresh new view on how women support each other. The film has a full cast of comedy stars: Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn, Randall Park, Ike Barinholtz, Christopher Meloni, Joan Cusack, and Wanda Sykes.
Crazy Rich Asians (Chu, 2018)
Finally, a film I can watch with my whole family and see Asians reflected on the screen. They are just like us—except for the gargantuan amount of money.
I didn’t expect to react this way, but when Constance Wu first appears onscreen, I had to hold back tears. As the first studio movie in 25 years to have a full Asian cast, I don’t have to tell you how vital this film was as a box office smash in 2018. No matter what your cultural background, anyone can relate to this film full of family traditions, laughs, and a whole lot of love.
Santa Clarita Diet
Have you ever had food poisoning? Well, I am sure you haven’t had it as bad as the characters in this series. Their normal suburban family life takes a turn when Sheila, played by Drew Barrymore, starts throwing up a vile amount. Eventually, they realize she is undead.
This family show is weird yet has a lot of heart. This horror comedy also stars Timothy Olyphant and is in its third season on Netflix.
Amanda is a film enthusiast that has dedicated their life to mental health awareness, CreateBeing.com. Amanda has a background in Film Studies and lives with their partner and their chinchilla, Chewbacca in Toronto, Canada.
School's Out
Written by Amanda Lederle
School’s out and so are our secrets. We can’t hold back who we are, who we want to be, or who we love. It’s time to be honest and to express ourselves. Structured education can wait another two months, but life lessons are always available to learn.
Drag Kids
We’ve seen drag films before, but we’ve never seen them from the perspective of preteens. This progressive documentary film shines the spotlight on four adolescents: Stephan, Jason, Bracken, and Nemis. Each of them is traveling on an individual journey to self-expression when their paths eventually intersect, and they all meet for the first time at Montreal’s Pride Festival.
These drag minis go about their daily lives in solitude, with no other kids at school or in their communities to connect with, because no one else around is quite like them. But when they arrive at the Montreal Pride Festival, they find themselves surrounded by like-minded people outside of their hometowns. This pride event brings them together for a group performance, ultimately giving them the hope of finding others who understand their personal experiences.
This film shows how lonely and isolating it can be for someone who is seen as an outsider. But when we courageously continue to be ourselves and get out of our schoolyards, it is possible to find others who we can relate to.
Drag Kids was written and directed by Megan Wennberg and had its world premiere at this year’s Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival.
Derry Girls
The juxtaposition between a restrained community and the ultra-attitude from four teenage girls exemplifies this comedy, set in the 90s in Northern Ireland. Four teenage girls – Erin, Orla, Claire, and Michelle – all go to a Catholic girls' high school. Then there’s Michelle’s male heterosexual cousin, James, who also attends the same school. You can imagine how difficult it is for James to find a private bathroom on his first day.
These foul-mouthed, Catholic, kilt-wearing teens are on the hunt to find their independence and identity together, as Claire says, “…trying to be an individual on your own is just too embarrassing.” Even living in a town surrounded by armored police checkpoints does not phase these outspoken teenage girls.
This very comedic British show is created and written by Lisa McGee. Derry Girls won awards for Best Comedy and Best Writer in a Comedy or Soap at the Irish Film & Television Awards. To date, it is noted as the most-watched series in Northern Ireland and was picked up by Netflix due to its popularity.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before
Everything is peachy when your secret letters to your crushes are kept in a box, hidden away in your closet where no one can find them – until they get sent out. Half-Korean/half-Caucasian teen Lara Jean Covey is a high school junior who has to courageously face her crushes (the titular boys she has loved before) and allow herself to release fears and insecurities that hold her back from her self-expression. It’s a lesson we can all learn at any age.
This film also shows us how women and family can come together to support one another. And for me, as always, it is refreshing to see an Asian female protagonist represented on screen.
This film was directed by Susan Johnson, based on the original novel written by Jenny Han. It stars Vietnamese-born actress Lana Condor, made famous as Jubilee in X-Men: Apocalypse (Singer, 2016). This Netflix film was the hot teen romance film of 2018.
The Get Down
Graffiti-filled red brick walls line the streets while siren calls fill the air. There is anxious energy flowing through a heart full of dreams and legs ready to run away at any moment. The train from the Bronx leads to Manhattan, sliding through each episode; an escape to stardom is right at the fingertips.
This story is set in the late 70s, at a time when the popularity of disco is transferring to hip-hop. The tone of the series combines that of an immigrant tale such as in West Side Story (Robbins and Wise, 1961) with the hip-hop grind akin to Straight Outta Compton (Gray, 2015).
Narrated by Nas, this two-part series on Netflix is visually stunning and full of poetry. Creator Baz Lurhuman’s auteur style is evident throughout. Justice Smith plays Ezekiel, aka “Books,” who stuns the small screen with his talent. You may recognize him from Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (Bayona, 2018) and most recently in Pokémon Detective Pikachu (Letterman, 2019).
The struggle on the street is not without internal angst also, as seen in Jaden Smith’s character, Dizzie, who falls in love with another male street artist. Summer is out for these students, but the school of life is always in session.
Dear White People
Many teenagers might think that life after high school means freedom from any identity or social issues, but that is sadly not the case. In this thought-provoking series, African-American female protagonist Samantha White hosts her own radio show, where she focuses on the racial tensions on her college campus. She addresses her white audience, highlighting the difficulties of the African-American experience for them.
The show follows a group of African-American students who, in addition to their studies, have to deal with the trials of white vs. black tensions, representation on campus, defining one’s “blackness” by the shade of their skin, and issues with campus police and racial profiling.
This Netflix show was first released as a feature film in 2014 by the same director, Justin Simien. Some of the original cast from the film are also featured in the series version. And the show has now been confirmed for a third season!
Any film or show about a female-POC-protagonist film buff has my attention. If that is the same for you, stay tuned for my next blog, when I introduce you to Nola Darling.
Want to know which other films and TV shows I’ve been watching?
Amanda is a film enthusiast that has dedicated their life to mental health awareness, CreateBeing.com. Amanda has a background in Film Studies and lives with their partner and their chinchilla, Chewbacca in Toronto, Canada. They are also a visual artist, you can find more on Instagram @amandalederle and @createbeing.
13 Films & TV Shows To Watch
Written by Amanda Lederle & Kweighbaye Kotee
Musical islands, homecomings, teenage therapy, cocaine-filled Wall Street's, and mom gangs are just a few of the new films and shows we have on our list. Click on the images to view the trailers.
GOOD GIRLS
This unique and exciting series showcases how moms can be badasses too!
When three moms feel stuck in their individual situations (a cheating husband, a sick child, and struggling to provide), they decide to turn to suburban crime together: robbing a grocery store. This show is as thrilling as it is full of hope. The quicksand of consequences tied with the money they’ve stolen leaves this band of robbers with unplanned decisions to make. What else is a mom to do? This show features pop culture greats Retta (Parks and Recreation, 2009–2015), Christina Hendricks (Mad Men, 2007–2015), and Mae Whitman (The Duff, 2015), and the second season is currently on Netflix.
THE TWILIGHT ZONE
This chilling series comes back to TV as a classic reboot. Appropriately, it is hosted by comedian/horror genre extraordinaire Jordan Peele.
The premiere episode of this dark series stars contemporary actors like Kumail Nanjiani, Tracy Morgan, and BFF alum Diarra Kilpatrick. Future episodes include Adam Scott, John Cho, and Sanaa Lathan. Welcome back to the “dimension of imagination.”
DEADLY CLASS
From executive producers Joe and Anthony Russo (the Russo Brothers), who brought you The Avengers (2018 and 2019) and the Captain America movies (2014 and 2016), comes a new graphic novel-inspired show about a teen superhero gang.
This unlikely team of misfit teenagers is training to use their superpowers to master the deadly arts. It’s like seeing Tarantino X-men teenagers who come to training at Hogwarts. The teens are trained by Master Lin, played by Benedict Wong, who you may recognize as Wong from Doctor Strange (Derrickson, 2016). This also stars Netflix darling Lana Condor from To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (Johnson, 2018). Viewers may also like The Umbrella Academy (2019), a Netflix show also based on a graphic novel.
SEX EDUCATION
Trying to understand your sexual identity among your high school peers can be devastating. So Otis and Maeve started their own student-run underground sex therapy business. The diverse cast in Sex Education brings a variety of sexual experiences and issues to the show, creating a window into their self-education about their sexual awakenings. Take a look at this refreshing coming-of-age story that will have you visually impressed by the colorful 80s fashion and wide-angle aerial shots. Also, any mention of Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) has my heart.
BLACK MONDAY
You would think you’d seen enough of an alcohol-soaked, cocaine-filled Wall Street type after the excesses of The Wolf of Wall Street (Scorsese, 2013). But then you see this show starring Don Cheadle and Regina Hall, laced with the humor of comedy duo and executive producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, and you realize you are in for a new treat.
Set in 1987, Black Monday documents the worst stock market crash in U.S. history. It is packed with punchy lines, and years of talent fills the screen. The ridiculousness of any Rogen/Goldberg film combined with the high-stakes worlds of Goodfellas (Scorsese, 1990) and The Wolf of Wall Street (Scorsese, 2013) makes this show a must-see.
BABYLON BERLIN
If you ever wondered what it would feel like to get heart palpitations, watch the first five minutes of the first episode of this show.
This novel adaptation from German writer Volker Kutscher is a dark look into a pre-Nazi takeover. This investigative crime drama is set in 1929 and is as rich in its character storylines as it is [beautiful] to look at.
The story follows the main investigator and his unlikely partner, a female typist/“woman of the night" who is also an aspiring detective. This film noir is not short on intensity, and it is currently the most expensive TV series filmed in Germany.
THE CHI
Emmy-award-winning creator Lena Waithe brings you into an inner-city neighborhood in Chi-town, aka Chicago. This African-American community drama centers around a neighborhood influenced by violence, drugs, and despair. Like in HBO’s Baltimore-based drama The Wire, (2002–2008), characters try to figure out how to survive, but in the south side of Chicago.
GAME OF THRONES
G.
O.
T.
HBO does it again. The epic magnitude of this show’s impact will go down in TV history. It was once expressed to me as "a divine gift from the TV gods," and it goes without saying that Game of Thrones changed this generation of TV watchers. The number of awards this show has been nominated for and won is astounding. The number of character storylines, costumes, cinematography, and graphics are beyond comprehensible. If you want to see what a show with a budget of, on average, $10 million budget per episode looks like, just watch GoT.
And if you are itching for more stories about Westeros after this current and final season, don’t forget that the show was inspired by the twelve book series by George R.R. Martin.
HOMECOMING
Welcome to the phase where our big screen stars come to the small screen. Finally, we see Julia Roberts on TV in this Amazon Prime Video series, an adaptation of the podcast by the same name.
Robert’s character, Heidi Bergman, recalls her time as a caseworker in an inpatient facility helping soldiers transition back into society. She later realizes the intentions of the company were not what they had been made out to be. This psychological thriller is directed by Sam Esmail, who also directed Mr. Robot (2015–).
BONDING
Two high school best friends reunite as a dominatrix duo. This comedy is only about 15 mins per episode, for a total of 7 episodes. It may be unconventionally short for a TV series, but good writing is efficient! A story about bravery, acceptance of others, and self-acceptance.
SOMEONE GREAT
“Hold on to your nips, because we’ve got news for you!” If you love good zingers, and stories about female relationships and coming to terms with change, this is your next movie to watch.
In her directorial debut, writer/director/executive producer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson teams up with heroine-film hitmaker Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, 2011 and Ghostbusters, 2016) to bring a female point of view to rom-coms. If you love plots involving female friendships and the woes of relationships akin to Sex and the City (1998–2004) and buddy films like Knocked Up (Apatow, 2007), you will appreciate this film.
Also, you won’t want to miss the moment when the song “Dreaming of You” by Selena is played in a bodega. It’s like that moment in Harold and Kumar (Leiner, 2004) and Bridesmaids (Feig, 2011) when they sing Wilson Phillips’ “Hold On”: a reminiscent moment in time for us early-90s teens.
This film stars Gina Rodriguez, Dewanda Wise, and Brittany Snow, along with special cast mentions RuPaul as your classy drug dealer, and Questlove as the party DJ. This film celebrates our favorite rom-coms from John Hughes and adds a new modern flare.
HOMECOMING
Who runs this world? Bey. Like her, love her, or not, this performance documentary will go down in music history. The Coachella performance is double dutched with behind-the-scenes footage from rehearsals, the mental and physical struggle of a mother going back to work (yes, Beyonce is human), and quotes and recordings from powerful, influential individuals like Nina Simone, Alice Walker, and Maya Angelou.
This film was a celebration of African-American culture, and it clearly marks Beyonce as an activist and reinstates her status as an icon.
Even Sandra Oh watched it and dedicated her speech to Beyonce at this year’s Time 100 gala, in a speech originally intended to celebrate her immigrant mother. To see a video of Oh’s speech, CLICK HERE.
GUAVA ISLAND
Guava Island stars its writer, Donald Glover, singer-superstar, Rihanna, and everyone’s little sister from Black Panther (Coogler, 2018), Letitia Wright.
This 56-minute musical premiered at this year’s Coachella and is currently available on Amazon Prime Video. It starts with an animated intro to set the backdrop of this political love story between lovers, the island, and music.
This film brings me back to that pop culture moment when Glover released his music video for “This is America” in 2018, which was also performed during a factory scene. The vibrancy of the culture is not missed in this stylistic, colorful piece of independent magic. It reminds me of the beautiful stories and imagery that were seen in City of God (Meirelles and Lund, 2002) and West Side Story (Robbin and Wise, 1961)
Amanda is a film enthusiast that has dedicated their life to mental health awareness, CreateBeing.com. Amanda has a background in Film Studies and lives with their partner and their chinchilla, Chewbacca in Toronto, Canada.