Lee Israel makes her living as a celebrity biographer. However, when that no longer pays off, she uses her talents for deception as she tries to maintain her failing writing career by forging letters from deceased authors and playwrights. Based on Lee Israel’s memoir of the same name, Melissa McCarthy stars as the infamous forger as we explore the underlying motives and consequences of her actions in Can You Ever Forgive Me?. This biographical drama is now playing at the Michigan and State Theaters.
Month: November 2018
REVIEW: Boy Erased
The leaves have fallen, snowfall has commenced, and the best time of the year has finally arrived — the “sweet spot” for Oscar contenders. October through December have proven to be the most influential months to release the greatest Oscar-nominated films. With each year, it seems that more films are becoming more diverse and inclusive whether it be seen through its cast, its creative team, or its storyline. Since Moonlight’s monumental success in 2016, we’ve also seen Call Me by Your Name in 2017 and for 2018, it appears that the next biggest contender will be Boy Erased. Not only does Boy Erased put LGBTQ at the forefront, but it also attempts to address a challenging topic.
Boy Erased is a film based on Garrard Conley’s memoir. It tells the story of a teenage boy whose religious-bearing parents enroll him in a conversion therapy camp. Throughout the film, we see minimal glimpses of Jared Eamon’s past. In a rather typical nature, Jared portrays a generalized heterosexual lifestyle as a high schooler. He plays on the basketball team, has a cheerleader girlfriend, and is encouraged to spend time at his girlfriend’s house to avoid freezing up “when the time actually comes.” In a relatively understated scene, we get the first glimpse into Jared’s uncertainty and battle with his sexuality where he swiftly rejects his girlfriend’s sexual attempts and counters it with his religious morals.
During Jared’s college career, it is apparent of his crush on a peer who he frequently spends time with outside of class. However, this relationship led to a painful and terribly disturbing sexual assault scene. Following Jared’s assault, his assaulter, Henry, falsely claimed to be a school counselor as he called Jared’s mother to inform her of his “behavior.” When confronted of his sexuality by his parents, Jared initially declines then later returns to confess that he is indeed gay. In a firm tone, Jared’s father asks him if he wants to change, which Jared responds with compliance and the desire to change.
Marshall (Jared’s father), a Baptist minister, insists on enrolling Jared in a conversion therapy program. Upon his arrival at the camp, it seemed like he was arriving for a jail sentence. All of his belongings were taken, stored away in a cabinet, and informed that notebooks, phones, etc. would be monitored. In a typical motherly fashion, Nancy expressed some uncertainty and discomfort with dropping her son off. Jared initially accepts the principles of the “Love in Action” program conducted by former LIA participants. The program utilizes Christian principles to define their sexuality as a sin that they willingly chose to make. Through various activities, Jared quickly acknowledges that these exercises are nothing short of psychological and physical abuse.
Aside from the societal (and even political) significance of this film, it suffered most from its cinematic elements or lack thereof. The entire film was centered solely between Jared and his parents, Nancy and Marshall. They were presented as a wholesome, loving family. Throughout the film, it is evident that Jared has had a decent upbringing where he expresses his understanding of moral beliefs. Furthermore, it seems that his parents are presented as fairly innocent throughout — as in, they deeply love their son, but his “choice” is simply against their beliefs and is not to be accepted. My only caveat to this was in what I found to be the most powerful scene throughout the entire film. Following Jared’s dramatic exit from the camp, we watched a raw scene between Jared and his mother. Played by the skillful Nicole Kidman, the dialogue was extremely moving and emotional as she spoke with regret on sending him to the camp and explained her intuitions of a mother.
For this film to have tackled such a sensitive topic, it lacked the power of evoking emotion, especially where it had the most potential. Many scenes that felt important were presented in such a way that you knew they were intended to progress the story but did not punch the audience as it could have. Moreover, the film also failed to capitalize on its supporting characters. Since so much emphasis was placed on Jared and his parents, the purpose of other characters was confusing in retrospect. Consequently, when presented with extremely emotional instances from other characters, the audience could not empathize as much as we should have simply because the other characters weren’t given an adequate chance to be developed.
In conclusion, this film represented an important subject matter and was successful in that regard. However, its quality of filmmaking is what will hold this film back from being amongst the most competitive Oscar contenders that follow. Boy Erased is inevitably a heart-wrenching film to sit through but its relevant purpose should not be ignored.
REVIEW: Passing Strange
Passing Strange was a skillfully and cleverly produced musical. Not just because of its storyline, but also because of its creative choices in blocking, delegation of roles among the actors, and overall setup.
At first I was somewhat puzzled by the venue. The Arthur Miller Theater is pretty small. Once the show began, I understood. And I loved it. I was particularly intrigued by the utilization of the entire theater as the stage. The audience was seated so close to the actors, it was an intimate experience. Throughout the show, actors ran up and down the aisles, and flyers rained down from the ceiling into the audience during different scenes when the storyline called for it.
The production called for the use of the audience’s imagination which I really liked, especially as a writer who frequently uses metaphor and allegory. But the musical may not have been as accessible or enjoyable for audience members who enjoy more realistic blocking and representations. For example, snow looking like it’s falling from the sky/ceiling rather than supporting actors throwing snow over the main character to suggest that it’s winter. But this is a matter of personal preference.
Another aspect I enjoyed of the musical was that each actor played several roles: usually a starring role and a supporting role(s) in the ensemble. I thought that was incredibly creative because I have never seen that before. The band was also integrated into the musical. It was physically set up and integrated into part of the set. And surprise, the pianist was also part of the ensemble. The cast was incredibly talented. All the actors had strong vocals, and the dance routines were incredibly energetic and entertaining.
The cast was mostly people of color which I think is relatively uncommon for the entertainment industry. I appreciated that the musical did not shy away from talking about race, the act of “passing,” religion, and privilege. There were also a lot of other relatable themes applicable to the audience member’s life regardless of their age or experiences: oppression, restlessness, (an artist’s) identity, belonging, and fulfillment.
What I especially liked, however, was how the musical explored the nuances of oppression and privilege. The musical recognized that yes, African-Americans face abominable oppression in America. At the same time, there are nuances worthy of exploration. As the main character ‘searched’ for his identity and belonging, he ‘passed’ as ghetto in order to gain social esteem among his peers and develop a (somewhat false) identity as an artist. When in fact, he grew up in a middle-class community.
I appreciated the musical’s exploration of intersectionality of race and social class and the nuances that result from it. It reminded me of the movie Love, Simon, which was also very well done. The movie explored a situation in which the main character had a family and group of friends who were loving and accepting of the fact he was gay. But he was so anxious and paralyzed about coming out, he lied and hurt a lot of his friends to stay in the closet. Both of these works, Passing Strange and Love, Simon, examined the ‘victim identity,’ which is of course a controversial topic. But nothing, unfortunately, is simple.
Overall, I really enjoyed the musical. It was thoughtfully produced, heartfelt, and it left me with a lot of ideas and themes to ponder.
PREVIEW: 96th All Media Exhibition
Visit the Ann Arbor Art Center through December 1, 2018 to check out the 96th Annual All Media Exhibition! The Exhibition is a juried competition that accepts art entries in all forms of media.
I’m excited to visit this event because I’ve never been to the Ann Arbor Art Center before, and it promises to be a great opportunity to see a diverse collection of art.
The Ann Arbor Art Center is open from 10 am – 7 pm on weekdays, 10 am – 6pm on Saturdays, and 12 pm – 5 pm on Sundays. It is located at 117 West Liberty Street.
PREVIEW: Yi-Chun Wu: East in Motion
From now through Friday, November 30, is 2018, stop by the Michigan League to see some incredible photography by Yi-Chun Wu! East in Motion is an exhibition that “showcases Photographer Yi-Chun’s dance photography works, presenting “eastern” bodies and movements that transcend boundaries of nations and races.”
Yi-Chun Wu is an esteemed dance photographer, and she has worked with numerous dance companies and organizations throughout the world. I am particularly intrigued by her ability to capture light and motion in her photography. For a slideshow previewing this exhibition, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=409&v=Iyvk5kWqbJ0 Additionally, the artist’s website can be found at www.yichunwu.com/.
The exhibition is scattered throughout the main corridor and lobby of the League, and so it is easy to stop in between classes. It’s completely free, and all you need to do is take a walk into the building to enjoy some amazing art!
REVIEW: Deluge
At the Friday gallery opening for Gideon Mendel’s Deluge, I had grabbed a seat in front awaiting the artist’s talk when the artist himself appeared and encouraged us to first go and watch his 14 minute piece in full before returning for his talk.
A full fourteen minutes would usually test my patience for any single video piece- but the alien, overwhelming imagery coupled with constantly changing scenes spread out across five screens made the piece seem much shorter. When the piece looped back around to the beginning, I was sadly not yet ready for it to be over. There were scenes that were very human and intimate, with figures forlornly staring into the camera in the flooded remains of their house. Other scenes looked like something straight out of a post-apocalyptic film, featuring boats gliding through sunken cities. Still others were more purely visual, focusing on the way that reflection and the waterline changed the landscape on both large and small levels.
The artist’s talk following our viewing of the piece itself was quite enlightening about both Gideon Mendel’s process and personal reflections on the work. We learned that the project was over a decade in the making, and had originally been meant to cover all environmentally caused natural disasters, but then narrowed in focus. He also reminisced that he encountered an overwhelming sense of dissatisfaction with the government and the status quo regardless of where he went, whether it be the most affluent or the poorest neighborhood imaginable. I was struck by the equalizing power of natural disasters, not caring about the color of your skin, or your background. Although, and Mendel made sure to note this, those previously mentioned factors made a world of difference when it came to an individual’s ability to recover from said disaster.
One of the things that I appreciated the most out of the entire event, was when the artist was prompted to answer where he felt his work best fit between the worlds of photojournalism, environmental activism, and fine art. He instead insisted that his work not be pigeonholed into any one single realm, instead occupying a sort of middle ground. I could certainly see aspects of all three in his work, and agree that they were far more effective when used in harmony, rather than trying to merely fit only one category.
Another interesting element of this particular exposition was displayed in the utilization of the dual rooms. The main gallery space was used to very effectively show the video, completely darkened with benches to allow viewers to sit and enjoy the entire 14 minutes of the piece. The other room was used as a peek into Mendel’s behind the scenes process and organization of his material, with raw footage being played on projection and several wall installations on each of the walls. Over the course of the two weeks that Mendel was to be staying at UM, he was challenged by the gallery curator to experiment in arranging, rearranging, and adding to the walls, so they might appear different in a week’s time than they were when I photographed them. I was particularly inspired by the artfully arranged collection of photographs. The other wall was a play on the square format that is currently so ubiquitous due to influences such as Instagram.
Deluge will be displayed at the Institute for the Humanities Gallery right inside the entrance of the South Thayer Building until the end of the semester, December 18th. The gallery is only open from 9am-5pm M-F, so be sure to stop by in between classes and experience Gideon Mendel’s provoking piece for yourself. Also if your interest was piqued by this piece, definitely check out Gideon Mendel’s website (http://gideonmendel.com/) or check out his instagram @gideonmendel .
