Half of It (2020)
Some films just feel as though they've been made for you. Half of It was recommended to me by my best friend, and who better to give you pandemic binging recommendations than one of your closest confidantes? Funny enough, the film itself is very much about confidantes, those we trust with our secrets, the secrets we tell outright as well as the ones we reveal subconsciously through our behaviors and actions. When a quirky high-school jock named Paul falls for the local pastor's daughter, he enlists the linguistic help of Ellie Chu, a brainy introvert who writes academic papers for cash. What blossoms, is an unusual friendship that fosters seeds of unrequited love in the most unexpected hearts. It is best not to spoil the plot's more intricate details and allow audiences to experience and interpret them for themselves. The film avoids archetypes for its central characters, giving them inspired moments of depth and complexity just when you think you've gotten them all figured out. It finds new ways to explore a genre that feels at this point so worn and tired-out. Paul, especially, receives added layers of emotionality that make him more investable than similar characters found in other genre films. Chu is the true shining star of the film, however. Her jadedness is understated and ultimately warranted by a heartfelt backstory that takes its time to unfold. The film uses the opposing ideologies of Ellie and Paul to appeal to both cynics and optimists alike, representing each of their perspectives with a decent degree of respect and dignity. The film touches upon topics ranging from sexuality to the struggles of immigrant assimilation, giving each just enough attention to say something meaningful without deriding the plot into a hokey sense of forced-sentimentality. The pacing works beautifully and gives all the essential characters and their intertwining relationships time to grow and develop properly. It is a Rom-Com that ends up being more about human connection than first-love and first-loss. While many critiqued Love, Simon (2018) for being a white-washed depiction of the gay-teen experience, Half of It highlights the ground potentially broken by Greg Berlanti's film, and how it has paved the way for more inclusive and diverse LGBTQ narratives. These films achieve such diversity simply by not making "gayness" a topic that solely encompasses heartache and tragedy. The film is one that deserves greater attention from adults and teenagers of all different sexual orientations. Hopefully, it will too, pave the way for more queer narratives that balance laughs and tears with such touching and sincere equilibrium as it so does.
The Assistant (2019)
"Trigger Warning" has become a common vernacular used in relation to consumer consumption of various forms of media and entertainment. Warnings of sensitive subject matter that may negatively impact the mental health of a particular individual or group of individuals watching. Sometimes, however, trigger warnings aren't needed, and a film's logline may be enough to indicate to someone that they might want to think twice before watching. When I chose to watch The Assistant with my parents one night the primary reasoning behind my decision was that the film stars Julia Garner, who we all greatly admire for her work on shows like Ozark and Dirty John. I had not considered that the film, which is centered around a day in the life of a young girl working as an assistant to a prominent fictional film producer, might be sensitive subject matter for me. I am an aspiring screenwriter and am currently searching for my first entry-level position in the film industry, or at least I was pre-COVID. Much of my research about talent agencies and production companies have warned me of the often harsh and stressful working conditions found within them. Most of my research, which has included speaking to people who actually work at these kinds of companies have given a general consensus that the everyday working environment truly comes from the top down. Who your boss and superiors are dictates much of the mood and atmosphere you'll be transversing as you go about your daily duties. This film seems to reinforce that idea and while it is an undeniably dreary affair, solace, I suppose, can be found in the notion that not every production company is like the one depicted in the film. Not every boss is as callous and cruel as the unseen spectre that looms over Garner and the supporting cast for the entirety of the film. The problem is, you can't really know until you go out there and see for yourself. I had a minor anxiety attack after the movie was over, fearful that it was prophetic of my own future in the industry. The truth is, it very well might be, but better to know now then be horrifyingly surprised and emotionally unprepared, later. The film is not a story of over-coming triumph. It is no spoiler to say that Garner does not take down her tyrannical boss in the span of a single workday. It does show an attempt from her to reach out for allies, only to be humiliatingly defeated by a vindictive and vilifying Human Resources Head. While many may view the ending as overly down-beat and defeatist, take a second look at the powerful performance Garner emits through silent gazes and gestures throughout the film, most notably in its final moments. It is in those final moments that I now realize her light has not been extinguished. She does not quit the job; she leaves to go home and rest up for another day of psychological abuse and under-appreciation tomorrow. This quiet fire that she carries inside her could very well lead her to success one day, and the film covertly reminds us that no matter how hard things may appear we cannot give up, not if our passions are truly aligned with our chosen paths in life. As we grow stronger and more influential, these tyrant's times in power comes more and more finite. We have to be the change we want to see in our lives, our relationships and yes, even our preferred industries of work. That Garner's character does not quit speaks volumes to those in similar situations throughout the entertainment industry and in other workplaces plagued by similar issues of bullying and misogyny. What we cannot change today, we must work towards changing tomorrow. Maybe I'm just an average optimist. Maybe I am trying to compensate for the still-lingering anxiety the film instilled in me through its haunting illustration of disvalue. Whatever the reason, director Kitty Green's film gives us a lot to be concerned about regarding workplace conditions in the entertainment industry, especially for young and vulnerable women. Still, it also gives us ample reasons to stay in the fight to keep working towards our dreams. Even if we don't ever reach the positions of power, at least we will have the confidence of knowing we did not allow ourselves to be berated and besmirched without attempting to create something better, not just ourselves, but for all the generations still to come.
TV Recommendations
1. Little Fires Everywhere - (Hulu)
If the viral Amy Cooper (Dog Lady in the Park) video is getting you heated about the continuous problematic and toxic race relations in this country, Little Fires Everywhere should be your go-to binge right now. Though set in the 1990s the heart-wrenching and blood-boiling story told over the eight-episode miniseries rings all-too-true still in current society about how we create barriers, whether they be out of guilt or a sense of superiority between us and those that are different. That difference could be in race, but also sexual orientation and even gender. The show asks questions we still have not answered as a society and is supported by an immensely talented multi-racial cast led by Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon who play deeply flawed and relatable women who are just trying to do what is right in their mind's eye. The issue the series unveils is that everyone's mind's eye has on a different set of glasses that skew our perspectives and inhibit us at times from realizing the cracks in our own complexions. We have to take the glasses off, even if we may not like what we see. The show will leave you with deep scars, but you'll be thankful to have received them because you'll remind yourself that others have received far worse in life for unjust and unimaginable reasons.
2. Raising Dion - (Netflix)
With a market so completely saturated with superheroes stories, some better executed than others, you'd honestly think there was hardly any terrain left uncharted. Raising Dion proves you wrong in a big way. As a little boy discovers he has superpowers his mother must find new and innovative ways to keep him safe as dark forces threaten them and those they love. The balance of humor and drama in the show is sometimes off-kilter, but this is made up for by a committed and more-than competent cast, led by Ja'Siah Young as the titular character. The show advocates for diversity in multifaceted ways by featuring characters queer, of color and disabled. These characters and their arcs teeter comfortably, but never actually fall over the line into full-blown melodrama. With impressive special effects and nuanced performances and storytelling Raising Dion is a feel-good series in a time when we are and should be celebrating so many real-life heroes on a daily basis.
3. Harley Quinn - (DC Universe)
Another different approach to the superhero genre can be found in the original animated series Harley Quinn about everyone's favorite sexy jester minx. The show chronicles Harley's separation from the Joker and forming of her own gang of criminal cohorts. The show is earnestly hilarious not only in its raunchy moments but its quieter ones as well. The characters idiosyncrasies are so well ingrained into their attitudes and dialogue that you come to love and appreciate even the most loathsome of beings like Bane or Dr Psycho. Its sporadic, unapologetic gore also helps set it apart from previous television and direct-to-DVD endeavors and raises the stakes significantly for the characters throughout. It is not afraid to poke fun at past incarnations of these characters or even questionable attributes in their origin stories, such as making Mr Freeze a creepily obsessed husband rather than a simply misunderstood and devoted one to his sick, frozen wife. The voice cast is energetic and on-point, never phoning it in or ringing false in their performances especially Kaley Cuoco, Lake Bell, Christopher Meloni and Tony Hale, amongst many other talented artists contributing their voices to the program. Amongst the laughter and thrills, the show even manages to move us in emotional ways we may not expect as we relate to the underdog protagonist and her similarly undervalued companions. It is a must-watch for DC fans and anyone looking for a fun and wild spin on a well-established formula and intellectual property.
