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Arrival (2016)
It's not about the Arrival of the aliens...
There is something almost poetic the way language not only shapes our culture, but also shapes our minds. Subtle characteristics of language can affect one's world view. Certain languages have masculine and feminine forms and native speakers of these tend to view certain nouns as male or female. For instance, to an English speaker the word "university" is gender-neutral, while to a Spanish speaker it is feminine. Speakers of the Australian aboriginal language do not use words such as left foot or right hand, but will indicate their east foot and south hand, depending on the direction they are facing. Thus, they always know what direction they are facing. Such distinctions affect how one views the world around them. Such distinctions define how we interact with our environment.
Exposure to certain types of speech can affect our levels of anxiety; people who regularly watch ratings-based news channels with "if it bleeds it leads" philosophies are substantially more prone to develop stress, anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorders.
The film explores these myriad effects of speech and language on people and cultures, while teaching us about the language of aliens who have appeared in several countries around the world and have begun attempting to communicate. The film deftly acquaints us with these aliens, with the linguist Dr. Louise Banks as our guide, negotiator, and translator. Woven throughout the film are moments of awe, nail-biting tension, and beauty.
As different groups from around the world make headway with their translations, the culture and language of the linguists inform their translations. Since our world is one in which we so easily misunderstand each other, the inevitable outcome is that we transfer these misunderstandings to the aliens.
As Dr. Banks begins to learn this language, which is a temporal one, it begins to alter her mind. She sees through time to the birth, life, and death of a daughter she has yet to have. As the film concludes, we see her choose to have that daughter, knowing that she will die. And many would watch her decision and think that they themselves would never make that choice. But if you ask any parent of a deceased child if they could go back in time to spend another lifetime with the child they lost, even if they could not change that agonizing outcome, they would all say yes. They would all give anything for another moment with that child. And that is precisely what Dr. Banks is doing. Her mind has been so changed that she remembers the daughter she never had. She remembers her life; she remembers her loss. And she misses her. For Dr. Banks, "Arrival" isn't about the arrival of the aliens-she longs for her daughter. She remembers her death and aches for her; she longs for that daughter and is now waiting for her arrival.
A Storybook Ending (2020)
Plot hole only if you don't pay attention to the plot
A Storybook Ending mixes tension, humor, and relevance to current police-Black community tensions without making either groups a villain. The pacing keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time, and you could see yourself in (almost) everyone's position. It doesn't take short cuts or cheat. I thoroughly loved this short.
Spoilers:
To the people who complain "why didn't they just delete the video?" they literally say: "we don't know how many copies they made," and when she does delete the video she says, "I deleted the backup too." Like, the backup on the cloud. You know, that needs a password. Which is why they couldn't "just delete the video."
Somewhere in the Middle (2015)
A film about love, obsession, deceit, and betrayal -- a film about relationships.
The pursuit of pleasure and the pursuit of happiness are not the same; where one tends to be a solitary exploit, the other usually begs company. Unlike happiness, pleasure can become an addiction or an obsession. Such pleasure can be sought in a needle, in a bottle, or in the bed. The one night stand is the hallmark of the pursuit of pleasure while the 50- year marriage is the relationship goal we aspire to in our collective pursuit of "happily-ever- after." Most relationships fall somewhere in the middle, but what happens when they don't? What happens when one person is seeking pleasure and the other happiness?
"Somewhere in the Middle" explores this. It recognizes the difference between happiness and pleasure, between love and obsession. Where love makes one strive to be better and seek only the best for their beloved, obsession brings out their worst, and they will seek only possession of the object of their obsession. Billie is unhappy in her marriage and is seeking pleasure. Her pursuit of Alex is devious and resembles obsession. Kofi wants to save his marriage to Billie, but Billie's unhappiness is infectious. He is seeking happiness, but will settle for a distraction. He finds this distraction in Sofia, who is seeking happiness. Alex, Billie, Kofi, and Sofia are all seeking different things in each other and the lies they tell themselves inform the lies they tell each other. Their stories are interwoven and tangled and as the film unravels the perspectives of each, we see what they gain in the pursuit and mostly what they lose. In an ending reminiscent of "In the Company of Men," "Somewhere in the Middle" reveals its characters to be at times likable and at times petty, but never saccharine or unbelievable. The characters are as familiar as their plights. If you want a sequential story with a picture perfect ending, watch "Beauty and the Beast." If you want an intricate exploration of the human condition, watch "Somewhere in the Middle."
Signs (2002)
Science fiction mingles with faith.
M Night Shyamalan's SIGNS is a movie ostensibly titled for the worldwide crop circles that have mysteriously begun increasing in frequency, but a stronger argument can be made that the title refers to the signs from God that people of faith see in every day occurrences that atheists might dismiss as coincidences. The lead character, Graham, an Episcopal priest portrayed by Mel Gibson, says as much during the film.
In addition to finding one of these crop circles in their own field, Graham's faith has been shaken by a tragedy that he is trying to recover from, while raising his two young children with the help of his down on his luck brother, portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix. The crop circles indeed portend something sinister, and the tension that builds as the family hunkers down and tries to survive is reminiscent of Hitchcock. We do not see the threat until the very end, and suspense is built with mundane dangers like asthma attacks, and sculpted by letting our imaginations fill the shadows and groans.
There are many types of science fiction, and the science fiction that takes a background role to its characters always has greater appeal. Also, there are many movies that approach the question of faith; those that attempt to persuade one side aren't as successful as those films that simply try to present a test of faith. SIGNS manages to do both, although the payoff for the faith subplot far surpasses that of the science fiction plot. Very few films combine science fiction with faith. SIGNS is much more successful than the Jody Foster vehicle, CONTACT, and SIGNS manages to present the test of faith in a manner that is believable and eloquent. In a pivotal moment during the film, Graham must decide if he was given a sign from God, and act on it. Audience members of faith will see the sign, atheists will see coincidence. Shyamalan beautifully makes this moment ambiguous, as are all such signs in life.
August the First (2007)
On the 1st of August, a graduation party brings more than anyone expected.
The film is a suburban drama that examines how a family manages to survive its past, and how that past is inextricably entwined with their future.
During a graduation party, the estranged father, Dipo, returns. Each family member deals with his return differently, and thus we see how they must have survived his initial departure. As we learn the reasons for his departure and the reasons for his return, our sympathies shift.
The film is well acted and the story unfolds itself smoothly and naturally, without resorting to exposition. It is refreshing to see a dramatic film about African Americans that veers from stereotypes.