Tag: Racism

ORIGIN – Review

Much like the earlier reviewed ALL OF US STRANGERS, here’s another “indie” film that’s now getting a “wide rollout” after end-of-the-year screenings on the coasts. And yes, it could have been out everywhere in the last couple of months, but it seems that it’s more pertinent now than ever, since the presidential election cycle began with the Iowas caucus just days ago. No, it’s not about someone running for office, but its subject is a major discussion of any political discourse, going back to the beginnings of the US. And that subject is race. Now this new film doesn’t focus on one particular historical event, much like the filmmaker Ava DuVernay did with SELMA, now ten years ago. This delves much deeper into it, as she travels the globe, and explores different eras, all in adapting a lauded scholar’s investigation into racism’s ORIGIN.

The film begins with a flashback to a tragic racially motivated killing over a dozen years ago (you’ll recognize it after a few brief sequences). Then the story jumps ahead a bit as historian/author Isabel Wilkerson (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) finishes up a lecture. Afterward, she is approached by literary associates about writing an investigative book about that incident. But life calls her away as she moves her aging mother into assisted living and preps the old family house for resale. During this time she meets the son of a neighbor, Brett Hamilton (Jon Bernthal), beginning a romance that leads to marriage. But when he’s taken, Isabel recalls his last words which urged her to take on the discussed tome. She’s further nudged by her BFF cousin Marion (Niecy Nash), though Isabel decides to tackle the story and radically expand the work. Yes, the killing would be part of it, but Isabel wants to place it into an examination of racism itself, not just in the USA, but around the globe and through the centuries. She then starts “racking up” the frequent flyer miles, by traveling to Germany to learn of two American students caught up in the rise of Nazism, and of a forbidden love between a “pure Aryian” and a Jewish woman. Back in the States, Isabel looks into a research investigation that compared the experiences of two young married couples, one white, and one black, back in the pre-civil rights South. Then it’s off to India to explore the still-in-use “caste” system which divides society into different social, economic, and working classes as Isabel gets a tour by the country’s first “untouchable” collegian.

After impressing audiences as the Williams matriarch in KING RICHARD a couple of years ago, Ms. Ellis-Taylor is superb as the compassionate caring scholar who is the heart of this world-spanning historical essay. Her intelligence is established early on and gradually we see Isabel as a loving daughter and wife before her role as a truth-seeker. Ellis-Taylor shows us her inquisitive nature while never masking Isabel’s sense of wonder at the world tempered with her shock over the actions of its people through the years. She’s a terrific screen partner, whether we see her begin to fall for the charismatic Bernthal, who easily switches from his usual “working class hero/villain” roles, or trading affectionate barbs with cousin Marion, played with a fun-loving spunk by the energetic Nash. Ellis-Taylor is also effective as she discusses, and often disagrees with, a German historian, given passion and logic by Connie Nielsen. Another standout is real-life scholar Gaurav J. Pathania as Isabel’s guide (and the film’s third act narrator/teacher) who calmly recounts the mind-boggling class divisions in India with some truly heartbreaking degradations that still occur. And I should single out an “extended cameo” by the great Nick Hofferman as a plumber whose hard demeanor hides a warm soul and Audra McDonald whose character tells of how sexism enters the “big conflict”.

As mentioned earlier, director DuVernay takes a big swing at an even bigger target and connects for much of the time in her adaptation of Wilkerson’s “Caste: The Origins of our Discontents”. It’s a daunting endeavor that could’ve been a series of “talking head” dissections. But DuVarney puts us inside the pivotal events without tossing away the humanity. With Isobel’s travels the film could be called a cerebral investigative spin on EAT PRAY LOVE, but that would be dismissing the ideas and discourse that linger on well after the closing credits. DuVernay conveys the heartbreak of 30’s Germany and 50’s segregation, which have been in many previous films, but her deep dive into India makes for several sequences that will burn into your brain (involving public sanitation). And though you may not agree with many of the notions (the “shared genocide” debate will no doubt continue), everyone can agree that Ms. DuVernay has crafted an intellectual and emotional epic that will enthrall and educate in ORIGIN.

3 Out of 4

ORIGIN is now playing in select theatres

BLUE BAYOU – Review

(L to R) Sydney Kowalske as “Jessie”, Justin Chon as “Antonio” and Alicia Vikander as “Kathy” in BLUE BAYOU, a Focus Features release.
Photo credit: Focus Features. Courtesy of Focus Features

Is it fair that a small child, legally adopted from another nation, is responsible for paperwork errors about citizenship, which puts the now-grown child’s immigration status in jeopardy? It sounds ridiculous but, in fact, that legal loophole does exist for some adoptees. BLUE BAYOU is Justin Chon’s powerful, winning drama about this subject, in which writer/director/producer Chon both directs and plays the lead character, Antonio LeBlanc, a struggling New Orleans tattoo artist who was legally adopted at age 3 from South Korea but now faces deportation due to paperwork left incomplete by his adoptive parents. This powerful drama features nuanced, appealing and realistic performances by Chon and Alicia Vikander, as his pregnant wife, and a wonderful performance by Sydney Kowalske as her seven-year-old daughter Jesse. BLUE BAYOU mixes a warm, realistic portrait of a family, with a particularly close father-daughter bond, with searing emotion in scenes where Chon’s character faces the immigration legal system that could change his life.

Antonio (Justin Chon), now in his thirties, is trying hard to support his family and be a good husband to wife Kathy (Alicia Vikander) and father to stepdaughter Jesse, the only father she has ever known. Jesse’s biological father, a cop called Ace (Mark O’Brien), abandoned Jesse and her mother when Jesse was small, but now wants to be part of his daughter’s life. On the other hand, Antonio has always been there for both Kathy and her daughter, despite his own troubled childhood which included abuse and youthful criminal record for the theft of motorcycles. Although they struggle financially and Antonio worries about money once the new baby arrives, the family is solid, happy and enjoying life together. When an ordinary parental disagreement while shopping in a grocery store gets a bit loud, Kathy’s ex, a cop called Ace steps in, along with his racist partner Denny. There is a scuffle, and Antonio is arrested. While that charge is dropped, Antonio is taken into custody by ICE over his immigration status.

We do get that famous song in the title, sung by Vikander, a nice moment in the film. BLUE BAYOU is a real tour-de-force by Chon, handling both his roles as director and lead actor with impressive skill. Long before Antonio faces his immigration crisis, the family wins our hearts. Chon is charismatic on-screen and we can’t help but like Antonio and cheer on a young man trying so hard to do the right thing. Much of the film’s appeal is in its the relationships, and particularly Antonio’s relationship with his stepdaughter.

Although Antonio even has a friend who is an ICE officer, who tries to help, the law limits what he can do. It is a completely unfair situation but one that is not rare for international adopted children, and in fact Chon’s script was inspired by a real-life case of a Korean-born adoptee. Chon has dealt with issues faced by Asian immigrants before, including in his film GOOK. Being Asian makes it harder for internationally adopted children to quietly blend in, despite being culturally American, something Chon highlights in a telling opening scene. Antonio, interviewing for a better paying job, faces skepticism about his identity despite his Louisiana accent and politely answers racist questions about his name and where he is from. Once immigration steps into his life, Antonio’s settled life is imperiled particularly by his youthful criminal record for stealing motorcycles, a past he has been struggling to overcome as a upright family man.

The film does a nice job with the accents, which sound authentic for New Orleans but are never overdone and distracting. Before Chon’s Antonio faces his unfair legal situation, the character wins our hearts, as does the film’s little family. Much of the film’s appeal is in its characters. One of the joys of the film is how realistic relationship is between the couple is portrayed by Chon and Vikander, with all the back-and-forth of real life parents and daily disagreements between any couple but with the underlying love between them. It is a realism few films get so right. The chemistry between Chon and Vikander is strong, and Vikander turns in one of her best performances here.

Likewise, the relationship between seven-year-old Jesse and Antonio, the only father she has ever known, is realistic and charming, and completely wins our hearts. Young Sydney Kowalske is cute, sweet, and believable in her role as Jesse, and the appealing scenes between father and daughter are among the film’s best.

Chon does have a message he wants to get across, and the film is sometimes heavy-handed in how it does that, although by the film’s end, his pull-no-punches approach feels justified. In 2000, Congress passed a law granting citizenship to children adopted from overseas but, oddly, excluding those who turned 18 before the law was passed. It makes no real sense, and drawing attention to that legal flaw may correct it.

The film is a bit slow to start, with a few too many scenes where Antonio revisits the same memory of his birth mother, and there is a side plot about another Asian immigrant, a cancer patient who immigrated with her family from Vietnam, which seems to add little to the story, other than portraying a different Asian American experience.

However, the film kicks into a higher gear once Antonio gets entangled with the immigration system, and leads to some emotionally searing scenes, ones that might leave the audience emotionally moved and also angry at the film’s end, with a few real-life examples of this unfair system shown with the end credits.

But any flaws in this film are well counterbalanced by the warmth and charm BLUE BAYOU creates around this family. Chon sparkles with on-camera as Antonio, creating a lead character we can’t help but like and cheer for, as the dad and husband who is trying to do the right thing. The wonderful acting performances by Chon, Vikander, and young Kowalske especially, go a long way to support this worthy drama.

Supporting performances are also strong. Vondie Curtis-Hall plays as immigration lawyer Barry Boucher who tries to help the family and Mark O’Brien plays Jesse’s biological father Ace, who develops more layers than we expect as the man who now regrets abandoning his daughter. Linh Dan Pham is touching as Parker, the cancer patient Chon meets, who introduces him to her family and a represents a different Asian immigrate experience. Emory Cohen plays Ace’s racist partner Denny, an all-round jerk, the one character who is a bit too over the top.

Despite a few flaws, this is a strong film that blends an appealing family drama and charismatic lead character with a hard-hitting message about an absurd technicality with the potential to ruin lives. Overall, BLUE BAYOU is a powerful film, filled with strong performances and delivering an important message with a punch, a drama that warrants to trip to the theater and also might be one watch come awards season.

BLUE BAYOU opens Friday, Sept. 17, in theaters.

RATING: 3.5 out of 4 stars

CANDYMAN (2021) – Review

Michael Hargrove as Sherman Fields in Candyman, directed by Nia DaCosta.

Hey, is this the end of August and near the end of Summer), or is it October, around mid-Fall? Just wondering since this is the third weekend in a row with the release of a new horror flick to theatres. Hmm, maybe the studios are getting a bit of a “head start” in case our health situation goes ‘sideways” (as if that thought’s not scary enough). Last week’s release was an original idea, while the 8/13 premiere was a sequel to a flick from five years previous. Now the roots for this week’s big shocker go back nearly thirty years, but it’s not really a reboot, remake, or a “re-imagining”. The marketeers are dubbing this a “spiritual sequel” as it harkens back to that 1992 original and ignores its sequels (much as the 2018 HALLOWEEN only references the 1978 classic). And with the recent social injustice movements, today might just be primed for a return of the CANDYMAN. But only say the title once, just to be safe.

Hmmm, a chiller that begins with a puppet show? Oh yes, as paper-cut silhouettes, moved by sticks, play out the story of research student Helen Lyle’s fateful encounter with Cabrini Green’s (the notorious low-rent housing complex in the “Windy City”) avenging spirit, the Candyman. The murdered wraith from the late 1800s eviscerated lots of folks with his hook for a right hand when they repeated his name five times while staring into a reflective surface. After the “recap” (and a brief 1977 sequence at “the Green”), the story shifts to the modern-day as Troy (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) and his new boyfriend attend a dinner party at the swanky Chicago apartment of his art gallery manager sister Brianna (Teyonah Parris) and her beau, up-and-coming fine artist Anthony (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). Over drinks, Troy tells the tale of the Candyman as Brianna scoffs. However, Anthony is curious as the “urban legend” sparks his imagination (he’d gone “dry” preparing new pieces for a fast-approaching gallery showcase). Later he sneaks into the remaining row houses of Cabrini (The towers had been torn down to make space for the trendy gentrified neighborhood long ago) and runs into former resident Burke (Colman Domingo), who runs a nearby laundromat. He tells Anthony of his time there and of a different Candyman. But on his way home the artist is surprisingly stung by an errant bee. Anthony thinks nothing of the nasty welt as he hurriedly prepares his new pieces. He displays the mirrored door at the opening with a paper handout explaining it (basically challenging patrons to repeat “Candyman” five times). Of course, someone takes the dare, and…the local news is soon filled with reports of gruesome bloody killings. Has Anthony helped bring the hooked monster into the new century? Could the two be somehow connected? And why is that bee sting looking so gnarly?

The award-winning cast aids in adding to the film’s tension-filled dark “vibe”. Mateen, so good in the HBO “Watchmen” sequel, expertly balances the complex character shifts in Anthony. He shows us how the artist’s struggle for a defining work is swept away by his all-consuming need to know all about the “silly fairy tale”. And he’s not afraid to show the awful side of Anthony’s persona as too many drinks unleash his verbally abusive id (mostly directed at art rivals). We’re rooting for him, even as he changes mentally and physically while falling deeper into the supernatural “rabbit hole”. It’s a plunge that can’t be slowed by the love of Brianna, played with grit and “street smarts” by the engaging Parris (part of the superb “Wandavision”). She shows Brianna’s devotion to Anthony even as she tries in vain to halt his obsessions. Those are fueled by Burke played with a sinister zeal by Domingo (“Fear the Walking Dead”)., who seems horrified by his own past, but delighted to pass on the nightmares to Anthony. Kudos also to Stewart-Jarrett who’s having a great time as the catty Troy, and Rebecca Spence who happily spews venom as a castigating art critic (ain’t they the worst).

Director Nia DaCosta, fresh off the heart-breaking family drama LITTLE WOODS, proves her talents by entering the horror genre and mixing a familiar horror icon with the current social and political clime. Yet, the film feels a tad sluggish and very disjointed (I have expected to see the “scene missing” title card from GRINDHOUSE). The discoverer of a gory slaying is abruptly seen in bed (quite a narrative jump). Perhaps that can be traced to the screenplay DaCosta contributed to along with producer Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld (using the original characters from Clive Barker and Bernard Rose). Though I never saw the original I could pick up (after a bit of research) the notion that they were playing to the 1992 film’s rabid fans, even using actress Virginia Madsen’s vocal track (and a nice final VFX sequence), the twists are often predictable (another bullying scene in a deserted high school bathroom), and social norms and logic (beyond the usual “suspension of disbelief”) feel ignored (Brianna would certainly insist that Anthony see a doctor, as his bandages pop on and off). Some of the digs at the pretentious “modern art world” are nice, as is the use of those stick paper puppets (watch them during the end credits), but many horror fans will find that this re-visiting more sour than sweet as they consume the brightly re-packaged CANDYMAN. “Talk about your childhood wishes (and nightmares).”

2 Out of 4

CANDYMAN opens in theatres everywhere on August 27, 2021

96 MINUTES – SLIFF Review

Racism is never an easy topic to tackle in any medium, so when you add class warfare and the peer pressure of gang culture to the story, it triples the difficulty of pulling off a believable and sincere film. Against the odds, this is precisely what first time writer and director Aimee Lagos has accomplished with 96 MINUTES. Inspired by true events, 96 MINUTES is a story of four young lives, each of them on separate paths which violently collide.

Brittany Snow (THE VICIOUS KIND) plays Carley, an upper-middle class hard-working white college student studying law. Evan Ross (THE FAMILY TREE) plays Dre, a young black man from a gritty part of town whose determined not to fall into the gangster life, despite retaining his friendship with Kevin, played by Jonathan Michael Trautmann, a 16-year old white kid with a troubled home and dreams of becoming a gangster. Christian Serratos (TWILIGHT SAGA) plays Lena, a young Hispanic woman struggling with her failing romantic relationship.

One of the first things that came to mind while watching this film was Paul Haggis’ 2004 Academy Award-winning film CRASH. There is a parallel between the themes and styles of the two films, but the differences outweigh the similarities. You may want to sit down for what I’m about to tell you…

96 MINUTES exceeds CRASH as both a believable story and a sincere portrayal of the topics of racism, class warfare and gang culture. That’s right. This small indie film from a first time filmmaker is more successful than an Oscar-winning film from a veteran director. I’m not suggesting CRASH is a bad film, merely expressing that I felt more connected with 96 MINUTES, a film that delivers a more authentic and natural scenario, more true-to-life performances, and a far more lasting impression on the viewer.

Lagos approaches the structure of 96 MINUTES much the same, orchestrating a non-linear tale that allows us into each of the four separate lives, while also gradually building tension as she reveals the details of how these four lives violently intersect. The timeline of the film progresses forward and backward simultaneously, giving the narrative a suspenseful, edge of your seat appeal that maintains the viewer’s need for excitement, while still delivering a powerful message about the inequalities still present in our society.

96 MINUTES is presented in a cinema verite, hand held style of cinematography. The film looks good, but its unpolished by design, enhancing the assumption that everything we see on the screen is actually happening. This is an interesting, if not discouraging way of viewing the film, because the truth is the events depicted are actually happening in real life everyday. Once again making a comparison to CRASH, which I felt was overly polished, even bordering on melodramatic at times, a setback entirely absent from Lagos’ take on the subject matter.

One element of 96 MINUTES that I wasn’t expecting to be so engaged with was the score from composer Kurt Farquhar. The music ranges from viscerally tense soundscapes to influences of hip hop. Much like Lagos, the composer has clearly brought his own personal experience into the making of this movie. One other favorite factor from the film is the performance by David Oyelowo (THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND) who plays Duane, an uncle to another young man from Dre’s neighborhood, but whose involvement in the story is far richer and well-crafted than would be expected from a supporting character. His presence gives the film a richness of emotion in the third act and will be noticed.

Showtimes
Friday, November 11th at 9:30pm – Tivoli Theatre