The Return (1980)

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.

With the theme of unemployment, it presents a family fantasy anecdote rather the a comment on social problems.

I am an Armenian who has a mild form of epilepsy. I rarely see Armenian culture and epilepsy properly portrayed in film or TV. I delve into the how and why.

We chat with Penelope Lawson about her short film, The Dinner Party, her experience founding her own production company, and fun cinema.

This Netflix series is about Ashley Garcia, who gets a once in a lifetime opportunity to work at NASA.

Rather than following in the footsteps of poorly made horror flicks, “The Quiet Place” follows original concept.