A few years after the breakup of her band, now divorced and disillusioned, Kathryn is at a low point. An unexpected invitation for a weekend getaway from her former lead singer promises to be a much needed escape. The wild drive up north is a reminder of her past life on the road and why she left it behind. Following a run-in with some locals, the band arrives at the cottage to find their host is missing. A menacing stranger leaves them all shaken… as dusk settles in, the siege of terror begins.
Adapted from a 2014 novel by Atticus Lish, Preparation for the Next Life is the feature film debut of documentary filmmaker Bing Liu. With the help of screenwriter Martyna Majok, he paints a realistic and somber portrayal of Aishe, a Uyghur immigrant, as she struggles to make a living while undocumented in the United States.
With such a raw look at the 15th century, it seems that Disney was really trying to step outside of its element with this motion picture.
An aspect of She-Ra that I find refreshing is even though a large portion of the cast is on the LGBTQ+ Spectrum, being gay is never mentioned. While this might initially sound like a negative thing, in the show’s land of Etheria being on the gay spectrum is shown to be so common and normalized that straight isn’t the default. As much as there is to appreciate about narratives revolving around the obstacles that may come from being non-heteronormative, it’s nice to get immersed in a world where no one bats an eye at all to any sort of differing identity.
It was always people for Joe, and he ultimately found them at the end of a long, painful, yet illuminating quest for self-discovery outside of one, confident constant - his bisexuality.
A throwback to the last months of the 20th century in this comedy film.
This film is a splendid mix of mediums, but its strength lies in its simplicity and beautiful message of closeness.
