"Baya in the Zhuang language means 'grandmother.' At the end of 2012, I attended a charity lecture in Beijing about left-behind children, where I heard the story of Baya and the grandchildren she raised. In early 2013, I arrived at the village of Debie, set in a mountain pass, where Baya lived. I stayed at Baya's house. At that time, I was going through the breakdown of an intimate relationship and found myself at a personal low point in middle age. I was curious about how Baya had survived so many hardships and continued to provide shade, shelter, and warmth like a big tree for her grandchildren and the lives around her. During the year and eight months I spent with Baya, I unknowingly underwent a transformation. Not only did my body become stronger, but my inner self also became more open and free. Through Baya, I came to understand the resilience and strength of the human spirit, which remains unaltered by any amount of suffering — a testament to the noble dignity of human nature."
Ultra-violent storytelling has never been my thing, but the issues with Scarface go beyond that. The film perpetuates harmful stereotypes about Latinx immigrants and uses gore and misogyny for shock value that never serves any purpose. The whole venture is frustratingly empty, and left me desiring something more.
A short hybrid film featuring everyone's favorite Disney characters.
Have a Good Trip offers a rather balanced look at psychedelic use. While its main narrative is the stories of recreational use by celebrities, it does delve into the medical history of psychedelics and its use in psychotherapy.
The social issues The Half of it takes on are handled well, between the antagonization brought on to Ellie for her race and the conflict that arises from her being gay. Both aspects of her character are built up over the course of the film and don’t seem abrupt or rushed. The film shows racism towards Ellie and her and father in varying levels, from having her schoolmates specifically address her as "Chinese girl” to the fore mentioned way her Dad is treated due to language barriers. The same can be said about Ellie being a lesbian. While she never truly “comes out” in the narrative, that does not undermine her journey of self-discovery from being meaningful. These ideas aren’t thrust upon the viewer in a preachy manor, the scenarios that occur feel believable given the rural setting. The film presents watchers with problems whom those like Ellie may face, and leaves us to sit with them and reflect.
A young woman finds herself trapped in a crossfire of awkwardness during a nightmarish dinner party with her boyfriend's dysfunctional family.
