Month: December 2016

A Note About Barry

As U.S. President, Barack Obama’s presidency comes to a close, Netflix drops this Toronto International Film Festival 2016 premiered eye-opener into the early life of America’s first coloured president. Directed by Vikram Gandhi and starring young Devon Terrell as Barry (Barack Obama), Barry gives the viewer an inside glimpse into who Obama was before he began his path to politics.

With the concept of identity as its main foundation, this film explores the conflicts that a person’s pscyhe endures while trying to find out who he/she is. Springing from a mixed race union, Barry spends his early college years from 1981 – 1982 finding himself through the things he studies in class, his interest in sports, the people he surrounds himself with, and the things he reads. Among many relationships that stand to help shape Barry’s sense of self is his relationship with his father and how a lack of the same impacts the way he sees himself. In trying to find a way to communicate with his father, Barry must come to terms with the portions of his father he has inherited, and the bits of himself that are his mother. He must also decide which battles he chooses to pick in a country infested with racial prejudice. Barry must learn to pick out the pieces of his country that make him who he is and build on the ones he wishes to adopt to add to his current sense of self.

Terrell gives a strong performance as Barry as he navigates romantic relationships, friendships, cliques and familial connections. Barry struggles with asserting his varied upbringing in a country so quick to label based on one’s skin colour. He must prove himself time and again as a smart and educated man of mixed heritage with a familial and cultural background he is proud of. His internal struggle is beautifully captured through silent moments and carefully executed body language. Terrell has even mastered the President’s way of speaking to a T.

And while this film might leave you wanting a neatly-tied up ending, it does exactly what it set out to do in helping young Barry find his place in the world and develop a stronger sense of who he is. For an admirable performance by Devon Terrell and a well-thought-out thematic representation of self-identity, this film gets a 4.5/5.0. If you do end up watching it, you are more than welcome to start a conversation in the comment section.

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Where Do We Go Now?: A Stunning Masterpiece

When a really close friend and talented emerging filmmaker suggested we watch Where Do We Go Now?, I was intrigued by the promise of scintillating content. And I was not disappointed. Directed by and starring Nadine Labaki, this film entirely in Arabic (with a French version and with English subtitles) was shot in 2011, and is set in a small village in Lebanon.

This film begins, as pictured above, with a group of women beating their breasts in mourning. They are mourning the loss of their husbands and sons to clashes between the two religions in their village: Islam and Christianity. The movie features strong themes of female leadership, religiously-motivated conflict, community, hope, forgiveness and love. It shows how when women lead, they lead with their head and not their hearts (contrary to popular belief), favouring the greater good over personal benefit or comfort. Mothers and sisters live their lives on tenterhooks, throwing themselves between testosterone-pumped men who are quick to jump to conclusions about their neighbour and react with violence. The women in this film showcase staggering presence of mind, grace and beauty in all its forms. They go to great lengths to keep the harmony in their village and their men alive. When heartbreak knocks on their door, they answer bravely not crumbling under pressure. They rise up to sacrifice their own personal dreams to save those around them. They conquer hate with bountiful love and understanding, and at no point do they let the bond their gender has necessitated they form come under threat. They band together, Muslim and Christian alike, and show forgiveness and humility. They are the protectors of their men, their homes and their small community. The incredible lioness-like spirit of a woman is so masterfully presented in this 102 minute film

Flipping our deeply-entrenched concept of religion on its head, this film tugs at the heart of spirituality, putting forth the notion that religion is in the heart and not based on whether we hold a cross in our hands when we pray, or whether we put our foreheads to the ground in prayer. It tries to make us see that conflict over religious beliefs is entirely ridiculous because at the end of the day, we all believe in one God.

Community is at the centre of this beautifully-crafted film with this theme echoing in the plots the women devise together. In the way they run to each other’s aid to protect their own and their fellow-women’s sons and husbands. In the way they prepare food together. In the way they work toward religious celebrations together. Even while their men fight each other, these women stick together and it is their sticking together through good and rough that leads to (SPOILER ALERT) salvation.

In its totality, it could be argued that this film challenges the importance of religion over community, ultimately unifying people through love.

While carrying conceptually-heavy material, this film is careful to lighten the mood with candid moments between the strong circle of women, musical pieces that provide gorgeous melodies and profound lyrical movement, and glimpses of hope and happiness.

This film needs to be seen to open up minds closed by conflict and the various divides infringed on us by society and based on the colours of our skin, whom we choose to love or the name of the God we pray to. A stunning masterpiece, this deserves a 5.0/5.0

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Joel Osteen’s Think Better Live Better: Hope in 207 Pages

Rating: 5.0/5.0

Joel Osteen is a well-known name in religious Christian circles. This man has an extensive media persona and for all the right reasons. With the pseudo-miracle workers that prey on people’s vulnerabilities, it is easy enough to lump Joel Osteen into the same category, but this man actually spreads valuable messages. I have watched him on T.V. and read his books and my deduction is simply this, he actually cares about making a positive difference in the lives of the people he hopes to touch.

I recently read his latest book, Think Better Live Better that came out this Fall (2016), and if anyone should need testament of how a book can change your life, I would call into admittance this one. The thing that strikes me most about this book is the humility inherent in Osteen’s writing. He is obviously a man of much influence, but he still writes to his readers as one of God’s humble servants, with respect, kindness and gentleness. It is this tone that will render the readers most set in their ways more than willing to let him in to change them for the better. This book brims with positivism, and it is not just the kind that throws a bunch of feel-good sayings in your face and then scampers off the page. No, Osteen goes beyond that to offer real-life examples and opportunities for you to apply his teachings. He doesn’t heap it all into a few hundred pages. He breaks it down into little lessons that will get you thinking about how you can apply them to your life with the turn of each page. He repeats his positive messages over and over again and finds clever ways to connect his teachings, weaving in powerful and often poignant real-life stories.

Bursting with words of hope, faith, charity, kindness, and truly uplifting stories, Osteen’s genuine desire to help, to reach out and enable people shines through and makes you want to take stock of your own life and rise up to meet your divine destiny. This book is not exclusive to the religious or followers of only Christianity or even fans of Osteen. No, this book is for anyone who has lost themselves, lost hope or faith or lost the will to try harder. This is for those people who need someone to believe in them so they can straighten up and forge ahead to fulfill all they were meant to. In an age where we have become more aware about how to live healthy lifestyles, tapping into meatless diets and better fitness levels, there is something to be said for nourishing your emotional and spiritual selves. There is something to be said about the necessity for hope, and this book is literally hope in 207 pages. This book helped me navigate a dark time in my own life, and with each page I read I felt my own hope beginning to grow into its former self. If you are looking to love yourself again and to live a more fulfilled life where you can then leave a positive legacy, this would be my recommended go-to. If you do get around to reading it, I would love to hear what you thought!

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Love: Really, All you Need

I adore chick flicks, cutesy films that you can rely on to have a happy ending. When I happened upon Jenny’s Wedding, I wanted to watch it because it has two of my favourite actresses, Katherine Heigl and Alexis Bledel. Now, before I launch into a heartfelt review of this movie, I should put forth the caveat that this movie is a heavy one. It weighs down on the emotional quota really really hard, so unless you are comfortable with your emotional side and can handle the flood of emotions you will feel, tread with caution.

Opening with a seemingly-normal family, the film hinges on a truth that lies just below the surface and could destroy the family if it comes out. Jenny (Heigl) is a gay woman who has been hiding her sexuality from her very traditional family all her life. Prodding at the nuclear family structure, this movie delves into the various sides of love. Psychology has dissected love into seven different types: Eros (romantic love), Philia (the love between friends), Storge (familial love), Agape (love for strangers, nature and/or God), Ludus (love for pleasure), Pragma (love based on duty or long-term needs) and Philautia (self-love which can be either healthy or not)  We see many of these types of love in this movie: the love between a mother and her daughter (Storge), the love between a father and his daughter (Storge), the love between siblings (Storge), the love between same-sex couples (Eros), the love of self in a healthy context (Philautia), the love of friends (Philia) and the love of a family as a whole. This movie goes the extra mile to remind us that love comes in so many different shapes and sizes, and real love is big enough to overcome anything, big enough to shine into the darkness that exists within us, big enough to forgive the most hurtful of actions or words, big enough to accept despite the challenges that come with the acceptance and big enough to put another before oneself. I found my heart being pulled in all the directions that this movie could possibly take. Heigl deserves a standing ovation for her performance, as do Tom Wilkinson who plays her father, Eddie, and Linda Emond who is her mother, Rose. While Bledel’s is more of a supporting role as Jenny’s girlfriend, Kitty, she plays it well

This movie takes on a much more serious portrait of a chick flick, using this medium to tap into some very nuanced and important issues that conventional families face these days. With themes of love in all its facets, sexuality, acceptance, forgiveness and family among others, this movie is a must-watch. You, if you don’t already, begin to understand that although people within a family are so different from each other, each is deserving of the comfort and acceptance that comes with belonging to a place of real love. After all, we are all on this earth looking for the same things: love and acceptance.

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When Calls the Heart: A Feel-Good Kinda Show

The quality of T.V. shows these days is not particularly consistent. Of course it depends on what you’re into, with some people thriving on The Walking Dead, or others preferring Vision T.V. on Rogers Cable here in Canada for its smart selection of classic British, Canadian and American shows. I’m not a huge subscriber of cable television; maybe if I had more time I would spend it in front of the big box, however, every now and then I come across a show that I find particularly engaging.

I recently happened upon a Canadian-American period drama (LOVE me my period dramas) called When Calls the Heart, which is based on Janette Oke’s book by the same name. Now, because I am a sucker for history and romance, this was a perfect show to begin binge-watching. Set in the little town of Coal Valley (later called Hope Valley) in Alberta, Canada, this Western Frontier enactment is all about the feel goods. Only sometimes bordering on the slightly cheesy (I think because my generation is just pumped-full of cynicism), this drama delivers such a fantastic portfolio of lessons to build character. Spanning themes of love, forgiveness, compassion, hope, betrayal, death, grief, abandonment, sabotage and justice, this series just leaves you feeling like a better person for having watched it. A lot of us like drama packed with action and courtroom banter and loaded with wit and possibly nonsense comedy, but this show is ‘pure’, for lack of a better word. It upholds the values of kindness, compassion, respect, and love among a list of others, and in so doing provides a lens of purity in our morally disintegrating 21st-century.

Leading lady Elizabeth Thatcher, played by American actress Erin Krakow, is a big city socialite who has come to Coal Valley to begin her dream of being a teacher. Elizabeth is a headstrong woman who needs a bit of roughing around the edges, but who is kind, smart and pioneering in many ways. With a plethora of roles the likes of the dashing Mountie Jack Thornton played by Australian actor Daniel Lissing, the strong widow (and my favourite character) Abigail Stanton played by Full House‘s Lori Loughlin, the bubbly actress Rosemary LeVeaux played by Canadian actress Pascale Hutton, this show boasts a cast of very colourful and endearing characters. You’ll be surprised at how invested you become in these characters when you worry for Abigail’s safety or fret for Jack’s life.

What I love most about this show is that it portrays women in a leading role of strength and honour. The women are forward-thinkers and brave, and showcased in ways that complement their male counterparts. To me this show embodies a lot of what equality of the sexes needs to look like. Men respect women, and women respect men, and I think that it is this lesson that stays with me the most as I wait for Season 4 of this well-produced drama to begin next year. The irony of this statement is not lost on me as this show set a hundred years ago is more progressive than the deluge of TV we see these days where the sexes are just tossed around into total chaos. There is respect in relationships, and couples take their time to get to know each other and value their growing fondness for each other. There is honour, and people do the right thing by each other. There is forgiveness and hope, there is love and unrestrained compassion for strangers. And let’s not even sidestep the incredible chemistry between Erin Krakow’s and Daniel Lissing’s characters! Other progressive themes that struck me are the modern concepts around differentiated teaching and creative strategies for hands-on learning (as a teacher these nuances are quite intriguing), pushing for female education beyond the schoolhouse and women starting their own businesses and doing the handiwork around repairing their homes.

The Canadian tongue-in-cheek humour that we inherited from out British forefathers is quite entertaining, with sass peppered into the female and male characters alike. I am so glad that a show like this has been renewed for a 4th season when feel-good television in the same genre barely makes it past the 2nd.

If you’re looking for a feel-good series about life on the Western Frontier, this is the show for you. The plot is rich, the acting commendable, the setting quite elaborate and the themes totally worth your time. I just might invest in the entire series on DVD for myself! With 10 episodes per season, each episode running about 42 minutes (without ads), the first two seasons of the show are available on Netflix and the CBC TV app, if you’re in Canada. The show usually airs on the Hallmark Channel in the U.S. and on Super Channel here in Canada, with the 4th season premiering sometime in February, 2017. If you decide to watch this show, let me know what you think in the comment section. You can catch a CBC preview here:When Calls the Heart CBC Preview

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