Quintessential Directors: Barry Jenkins
A brief look at two Barry Jenkins films that have established him as one of the greatest filmmakers of our time.

A madhouse. Everyone can do whatever they want. One crawls, and the other walks on the ceiling. The third one hangs from the lampshade. The fourth one pops out of the nightstand like a cuckoo clock . . . Orderlies catch one of the patients. Doctors consider it normal. He began to march in the impersonal formation of normal people.
A brief look at two Barry Jenkins films that have established him as one of the greatest filmmakers of our time.
Mulan had to struggle to feel like herself and see herself properly. Some of us have to strive to have our reflection mimic what’s inside. We have to crawl. We have to fight.
The way Jeannette has to deal with child neglect makes her insecure about her parents and how she was brought up and raised in the United States. This continues into adulthood, where Jeannette becomes a successful journalist and is frequently asked about her parents by others.
Eventually, “Hobbs and Shaw” introduces us to a Samoan community. Clearly, Johnson’s Samoan roots are on display. Quite frankly, I found this section of the film very intriguing. The “Fast and Furious” franchise has a solid track record in the diversity department
As Sexual Assault Awareness Month comes to an end, I’d like to urge viewers and filmmakers to take a long and hard look at how rape is portrayed on screen.