The Goonies (1985)

This month celebrates Indigenous communities and their cultures. But, when it comes to representing Indigenous people in media, we fall short. This is because Indigenous stories are often told through the white gaze, and not by their own people. When we think of authentic Indigenous films, there’s not much to think of other than the Native American-led films in the 90s. Most of these films that featured Native Americans were either westerns, documentaries, or coming-of-age. There wasn’t much expansion of Indigenous people in other popular genres, until now. I introduce to you, Slash/Back (2022), an Inuit Horror Sci-fi that is centered on four Inuit girls hunting alien monsters and ultimately, saving their village, Pangnirtung “Pang” from an alien invasion. Directed by Nyla Innuksuk who is an Inuk herself, this film not only represents Inuit girls but girlhood altogether. The emphasis on girlhood such as friendship, sisterhood, and girl power in Slash/Back makes it relatable for Inuit girls and non-indigenous girls.

***WARNING: Spoilers Ahead***

Before we dive into the film, you need to know about our characters: Maika, Uki, Jesse, and Lee Lee. Every friend group has friend group archetypes, so that’s how we’ll introduce our characters. First, we have Maika, she’s the leader of the group. Her father is known to be the best hunter in Pang; in the opening scene, we see a young Maika learning how to hunt with her father, by showing her how to use a rifle. And, what separates Maika apart from the other girls is her inability to accept her Inuit heritage. Second, is Uki, who’s known to be the rebel of the group. She never backs down from a fight or dare, which leads her to discover that the strange behavior of the animals is the reason people are going missing in Pang. Uki is also the believer of the group, she originally thought the creatures that were inhabiting the animals were Ijiraq (Inuit mythology) but realizes their “aliens pretending not to be aliens” in order to suck blood from living hosts to “fuel” it for their spaceship. Then, there’s Jesse. Jesse is the mom of the group; the calm and collected one. She attempts to stay neutral whenever the girls are arguing (Maika and Uki). The last friend of the group is Lee Lee. Lee Lee is more privileged than the rest of the girls. Most of the community lives in less-developed homes, whereas, Lee Lee’s family lives in a more modern home. Another example, where we see Lee Lee as privileged is when Maika asks how much data she has on her phone, and she responds “I don’t know, my parents pay for it”. Additionally, we have Aju, who is an unofficial member of the group. Aju is Maika’s little sister, she always tags along with the girls but is often left behind because she’s the youngest of them. And for that reason, Aju is the Drew Barrymore of the group, because Aju reminds me of Gertie from E.T (1982). 

The new A24 film was just as the title describes: Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022). A friend saw an early screening and reported that the movie was all over the place, not what he was expecting. Isn’t that in the title? – was my smart reply. I couldn’t possibly have expected what the film turned out to be, like many. The already-cult limited release film stars Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh from MCU’s Shang-Chi, Crazy Rich Asians, and numerous films) and Joy (Stephanie Hsu from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), with supporting roles Waymond (Ke Huy Quan from The Goonies), and Jamie Lee Curtis (The Halloween movies and Knives Out). Everything Everywhere is like the Matrix, but with OCD and hallucinogens, plus a heart’s dose of mother-daughter intergenerational intercultural growing pains. The movie currently scores 5 for the Incluvie score, and 4.5 for the Movie score, with 97% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. People love it! Personally, I wouldn’t say I love it, but I also didn’t dislike it.

The film was meant to be disjointed and discombobulated, but for me – it was too much. I felt like the film was a bit seizure-inducing and odd, from the hot-dog fingers world to the jump code of sticking a trophy into the asshole. The film makes fun of itself at times, granted, with Joy herself saying “what the fuck”, and Evelyn telling the alter-Waymond to be serious. The story does do a good job bringing all the disjointed nonsense together, which is not an easy feat with all the chaos within it.

The relationship between Evelyn and Joy reflects many mother-daughter relationships, especially those with an immigrant mother and American-born daughter. It’s specifically relatable for many Chinese Americans, Asian Americans, and Americans with parents from third-world countries. Evelyn tersely tells Joy to “lose weight because you’re getting fat”, and doesn’t fully embrace Joy having a girlfriend and being queer. The audience clearly sees Joy’s pain in her facial expressions. She’s clearly hurt and disappointed by her mother. The premise of the film is that Evelyn learns that Joy is seeking her approval and unconditional love – by way of multi-universe destruction, chaos, depression, and rage, with Alice-in-Wonderland-esque costumes and makeup for pizzazz. Although Joy as Jobu Tupaki in the multiverse is the destructive villain seeking Evelyn, Evelyn refuses to destroy her daughter, even when told the multiverse's existence depends on it. Jobu’s depressive and destructive spiral and belief that nothing matters compels Evelyn to take the mental leap to love and save Joy.

Outer Banks (2020-) knows its audience: young adults in a country that can’t stop romanticizing good ole’ treasure hunts. Add a little of Riverdale’s (2017-) sex appeal, and no one can look away. Forty years after The Goonies (1985) America’s consciousness hasn’t strayed from the same tropes: treasure hunts, a vulnerable white male lead, and the whitewashing of a racially segregated setting.

In Episode 3, aptly named “The Forbidden Zone,” the show’s preppy antagonists attack Pope (Jonathan Davis), a member of the core four groups of leads, on a golf course. Two white men attack a black man “trespassing” on a golf course. The show portrays this instance of violence as a conflict between two social classes: the economically disadvantaged “pogues” and the well-off “kooks.” These two groups supposedly aren’t defined by race, but each contains supporting minority characters. The show’s failure to acknowledge the racial nature of this violence exemplifies why so many white people in America don’t believe racism exists. They have the tools to explain it away. When Pope is beaten up, he isn’t black, he’s a “pogue.” The class distinctions of Outer Banks enable young viewers to view racial violence in a way that does not challenge their understanding of race.

The show’s setting also ignores its racial context. Sara Cameron (Madison Clyne), a “kook” who becomes the love interest of “pogue” John B (Chase Stokes), lives on a former plantation. However, the show does not discuss the legacy of slavery. Instead, slavery is merely a backdrop for the white kids (and Pope) going on their treasure hunt. In real life, would John B really look Pope in the eye and say, “Hey, let’s go explore this planation!” Sadly, he probably would. If that’s true, then the show doesn’t do anything for America’s social consciousness at all. Not that it meant to.

Mishandling of female stories