sildarmillion Reviews

Ticket to Paradise (2022)

where it worked and where it fell apart

[6/10 · 9 October 2023]

Roberts and Clooney are really great in this movie. This movie is about mistakes they made in their youth, their struggles to comes to term with them, bad decisions made along way as a consequence of the inability to come to terms with them, and how they finally learn to grow past it. Good stuff.

Where it falls apart is when it comes to the daughter (Dever). Dever is placed in contrast to her parents (Roberts and Clooney) and shown to have a much better idea of what it is she wants from life (which I guess is to live in Bali as a seaweed farmer). Except, up until now Dever has been doing whatever her parents want her to (going to law school to become an attorney). If she has such a strong sense of self and she knows what she wants, why would she have spent so many years doing exactly the opposite of that?

Her decision to quit everything, get married to a man she just met, and presumably become a seaweed farmer heavily implies she is going through a quarter-life crisis and making a rash decision.

Also, what was up with them saying she just finished four years of college? College in the US means undergrad. But also, in the US, you can't study law as an undergrad, you have to get 3 years of a JD after you complete undergrad. Did the filmmakers just not know this basic fact? Because how old Dever is, how many years of schooling she has had, and how much money was poured into her education, absolutely plays a role. So, is she a 22-year old fresh out of college? Or is she a 25-27-year old out of law school?

I'm also curious exactly how rich these seaweed farmers in Bali actually are. Because the fiancé (Boutier) seemed super polished and gave off "educated-maybe-in-Europe" vibes. His house is amazing and the best of both worlds of a natural hut and modern technology. It seems like he and his family are rich enough that Lily (Dever) wouldn't have to worry about money ... but is that a good representation of seaweed farmers of Bali? If this misrepresents how luxurious their life is (as in, ignoring the actual hardships), then it's disrespectful to those communities.

This has strong Eat, Pray, Love vibes (even without Julia Roberts) of traveling to an "exotic" location to find yourself and portraying idealized versions of locals where they are something like a noble savage (who have the right idea about everything and have no flaws of their own) and not fully realized people.

Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)

I enjoyed some things, didn't enjoy others

[6/10 · 27 July 2023]

This movie was worth watching just for the Djinn's backstories. He goes recounts how he was the companion to the Queen of Sheba, but was captured into a bottle by King Solomon. Then how he remerges in the Ottoman empire during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent through the time of Kosem Sultan. And finally, at the turn of the twentieth century, probably before the fall of the Ottoman empire. Needless to say, I really enjoyed the depictions of each scene from the past. And it was also refreshing to get a story that delves into Islamic mythology, as opposed to Biblical mythology, which are of course similar, but with subtle differences.

But when we return to the framing device, it left something to be desired. I couldn't really understand what was the deal with Tilda Swinton's character. I'm really tired of stories where the character insists that they are happy and content being alone, but it turns out they were lying to themselves all along.

The conversation she had with the djinn in which she challenged him about the consequences of wish making on the wish maker was interesting. And I wish it could have been left at that.

However, at least the moral of the story wasn't that she actually did need companionship. Because at the end of the story, she lets the djinn go (releases him from his wish-granting imprisonment) and he visits her from time to time, so she mostly lives her solitary life, but has occasional companionship, which was possibly, a good balance for her.

But ultimately, I'm not really sure what the coherent narrative was, and I'm left unsatisfied.

The Brink (2019)

I don't know what I was expecting. I was really bored.

[3/10 · 22 July 2023]

When they say fly in the wall (in the description), they weren't kidding. The documentary goes from event to event with some of Bannon's thoughts, many of the shots don't frame him in a flattering light and the documentarian sometimes has conversations with him in which she challenges him ... but there's no coherent narrative. And maybe that is a useful piece of media in it's own right but it sure is very boring for someone who's only tangentially interested, or something who's looking for some kind of synthesis or commentary. I certainly didn't get that here.

Did I learn much about Steve Bannon? Maybe a little bit. I think I have some sense of what kind of a person he is. But that's about it.

Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi (2019)

Maybe it works as historical fiction, but fails as historical drama

[4/10 · 11 May 2023]

I think the story of Laxmibai, could have been one that's full of really interesting political intrigue. But in this Bollywoodized production, there was none of that.

This is a heavily sentimental movie with characters declaring their love for their motherland every other sentence and basing all their revolution simply on patriotism with very little focus on their politicking. Like, as if the revolt was purely an emotional response and not a carefully considered one.

There's also this weird emphasis on decisions being made my fate or something rather than careful consideration. Manikarnika is chosen as Gangadhar's bride simply because some important emissary from Jhansi happened to witness her get rid of a lion from a village in a rather cinematic way, and he had this feeling that marrying her to Gangadhar Rao would be very patriotic indeed. (And even though he chose her for the maharaja because she was a warrior, somehow her MIL still managed to tell her that her place is in the kitchen! What happened to choosing a warrior bride out of patriotism?!)

And then the eventual adoption of the heir is decided, not strategically, but because a random kid calls the queen "ma". And this was viewed as sign from God. Seriously?

Manikarnika was also played by a beautiful actress, even though the historical figure was known to be rather plain. Being played by a beautiful actress is fine, but the problem in my view was that they really played up her beauty. They even gave her false eyelashes! So much for building a period aesthetic!

They also played up a romance between Manu and Gangadhar Rao, when such a Bollywood-style romance between the two was very unlikely given that she was very, very young when they got married and he was middle aged. But the movie obscures the age difference and never comments on it. And has montages of the two falling in love.

Even the very boring British production (The Warrior Queen of Jhansi) captured the spirit of Manikarnika better than this (despite also being historically inaccurate and depicting a friendship with Hugh Rose).

I guess I will have to continue to wait for a good adaptation of this story.

Raatchasi (2019)

It's campy and fun, but I take some issue with it

[7/10 · 11 May 2023]

Note: This is more of a critique rather than a review.

This is one of those those soap opera style, uber dramatized stories that makes it kind of campy - but they were able to do it in a fun and refreshing way, because you usually don't see it apply to this setting.

The setting is a public school which lacks funds, or teachers who put in effort, and the students are neglected and perform poorly.

A new headmistress (or Head Master as they call her) comes and shakes things up in a very bad*** way that's very fun to watch. She makes enemies with the Assistant Head Master, a local political, and a guy who runs an expensive private school in the area.

I do have a couple of gripes with the movie. On one hand, while it is great that she has the student's best interests at heart, she is known to be really hard on the teachers, and way too friendly with the students, even allowing them to call her by her first name and getting a little too familiar with them. You can't encourage students to treat you like a friend and expect them to respect your authority (speaking as an authority). But being strict with students also doesn't mean you are not looking out for their best interest.

While I appreciate the film criticizes the complacence of the government school teachers who only collect a salary and coast on their jobs due to lack of oversight, the film places the blame squarely on the teachers. The film never asks - but are these teachers paid enough? They are compared to private school teachers several times - but it never brings up the wage disparity.

In fact, the film puts too much emphasis on individual responsibility. The headmistress convinces the townsfolk and alumni to make donations to raise funds for the school - she convinces them it is their duty. The movie places the responsibility of good education squarely on the shoulders of the teachers (and never questions those who are responsible for paying the teachers) and of the upkeep on the school on the community (and not the authorities who are supposed to fund it).

Basically the movie thinks it's looking out for the little guy, but it makes the mistake of thinking the students are the only little guys in the pictures.

But I did have a good time with it. And would like more of this please.

Collateral Beauty (2016)

It's not for everyone, but may be for people with specific tastes

[7/10 · 9 May 2023]

I decided to watch this movie despite the very poor ratings. I watched cautiously, ready to switch off if it got too boring or insufferable. But I ended up liking it actually!

This is a movie with four very interconnected story threads that parallel each other in a "rhyming" way that is possible only in a story. (I'm thinking of George Lucas' quote "It's like poetry: it rhymes" - except, this story rhymed much more than Star Wars ever did.)

Of the four stories, one is the central story around which the other four are built. The other three plots are about how three people are trying to address the central plot, but in the process, issues in their own life get addressed.

It involves hiring three actors to play the roles of abstract concepts (Death, Time, and Love) - they are part of the three plots attempting to affect the central plot - and the three plots deal thematically deal with death, time, and love. Not sure if that makes sense, but I'm trying to explain how this movie rhymes.

Anyways, if you enjoy stories that rhyme like this, then there is a good chance you will enjoy this. But objectively speaking, other than the rhyming, it's a pretty basic movie with not much else to offer. It's not too rich thematically. The acting is fine. The plot is paced fine. Like, in other ways, it's just _fine_.

But I can also see why some people might find the rhyming pretentious or insufferable. So, I recommend you go into this movie, it's better to go into it knowing what you're gonna get.

Jem and the Holograms (2015)

Didn't make any sense but was also kind of heartwarming?

[6/10 · 6 April 2023]

I really thought that plot-wise the movie did not make any sense. Much of it was extremely contrived.

Why one solitary video became so popular on a relatively unknown YouTube channel that the singer became an overnight sensation. Such a sensation that a studio becomes desperate to sign her. Then after she started performing in LA, why she developed a following as passionate as performers' who have been around for years.

Just because you have an amazing voice that's special and deserves to be heard doesn't mean that fame will come on the first attempt.

Then there's a very contrived plot where the family feels betrayed. A very contrived plot about needing to break into the headquarters of the studio. (Like, why do you need to retrieve the thing right now??) And the side plot about Synergy felt very out of place.

But at the same time, watching the girls together and with their aunt/foster mom played by Molly Ringwald was actually kind of heartwarming and the performances were great. I also thought that Jerrica and Rio had pretty good chemistry and a great buildup. At first I thought it was going to be a contrived love-interest side plot, but it ended up being quite sweet.

Mixed bag.

The Great Gatsby (2013)

It was incredible!

[9/10 · 30 March 2023]

Here I am watching this 10 years later, thinking it would probably be an "ok" movie but I was mistaken - it was incredible.

I loved the stylistic take on 1920s New York. The scenery shots felt like they are right out of the fantasy genre. New York felt so ... fantastical.

But as with Luhrman's other movies, there is a frustrating lack of accountability of the characters. Gatsby is by and large portrayed as very sympathetic, and while the film doesn't shy away from portraying him in moments of weakness or shy away from discussing his line of work ... it still ... romanticizes him and his feelings for Daisy.

I have read the book although I can't say I remembered it super well. But I definitely enjoyed this adaptation.

Saturday Afternoon (2019)

A Worthy Adaptation of Actual Tragic Events

[8/10 · 15 March 2023]

This film is inspired by the real-life Holey Artisan attack in Dhaka, Bangladesh. But rather than make a film about the tragedy faced by real families, the filmmakers chose to create a fictional story based on a same premise: a group of terrorists attack a restaurant in Dhaka during the month of Ramadan and hold the patrons hostage, claiming to do so in the name of religion, murdering many of them over the course of the hostage crisis.

The characters depicted as the terrorists, hostage, and the restaurant staff, are all fictionalized. New characters are invented each of whose circumstances shed light on the hollow baselessness of the terrorists' botched mission.

Given that this is a film shot in a single take, it has the distinct feel of a one-act play, in which character drama unfolds through the dialogue. Despite the dark and tense premise, some of the dialogue elicited awkward chuckles from those of us watching and many of the lines of dialogue struck a chord as well.

I don't want to go into the details of the many interesting nuances of the film because I really think it's best to go in knowing nothing about the characters and learning about each of them as the narrative unfolds.

American Animals (2018)

Wow ... now this is a heist movie

[9/10 · 12 March 2023]

I've watched and enjoyed a few heist movies, but I can never be quite sure about how I really feel about them. Usually, our "heroes" are the ones stealing from "the big guys" - people we're rooting against anyways - so we root for the guys pulling off the heist and glamorize the heist.

And that's what these guys did - the guys about whom the movie American Animals is. These are a group of guys who dream of glory and they don't really fully know what they're doing, but they think they do ... and what follows is a heist movie that made me feel very, very uncomfortable.

I'm not watching with excitement. I'm watching with dream. I'm not rooting for them to pull off the heist - but I'm not rooting against them either. I'm rooting for them not to go through with it.

Based on the poster and the description, I did not expect this movie would be as good as it was, but am I glad I checked it out!

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (2018)

Takes a Unique Perspective

[7/10 · 6 October 2021]

This is a high fantasy film set among a people with very long lifespans. At the beginning of the movie, the Elder tells Maquia that if she ever meets someone from the outside, she must never fall in love, otherwise she will learn true pain. (Due to the difference in lifespan)

It pretty much seems like a set up for a tale of forbidden romance. She will probably meet a man from the outside. Instead, after their home is attacked (and presumably destroyed), she escapes and finds a baby whose parents were killed. She takes the baby in and decides to raise it. The movie is about her struggle trying to be a mother. Eventually, as her adopted son out-ages her, it creates heartbreaking friction between them.

It was a different choice from the movie to focus on a parent-child relationship in this context. Sure, a star crossed romance would have been Romantically tragic, but shifting the focus to a story where you have a child and you know you are going to outlive the child by a lot ... that is its own kind of heartbreak that we don't often see be the heart of such stories.

Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Was not terrible (as I had expected)

[7/10 · 2 August 2021]

I was fully expecting this to be terrible. But it exceeded my expectations I guess. Don't get me wrong, there was a lot of terrible stuff about it, but I think the movie did an interesting thing with the character of Jupiter.

You see, this is a chosen one story with June as the chosen one. Usually in these stories, the chosen one turns out to be really special and have really special powers that they learn to master in a short time and save the world because they are so special. This wasn't the case with June. She was unremarkable at the start. She remains unremarkable through the story. She's unremarkable by the end. It really sounds like I'm making fun of her, but I'm really not. June is a nice girl with a decent heart. But she suffers from some self esteem issues, and she isn't the smartest. She also lacks the physicality to be the action star of this action movie. So she just stumbles through the plot, never magically overcoming her shortcomings, but trying to do the best she can given her limitations. Others around her do the rescuing. June is incredibly lucky. The tension in her story revolves around some ethical decisions she has to make. And well, that was refreshingly different enough to not make this a terrible movie in my opinion.

Doob - No Bed of Roses (2017)

Disappointing given the source material

[5/10 · 2 August 2021]

The real-life events this movie is based on was a huge scandal and a movie about that is likely to catch the attention of those who have heard of the scandal. It's an art house film. It stars famous actors from Bangladesh and West Bengal. To top it off, the star is Irrfan Khan of both Bollywood and Hollywood fame. This movie should have international acclaim. Expectations are high. And it disappoints. Terrible pacing. Characters are not established well. If you didn't know the backstory, you'd be hopelessly lost. If you know the backstory, you still need to work really hard to map the fictional characters to the real-life people. The dialogue felt unnatural. And it was So. Slow. I was expecting a nuanced depiction of the scandal, but it the movie only ever scratched the surface and never dug deep. It wasted all it's time on irrelevant flashback shots.

Dr. Cabbie (2014)

Some good, mostly cringe

[6/10 · 26 March 2021]

I appreciated some of what the movie was doing... mostly, the basic premise that there are immigrants with advanced degrees who can't find jobs and are forced to become cabbies. But there is just so much cringe.

Dr. Cabbie's entire family was a caricature of an eccentric Indian mother and an eccentric Indian uncle. And the uncle's wife, whew; at least that was a little bit funny. The supporting characters like the new best friend Tony, the landlord, the landlord's daughter, etc. Are also all caricatures.

And somehow movies about South Asian immigrants always involve them falling in love with a white blonde woman. This movie is no different. At least Adrienne Palicki did a great job and she had some interesting things going on. There is a reason she's the only actor I am mentioning by name in this entire review.

The movie is pretty diverse and includes characters from diverse backgrounds, but it also seriously leans into negative stereotypes about these groups, which was SO CRINGE. And finally, it tries to make a heartfelt plea about how Dr. Cabbie is selfless and transcends race and religion and boundaries to treat patients; it made it seem like he emigrated to Canada out of the goodness of his heart, except no, he did that to seek opportunity for himself. If he truly cared about helping the needy, he was more needed in India than in Canada. So, don't give us that BS, movie.

Alex & Eve (2015)

Better than expected

[7/10 · 16 March 2021]

I normally do not care for forbidden romance type stories, but this one captured my interest on two accounts: (1) the two leads are from very similar cultures, and (2) it is set in Australia.

The film is quite reminiscent of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, however, that movie focused on two very different cultures. Alex & Eve are both from Mediterranean cultures, and the movie makes it a point to highlight the similarities and the slight differences over which the characters fight. (And of course there is the issue of religion and historical conflict, which creates the strife between the two cultures).

Next, it is an Australian production. I have had very limited exposure to Australian film or films set in Australia, so this was quite a treat. This particular story could have taken in any English speaking country with immigrant populations, but it adds a delightful Australian flavor that I haven't gotten elsewhere. (To be fair, I cannot speak to the authenticity of it.)

I was expecting it to follow the usual clichés (and it does actually to a large part) and to skirt over the genuine conflicts this kind of cross cultural marriage can pose. To the latter point, I was glad to see the film address them head on. There were some things that follow movie-logic though and is hard to take seriously. The film was able to give us a sense of the different immigrant experiences of both families, which felt authentic when comparing to my own. I somewhat wish they had something unexpected in store for the ending, but at the same time, this story needed a feel good ending. It didn't need to be so over-the-top though.

The movie does a decent job of depicting non-practicing characters clashing with their families who are devout. I personally relate to this. However, I do note that the movie is very much told from the lens of the non-traditionalist. From that lens, it is respectful of all sides, but from the lens of the devout, I don't think it would come off as particularly respectful.

Overall, I enjoyed it more than I expected, and I enjoyed it despite the terribly cliched plot and shenanigans.

The Croods: A New Age (2020)

Slightly Disappointed

[7/10 · 1 March 2021]

This was a solid family film and recommended for a good time for sure! I'm just slightly disappointed because I had high hopes since I had liked the first one so much.

The first was also quite goofy and silly; and the sequel retains some of that. But the draw of the first movie was that it had the thematic undercurrent of a changing world in which your old rules won't work and you are forced to adapt. This current one didn't really have that much of a theme. Also, having watched the first one and the sequel back-to-back, I realized that the sequel retconned a few elements from the first movie (bananas, grandma's backstory) and if a story doesn't care enough about what it already established, it makes me feel no desire to care.

What I will say about the story though is that while the writing wasn't stellar or thematically rich, at least it wasn't lazy, which easily it could have been. The plot was set up with tons of opportunities to rely on tropes, but these tropes are actively subverted. However, when certain characters change their behavior/views by the end of the movie, it feels unearned, unlike Grug's evolution in the first movie.

But a solidly entertaining movie. But I don't feel like I want to return to this again like I did with the first one.

The Big City (1963)

Transported to the 1960s

[9/10 · 12 February 2021]

I watched this movie on a recommendation from YouTube channel Be Kind Rewind. A Bengali language film recommendation seemed to come out of left field. And one I had never heard of, on top of that.

I haven't watched many classic Bengali films despite my Bengali heritage. Or rather, I have been exposed to classic Bengali films when my grandmother used to watch them, I just didn't pay attention because my child brain would get bored. But I can appreciate them as an adult. In fact, these films are pretty much my only avenue for getting a glimpse of the world in which my grandmothers lived.

Both of my grandmothers worked; but they worked as schoolteachers, which would have been less controversial than a job as a sales rep. Neither of my grandmothers had to live with their in-laws because so they didn't have to face disapproval for challenging tradition ever so slightly. But my grandmothers did live in a world where a woman with agency was a dangerous thing, a woman with agency was a sign of indecency, where women of polite society were hesitant about owning their agency and shared their agency with their husbands and their elders.

To be honest, witnessing the gender roles and the expectations from the genders make me really upset. And I can't even try to distance myself and watch as a distant observer because I know that this would have been my life had I been born two generations earlier. The gulf has grown just too wide.

And that's what makes this an excellent film. It transported me to the 1960s. It transported me to the world in which my grandmothers grew up. With a masterfully crafted script and superb acting, it felt like I was watching the lives of real people who were my grandparents' contemporaries.

I was also surprised by how well the female protagonist was written and how deftly women's issues were portrayed. And this is because I do have a little bit of familiarity with Satyajit Ray. I've read some of his work and watched at least one of his movies, and he hardly ever featured female characters. I had assumed perhaps he didn't know how to handle female characters, but I clearly assumed wrong. The man is a masterful filmmaker and I have renewed respect for him.

Skiptrace (2016)

More Fun than I'd Expected

[8/10 · 1 February 2021]

It looked like it was going to be a silly action comedy along the lines of Rush Hour and Shanghai Noon - and it was - and enjoyable as they all are, they are still silly - but there was an added element to the fun here because of all the locations you travel through. Jackie Chan starts out in Hong Kong and Johnny Knoxville starts out in Macau and is kidnapped to Russia. Chan hunts him down for reasons relevant to his story arc. And then they run from a Russian gang through Russia, then Mongolia, then China, all the while we get an interesting look at the life of the locals, their customs, and their festivals, which was a TON of fun. The side characters, especially the members of the Russian gang and the Hong Kong gang were actually quite fun and memorable. So yeah, better than I expected!

The Foreigner (I) (2017)

Typical and Refreshing at the Same Time

[8/10 · 1 February 2021]

In some ways, this was a typical thriller ... not in a derivative way, but you know, one of those thrillers that keeps you invested and curious about the mystery and what will happen next. It was like other thrillers in that way, but didn't throw you for a loop.

But it was refreshing at the same time because of a few choices made. There are two parallel plots: the one that ends up getting more screen time is the one involving an Irish politician; and the one that we start with and is the emotional core is the plot of the Foreigner.

It's the Irish politician plot (catch the bombers) that is your typical thriller; throw in the Foreigner plot, you get something unique. The Foreigner plays a major role in driving the catch-the-bombers plot forward, but he is a total wild card, and he's a total outsider, which in an of itself is very relevant to the politics of the situation unfolding.

There was also a little bit of political intrigue that was quite fascinating.

This was a little bit of an unusual role for Jackie Chan. He is still an action hero, but he is playing a much older man who is worn out. But he's still a total bad***.

Septembers of Shiraz (2015)

Recontextualized the Iranian Revolution

[8/10 · 22 January 2021]

Septembers of Shiraz follows a wealthy Jewish Iranian family who were prosperous pre-Revolution, but the Revolution turns their life upside down. I went into the movie expecting it to sympathize with the Jewish family, but I wasn't expecting it to be so critical of them. In fact these wealthy folk were so patronizing and entitled, it was hard to completely sympathize with them.

I knew the Iranian revolution had a lot to do with class struggles. For instance, the Shah was living in obscene luxury and ignoring the condition of the vast majority of the citizens. But it was only after watching this movie that I connected the Iranian Revolution to the French Revolution. Yes, when the oppressed masses can't take any more obliviousness from the elite, they will take them to the guillotine.

In most of the Western-made stories about Iran, the loss of a flourishing cosmopolitan society is emphasized - they lost arts and culture, they lost anything that made them multicultural, and so on. But in watching this, the tragedy was recontextualized to me into something that was inevitable. All this art and culture and cosmopolitan life was restricted for the elite, while the masses suffered. Of course all of that had to go. Now I think that the tragedy was that the rich and the powerful took their power for granted and exploited everybody else instead of sharing their wealth and knowledge.

Pollyanna (1960)

Surprisingly Holds Your Attention

[8/10 · 16 January 2021]

I thought I might get bored with a film from the 1960s. But I did love this book as a child. I was surprised at how engaged I stayed with the film despite how slow and long it was, because there really was a delightful feel about it. It takes place in a charming white little New England town which wasn't the happiest of places, but was far removed from all the real ugliness of the country in its time so it seemed very charming.

While I don't remember the book in great detail, I remember enough to know the movie veered off quite a bit from the book. While the spirit of Pollyanna's character, the Glad Game, and winning over every grumpy person in the town stayed intact, the "mystery" (for lack of a better word) at the heart of the plot was chucked out. And I must say I prefer (my memory of) the book after all.

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

40 Years Later...

[10/10 · 24 December 2020]

... I can see why this movie won an Oscar.

This movie came out a good 10 years before I was even born. Now, 40 years later, at once it's incredible how much things have changed.

This movie is about a custody battle over a seven 7-year old child by divorced parents. The movie is incredible because of the thorough job is does exploring the issues around the divorce and the custody battle, and it is so rare that we see characters engage in such honest retrospection in films.

In 2020, what was amazing to watch was how unaccommodating society (especially the workplace) seemed to be of single fathers. Mr. Kramer's boss seemed to have the attitude that "You're supposed to have a wife who maintains everything at home so that you can focus on work." He showed so little compassion for the fact that Kramer really needed to prioritize his son. I wonder if he would have been the same way if Kamer's wife had died rather than having left. Maybe he would have been more outwardly sympathetic, but the consequences may have been the same.

In some ways, the movie does feel dated, but in others, I thought it was good to be able to look through a window to the past and see how far we've come, even if we still have a long way left to go.

The Color of Friendship (2000 TV Movie)

Not your typical DCOM

[8/10 · 1 December 2020]

DCOMs, or Disney Channel Original Movies are generally feel-good wholesome teen movies, but I do tend to think of them being wrapped up in a teen bubble.

This movie is decidedly not in a bubble, even if it is wholesome and to an extent, feel good. It is also very obviously educational because characters would have to launch into expositions trying to explain the apartheid.

In trying to depict the situation in South Africa, the movie almost seemed to idealize America, but it would take stock of that now and again. But really, what stand out about the movie is watching the white daughter of a South African policeman coming to America as an exchange student and finding out that her host family is black and seeing how she reacts to it.

The most incredible part about this all is that this is actually based on a true story.

Brown Nation (2016)

Silly sit com, but great representation of the Indian experience

[6/10 · 5 November 2020]

This is very much a sit com. I'm not a big sit com fan in general. I reacted to this the way I would any other sit coms. I laughed here and there, but my thought was "why is this so stupid?"

All that to say, this is basically your typical low-brow sitcom. But the difference is that this is the first American show I saw that captured the Indian experience in a way that felt authentic. You will see how Indians from different regions interact with each other. You will see how recent immigrants, naturalized immigrants, and American-borns interact with each other, as well as with visitors from India, and all of those interactions really ring true.

But their paths cross with people from other communities as well. Of course we only have one Middle Eastern character, one black character, and so on, so we don't really much of these communities, but we just get a little bit of how they interact with the various Indian communities.

So yeah, while I wouldn't say there is much thematic substance, what recommends this show is how well it captures the Indian American experience.

Long Way North (2015)

Unique

[8/10 · 4 November 2020]

It's not often we get a proper period piece in animation, so this was a real delight to watch. I can't really speak to the historical accuracy, but it FELT like a proper period piece at least. This is a story about how a privileged young woman learns to become independent and self-sufficient and I wish I had access to more media like this growing up.