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.

The year is 1991, the universe is not our own, but rather a high-technology utopia wherein humanity stretches across multiple star-systems, and manages an addiction to cream-based foodstuffs and perpetual body-modification. Following an altogether alien holiday celebration, three bros (Zak Tatham, Aaron Mancyzk and Efehan Elbi) witness a commercial for an intergalactic mall known as "the biosphere", and, with the help of Zak’s sister Tima, hijack a spaceship in an effort to fulfill the libidinal desires promised by the advertisement.
A brief look at two Barry Jenkins films that have established him as one of the greatest filmmakers of our time.
A film loosely based on the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel, with major twists to the original story.
It’s 5:30am. The baby’s crying, but you need to finish prepping for your big pitch at work that morning. What do you do? You do the near impossible: both. That's what "Workin' Moms" is all about.
There is a lot of controversy around Q-force. It’s certainly not hard to see why—the series is quite hyperbolic. I will say, that was the first aspect I noticed on my initial watch. Right from the get-go Q-Force barrages you with gay joke after gay joke. This is hit or miss throughout the series.
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.