December 2023 Film Watches

Maggie Cheung in Olivier Assayas’s 1996 French-American film Irma Vep. 

During this final month of 2023, I was fully committed to watching films by voices unfamiliar to me in addition to holiday classics, reserving the usual Harry Potter and Home Alone marathons for January. Yet, surprisingly a few new Christmas films weren’t half bad.
Again, Issa Rae’s Hoorae YouTube channel was an ample resource and starting point to my journey, the discovery of Bethiael Alemayoh aka B. B. Araya being a favorite. Definitely plan to write a story on her work. Currently, she debuted a new short film, Dressed at SXSW. The premise is a “former bride-to-be attempts to sell her wedding dress.”
I fell in love with great world cinema such as Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s This Is Not A Burial, This Is A Resurrection, Olivier Assayas’s Irma Vep, Maryam Touzani‘s The Blue Caftan and Adam respectively, and Leyla Bouvid’s A Tale of Love and Desire. Plus, I revisited old Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, weeks after seeing his newest beautiful work, The Boy and The Heron, a must see.
Coincidentally, I ended my film list with Adamma Ebo’s Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul— a short version of the film I watched back in January.

December Film Watches

1.) “The Golden Chain” (2016) Adebukola Bodunrin and Ezra Claytan Daniels #*+ 9/10

2.) “Sweet Ruin” (2008) Elisabeth Subrin #* 7/10

3.) “T” (2019) Keisha Rae Witherspoon #*+ 8.5/10

4.) “The Blackening” (2023) Tim Story #^ 7/10

5.) “Christmas With A Kiss” (2023) Roger M. Bobb #^ 6.5/10

6.) “Secret Sunshine” (2010) Lee Chang-dong #^ 6.8/10

7.) “Tony Takitani” (2000) Jun Ichikawa #^ 6.8/10

8.) “Vertigo” (1958) Alfred Hitchcock # 7/10

9.) “An Unknown Country” (2022) Morrisa Maltz #* 9/10

10.) “Real Women Have Curves” (2002) Patricia Cardoso *^ 10/10

11.) “Earth Mama” (2022) Savannah Leaf #*^ 9.5/10

12.) “Broadcast Signal Intrusion” (2021) Jacob Gentry # 4/10

13.) “The Blue Caftan” (2022) Maryam Touzani #*^ 9/10

14.) “Dress For Success” (2023) Erskine Forde #^ 8/10

15.) “Adam” (2019) Maryam Touzani #*^ 9.5/10

16.) ”A Tale of Love and Desire” (2021) Leyla Bouzid #*^ 9.5/10

17.) “The Boy and the Heron” (2023) Hayao Miyazaki #^ 9.5/10

18.) ”Christmas Belles” (2019) Terri J. Vaughan #*+ 4.7/10

19.) “Christmas Deja Vu” (2021) Christel Gibson #*+ 5.5/10

20.) ”You Hurt My Feelings” (2023) Nicole Holofcener #* 5/10

21.) “This is not a Burial, it’s a Resurrection” (2019) Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese #^ 10/10

22.) ”Tomorrow Never Dies” (1997) Roger Spottiswoode # 5.4/10

23.) “Hot Girl Winter” (2023) Patricia Cuffie-Jones #*+ 6.8/10

24.) “The Chef’s Wife” (2014) Anne Le Ny #* 6/10

25.) “Boxing Day” (2021) Aml Ameen ^ 7.7/10

26.) ”A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965) Bill Melendez 8/10

27.) “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer” (1964) Larry Roemer and Kizo Nagashima 7/10

28.) “Garfield Christmas Special” (1987) Phil Roman and George Singer 7.7/10

29.) “Entre Nous” (1983) Diane Furys #* 8.5/10

30.) “Bridget Jones’s Diary” (2001) Sharon Maguire * 6.5/10

31.) “My One Christmas Wish” (2019) James Head # 7.5/10

32.) “Clockwatchers” (1997) Jill Sprecher #* 6.7/10

33.) “The Baker’s Wife” (1938) Marcel Pagnol # 0/10

34.) “Down in the Delta” (1998) Maya Angelou *+ 9.5/10

35.) “Irma Vep” (1996) Olivier Assayas # 9/10

36.) “Ovals: I Don’t Want To Love Myself” (2016) Daquan Saxton #^ 7.8/10

37.) “Gentle Boy” (2023) Caleb Grandoit #^ 9/10

38.) “Solely” (2013) Anna Nersesyan #* 9.5/10

39.) “Dating App” (2019) Maya Table #*+ 9/10

40.) “Beta” (2016) B. B. Araya #*+ 10/10

41.) “Detour” (2018) Daniel Norris Webb # 4/10

42.) “bad news” (2020) Bethiael Alemoyah #*+ 10/10

43.) “yirga” (2019) Bethiael Alemoyah #*+ 10/10

44.) “Spirited Away” (2009) Hayao Miyazaki ^ 10/10

45.) “Good Morning” Yasujirō Ozu #^ 10/10

46.) “Poetry” (2010) Lee Chang-dong #^ 8.9/10

47.) “Happy New Year’s Eve, Charlie Brown” (1986) Bill Melendez 5.6/10

48.) “Hair Love” (2019) Matthew Cherry and Bruce W. Smith #^ 8/10

49.) “Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul” (2019) Adamma Ebo #*+ 7.7/10


# first time watch

*woman filmmaker

*+Black woman filmmaker

^nonwhite filmmaker

Other notes: list of 49 films, 40 first time watches, 30 films directed/written by nonwhite filmmakers, and 24 films made by women.

Yearly total: 358 films, seven short of my goal of watching 365; 304 first time watches, 260 films directed/written by nonwhite filmmakers, and 172 films made and/or co-made by women.

November 2023 Film Watches

 

Starring Rutina Wesley and LeBaron Foster Thornton, Cierra Glaude’s powerful short film Last Looks was written by Nicholas Ashe, Wesley’s Queen Sugar co-star.

As the sky darkens early in November, my lazier habits come out to play. Although I did not see a single film in the theaters, I checked out several DVDs from my local library aka the last of our human renting experience. 

However, looking back, this wasn’t my favorite film listings of the year, considering the shamefully bad choices made here, primarily a lack of women filmmakers. Not my proudest month despite some great women starring vehicles (Wayne Wang’s dim sum: a little bit of heart remains a treat). Also found a few rare pieces starring one of my favorite actresses Emayatzy Corinealdi. 

November Film Watches

1.) “Kids” (2013) A. V. Rockwell #*+ 8.5/10

2.) “The Dreamer” (2012) A. V. Rockwell #*+ 9/10

3.) “B. L. B.” (2014) A. V. Rockwell #*+ 9/10

4.) “The Kingsman Secret Service” (2017) Matthew Vaughan # 6.5/10

5.) “The Menu” Mark Mylod # 8/10

6.) “Last Looks” (2017) Cierra Glaude #*^ 10/10

7.) “I Knew Her Well” (1965) Antonio Pietrangeli # 10/10

8.) “dim sum: a little bit of heart” (1985) Wayne Wang ^ 10/10

9.) “Floating Weeds” (1959) Yasujirō Ozu #^ 10/10

10.) “Howling” (2012) Yoo Ha #^ 3/10

11.) “Drive My Car” (2021) Ryusuke Hamaguchi #^ 9/10

12.) “Parasite” (2019) Bong Joon-ho ^ 10/10

13.) “Teacher in the Box” (2014) Tanuj Chopra #^ 10/10

14.) “Clap Clap” (2009) Tanuj Chopra #^ 7/10

15.) “Akira’s Hip Hop Shop” (2007) Joseph Doughrity #^ 8/10

16.) “Cordially Invited” (2007) Nicholas Stoller # 5/10

17.) “Addicted” (2014) Bille Woodruff #^ 2/10

18.) “The Silent Treatment” (2012) Martine Jean #*+ 10/10

19.) “Crimson Peak” (2015) Guillermo del Toro # 5.5/10

20.) “A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge” (1985) Jack Sholder 2/10

21.) “Love, Beats, Rhymes” (2017) RZA #^ 7.7/10

22.) “My Salinger Year” (2020) Philippe Falardeau # 6/10

23.) “M3GAN” (2023) Gerard Johnstone # 6/10

24.) “Simple Passion” (2020) Danielle Arbid #* 4/10

25.) “Last Christmas” (2019) Paul Feig # 4/10

26.) “Wise Blood” (1979) John Huston # 2/10

# first time watch

*woman filmmaker

*+Black woman filmmaker

 

*^ nonwhite woman filmmaker

^nonwhite filmmaker

Other notes: list of 26 films: 23 first time watches, 15 films directed/written by nonwhite filmmakers, and 6 films made and/or co-made by women.

October 2023 Film Watches

 

Kerry Washington as Niecy in Lift. DP: David Phillips.

We’re at my favorite month of the year— birthday times, cozy sweaters, and nothing but warm beverages and scary films, well, sometimes. I started off watching a hip hop classic before it left the Criterion Channel, ending it the same way with A. V. Rockwell’s dearly departing gritty New York City short films. Good things come and go and it’s best to get it in while you can. I also free trialed MUBI again, but only had time for three films. Two contained absolutely horrendous depictions of young women preyed by older men (James Ivory’s Quartet and Alberto Lattuada’s Stay As You Are) while the other— Kit Zauhar’s actual people— almost had a place on my top films of 2023 list. Overall, I enjoyed most of the short films seen on the HOORAE channel, especially Steven Caple Jr.’s A Different Tree, Winter Dunn’s Junebug, and B. B. Araya’s We Are series. Excellent stuff.  

October Film Watches


1.) “Beat Street” (1984) Stan Lathan #^ 7/10

2.) “Krush Grove” (1985) Michael Schultz #^ 6.8/10

3.) “Knock At The Cabin” (2023) M. Night Shyamalan #^ 2/10

4.) “Stella With The Weight Of The World On Her Shoulders” (2015) Christopher Cole # 8/10 

5.) “How To Win” (2016) Rhasaan Nichols #^ 5/10

6.) “The Canterville Ghost” (1996) Sid Macartney # 6.8/10 

7.) “Lift” (2001) Demane Davis and Khari Streeter #*+ 8/10

8.) “We Are— Sisters” (2017) B. B. Araya #*+ 9.5/10 

9.) “The Halloween Tree” (1993) Mario Piluso 8/10

10.) “actual people” (2023) Kit Zauhar #*^ 9/10

11.) “Junebug” (2020) Winter Dunn #*+ 10/10

12.) “We Are— Friends” (2017) B.B. Araya #*+ 8.5/10 

13.) “Quartet” (1981) James Ivory # 1/10

14.) “Stay As You Are” (1978) Alberto Lattuada # 0.5/10

15.) “Room Tone” (2018) Morgan Cooper #^ 8/10

16.) “Sunshine Cleaning” (2008) Christine Jeffs #* 6.8/10

17.) “Our Father, The Devil” (2021) Ellie Foumbi #*+ 8.5/10

18.) “Lavender” (2017) Ed Gass-Donnelly # 4/10

19.) “Kiki’s Delivery Service” (1989) Hayao Miyazaki ^ 10/10

20.) “Ladylike” (2014) Tiffany Johnson #*+ 10/10

21.) “If Beale Street Could Talk” (2019) Barry Jenkins ^ 10/10

22.) “Medicine For Melancholy” (2008) Barry Jenkins #^ 7/10

23.) “The Resort” (2015) Shadae Lamar Smith #^ 8/10

24.) “Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993) Henry Selick 8/10

25.) “dawn.” (2016) Ya’ke Smith #^ 10/10

26.) “The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow” (1949) Clyde Geronimi and Jack Kinney 6/10

27.) “Hocus Pocus” (1993) Kenny Ortega 7/10

28.) “Simply Irresistible” (1999) Mark Torlov 6/10

29.) “Too Much Cendi (Skit)” (2013) A. V. Rockwell #*+ 9/10

30.) “Indigo’s Smile (Interlude)” (2014) A. V. Rockwell #*+ 10/10

31.) “Trey (Interlude)” (2012) A. V. Rockwell #*+ 9.5/10

32.) “Heist” (2012) A. V. Rockwell #*+ 8.5/10

33.) “El Train” (2014) A. V. Rockwell #*+ 10/10

34.) “A City Of Children” (2014) A. V. Rockwell #*+ 8/10

35.) “G. F. C.” (2013) A. V. Rockwell #*+ 8/10

36.) “A Different Tree” (2013) Steven Caple Jr. #^ 10/10

# first time watch

*woman filmmaker

*+Black woman filmmaker

*^ nonwhite woman filmmaker

^nonwhite filmmaker

Other notes: list of 35 films: 29 first time watches, 25 films directed/written by nonwhite filmmakers, and 16 films made and/or co-made by women.

September 2023 Film Watches

 

Patrice (Maxine Turenne) and Laura’s (Laura Guzman) friendship face the ultimate adolescent test in Stefani Saintouge’s Seventh Grade. DP: Brian Diggs.

Autumn meant comfort cinema over hot soups, hot chocolate, and hot tea. It started off with Park Chan-wook’s shocking Oldboy rerelease at the movie theater. I had never seen the twenty-year-old film before, let alone read the comic book, but was well aware of the cult status. Naturally, I saw it twice. Afterwards, I settled in for a few classic Hayao Miyazaki animations in anticipation for The Boy and the Heron coming out later this year and some beautiful short films on Issa Rae’s HOORAE YouTube channel (still highly recommend). I was glad to end with Billy Wilder’s The Apartment on its last day on the Criterion Channel. Funnily enough, however, it is available on Hoopla Digital.

September Film Watches 2023

1.) “Oldboy” (2006) Park Chan-wook #^ 9.5/10

2.) “Fat Girl” (2001) Catherine Breillat #* 3/10

3.) “Cocaine Bear” (2023) Elizabeth Banks #* 2/10

4.) “Dolores Clairbourne” (1995) Taylor Hackford # 9/10

5.) “Batman: Under The Red Hood” Brandon Vietti # 5/10

6.) “See How They Run” (2022) Tom George # 4/10

7.) “The Cat Returns” Hiroyuki Morita #^ (2002) 7/10

8.) “Ghost” (1990) Jerry Zucker 9/10

9.) “My Neighbor Totoro” (1988) Hayao Miyazaki #^ 7.5/10

10.) “Porco Rosso” (1992) Hayao Miyazaki #^ 6.5/10

11.) “The Kingsman Secret Service” (2015) Matthew Vaughan # 7.5/10

12.) “The World of Arietty” (2010) Hiromasa Yonebayashi #^ 7/10

13.) “Good Kisser” (2019) Wendy Jo Carlton #* 2/10

14.) “Year Of The Rat” (2022) Ricky Qi #^ 9/10

15.) “Love At Fifty” (2022) Tan Wei Ting #*^ 9/10

16.) “Seventh Grade” (2014) Stefani Saintonge #*+ 10/10

17.) “Dream” (2015) Nijla Mu’min #*+ 8/10

18.) “Howl’s Moving Castle” (2004) Hayao Miyazaki ^ 10/10

19.) “Home Away” (2013) Hannah Yohannes #*+ 10/10

20.) “The Big Chop” (2016) Derek Dow #^ 7.5/10

21.) “Joy” (2015) Solomon Onita Jr. #^ 10/10

22.) “Inamorata” (2017) A-lan Holt *+ 10/10

23.) “Party Girl” (1995) Daisy von Scherler Mayer #* 7/10

24.) “Vow Of Silence” (2014) Be Steadwell #*^ 9/10

25) “Boyz In The Hood” (1991) John Singleton #^ 8/10

26.) “Poetic Justice” (1993) John Singleton ^ 7.7/10

27.) “Liz And The Blue Bird” (2018) Naoko Yamada #*^ 10/10

28.) “A Backyard In Baldwin Hills” (2021) Dennis Williams III #^ 6/10

29.) “The Apartment” (1960) Billy Wilder # 9.5/10

# first time watch 

*woman filmmaker 

*+Black woman filmmaker 

*^ nonwhite woman filmmaker 

^nonwhite filmmaker 

Other notes: list of 29 films: 25 first time watches, 19 films directed/written by nonwhite filmmakers, and 11 films made by women.

August 2023 Film Watches

Lorraine Touissant, Charli’ Gurl, and Pernell Walker star in Jenn Shaw’s Gaps. DP: Michelle Clementine.

I attended the Twelfth Annual Blackstar Film Festival virtually, watching over thirty films— shorts, documentaries, feature lengths, all wonderful, unique, and profound in their own way. Thus, this beautiful interlude in the final summer month offers cinematic replenishment directed and written by people of color showcasing profound truth. Many of us look forward to this three day weekend to bear witness to the things we either already know (physically or intuitively) or to discover, to relearn the stories and histories that exposes us. We are fully engaged, captivated, healed. 

Furthermore, Blackstar Film Festival continues to offer us reprieve from white centered narratives— at least for a sweet, humble while.  

August Film Watches


1.) “Beneath The Surface” (2023) Cai Thomas #*+ 8/10

2.) “Sol In The Garden” (2023) Débora Souza Silva and Emily Cohen Ibañez #*^ 8/10

3.) “What These Walls Won’t Hold” (2022) Adamu Chan #^ 8/10

4.) “This Place” (2022) V. T. Nayani #*^ 7/10

5.) “Sweatshop Girl” (2023) Selma Cervantes #*^ 9.5/10

6.) “Sundown Road” (2022) M. Asil Dukan #*+ 6.5/10

7.) “Living Proof” (2022) Tina Farris #*+ 8.5/10

8.) “The Vacation” (2022) Jarreau Carrillo #^ 9/10

9.) “The Freedom To Fall Apart” (2023) David A. Gaines #^ 6/10

10.) “A Place of Our Own” (2022) Ektara Collective #^ 8.5/10

11.) “Jonathan Thunder Good Mythology” (2023) Sergio Mata’u Rapu #^ 8/10

12.) “Sydney G. James: When We See Us” (2022) Juanita Anderson #*+ 10/10

13.) “Yo Soy Bella Negra” (2023) Vashni Korin #*+ 10/10

14.) “Fierceness Served! The EnikAlley Coffeehouse” (2021) Michelle Parkerson #*+ 9.5/10

15.) “Here, Hopefully” (2023) Hao Zhou #^ 8.5/10

16.) “The Script” (2023) Brit Fryer and Noah Schamus #^ 6.5/10

17.) “Pandemic Bread” (2023) Zeinabu irene Davis #*+ 9.5/10

18.) “Bone Black: Midwives Vs. The South” (2023) Imani Nikyah Dennison #*+ 9/10

19.) “The Aunties” (2022) Charlyn Griffith-Oro and Jeannine Kayembe-Oro #*+ 8/10

20.) “Mirasol” (2023) Annalise Lockhart #*+ 10/10

20.) “Gaps” (2023) Jenn Shaw #*+ 10/10

21.) “Looking Back At It” (2023) Felicia Pride #*+ 8/10

22.) “Team Dream” (2022) Luchina Fisher #*+ 7/10

23.) “MnM” (2023) Twiggy Pucci Garçon #^ 8.5/10

24.) “Accidental Athlete” (2023) Kevin Jerome Everton and Claudrena N. Harold #+*^ 8/10

25.) “Over The Wall” (2023) Krystal Tingle #*+ 10/10

26.) “Ampe: Leap Into The Sky, Black Girl” (2022) Claudia Owusu and Ife Oluwamuyide #*+ 10/10

27.) “The Alexander Ball” (2022) Jessica Magro #^ 9/10

28.) “Know Your Place” (2022) Zia Mohajerjasbi #^ 6/10

29.) “Spirit Emulsion” (2022) Siku Allooloo #*^ 9/10

30.) “Mother Just a Smile” 2022) Cyrielle Raingou #*+ 10/10

31.) “The After: A Chef’s Wish” (2022) Umar Riaz #^ 9/10

32.) “Sèt Lam” (2022) Vincent Fontano #^ 8.5/10

33.) “Between The Colony and The Stars” (2022) Lorran Dias #^ 8/10

34.) “Crooklyn” (1994) Spike Lee ^ 10/10

35.) “Coconut Head Generation” (2023) Alain Kassanda #^ 9.5/10

36.) “Is My Living In Vain” (2022) Ufuoma Essi #*+ 9/10

37.) “The Space Race” (2023) Diego Hurtado de Mendoza and Lisa Cortés #*+ 10/10

38.) “Conversations With Ruth de Souza” (2022) Juliana Vicente #^ 10/10

39.) “Paid In Full” (2002) Charles Stone III ^ 6/10

# first time watch 

*woman filmmaker 

*+Black woman filmmaker 

*^ nonwhite woman filmmaker 

^nonwhite filmmaker 

Other notes: list of 39 films: 37 first time watches, 39 films directed/written by nonwhite filmmakers, and 26 films made and/or co-made by women.

June & July 2023 Film Watches

 

A scene from Hong Song-eun’s Aloners (2021). 

I combined June and July watches due to watching a handful of films in July. This begins the first of several showings of Celine Song’s Past Lives (saw three times), a few selections from the Criterion Channel’s erotic series (which greatly excluded filmmakers of color and women), and some treasures seen overseas during my time in London— a highlight that includes Dionne Edwards’s underloved Pretty Red Dress and Davy Chou’s Return To Seoul, a favorite from many Best of 2022 Films lists. 

June Film Watches

1.) “Past Lives” (2023) Celine Song #*^ 8.5/10
2.) “Broker” (2022) Hirokazu Kore-eda #^ 8/10
3.) “Return to Seoul” (2022) Davy Chou #^ 8.5/10
4.) “The Hound of Baskerville” (1959) Terence Fisher # 6/10
5.) “Addams Family” (1993) Barry Sonnerfield 7/10
6.) “Past Sins” (2006) David Winning # 3/10
7.) “Pretty Red Dress” (2023) Dionne Edwards #*+ 9.5/10
8.) “Ms. Matched” (2016) Max Jean # 2/10
9.) “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (2001) David Yates 7/10
10.) “Superintelligence” (2020) Ben Falcone # 2/10
11.) “Veracity” (2015) Seith Mann #^ # 8/10
12.) “Dream Lover” (1993) Nicholas Kazan # 5/10
13.) “Single White Female” (1992) Barbet Schroeder # 4.5/10
14.) “You and I and You” (2015) Terence Nance #^ 7/10
15.) “The Couple Next Door” (2020) Abbesi Akhamie #*+ 10/10
16.) “The Last Seduction” (1994) John Dahl # 3/10
17.) “Wild Orchid 2: Blue Movie Blue” (1992) Zalman King # 1.5/10
18.) “Northanger Abbey” (1987) Giles Foster # 7.5/10
19.) “The Assassin” (2016) Hou Hsiao-hsien #^ 6.5/10
20.) “Cinnamon” (2023) Bryian Keith Montgomery Jr. #^ 6/10
21.) “Still Waters Run Deep” (2017) Abbesi Akhamie #*+ 9/10
22.) “Paraya” (2016) Shateel Magen and Martin Morganfield #*^ 8/10
23.) “Gallo Rojo” (2016) Alejandro Fadel and Zamo Mkhwanazi #*+ 8.5/10
24.) “Lokoza” (2016) Zee Ntuli and Isabelle Mayor #* 9/10
25.) “The Beast” (2016) Samantha Nell and Michael Wahrmann #* 8/10
26.) “Beyond Merritt” (2014) Reuben Johnson #^ 6/10
27.) “Aloners” (2021) Hong Sung-eun #*^ 10/10


July Film Watches

1.) “The Perfect Find” (2023) Numa Perrier #*+ 5/10
2.) ”Lying Eyes” (1996) Marina Sargenti #* 2/10
3.) ”The Phone Call” (2013) Mat Kirkby # 8/10
4.) ”Lady Chatterly’s Lover” (1982) Just Jaeckin # 4/10
5.) ”Barbie” (2023) Greta Gerwig # 7/10
6.) ”All That Heaven Allows” (1959) Douglas Sirk 9/10

# first time watch 

*woman filmmaker 

*+Black woman filmmaker 

*^ nonwhite woman filmmaker 

^nonwhite filmmaker 

Other notes: list of 33 films: 30 first time watches, 15 films directed/written by nonwhite filmmakers, and 12 films made by women.

‘Earth Mama’ Pushes A Desperate Mother Into A Poignant Trimester

 

Earth Mama film poster.

Earth Mama comes in threes, a symbolic trifecta perhaps.

Gia, a photographer assistant and former high school basketball player, is expecting her third child, lives with her drug dealing sister, and visits Trey and Shaynah once a week at Children’s Services. The father is neither mentioned or shown, a tragic, heartbreakingly familiar role, showcasing that women like Gia are accustomed to raising offspring either alone or obtaining community support. Three different women impact Gia’s final trimester— her best friend Trina, the sweet, gentle Mel, and the compassionate social worker Miss Carmen.

Gia (Tia Nomore, far right) becomes accustomed to being out of the picture. DP: Jody Lee Lipes.

For example, Gia (Tia Nomore) has to make monitored appearances to Trey (Ca’Ron Jaden Coleman) and Shaynah (Alexis Rivas) instead of being fully in their lives. DP: Jody Lee Lipes.

Trey and Shaynah are Gia’s entire world. She loves them so much. 

Unfortunately, Gia cannot provide the environment that they deserve. Worse, the case worker stares at Gia’s far along belly, discussing the possibility of the newborn joining Trey and Shaynah in the corrupt system. The baby already has a set destiny despite still being in Gia’s womb. Furthermore, Gia’s phenomenal skills at her photography studio gig include her inventive imagination and keen ability to set up beautiful stages that suit individual desires. If only she could bring those masteries into her personal life, build a three-dimensional home from flat backdrops...

Trina (Doechii) does Gia’s (Tia Nomore) hair. DP: Jody Lee Lipes.

Gia’s BFF Trina is also pregnant, seemingly at the same trimester. Gia needs someone who knows and understands what she endures. At first, maternity bonds Gia and Trina together. However, as Gia considers adoption, Trina becomes more and more metaphorical, her heavy words blasting societal determination to breaking the mother’s bond to her child early on. Trina’s spiritual point holds weight, especially considering the sordid American history of separating Black women and their children, selling them off to the highest bidders which later complicates ancestral family trees. Trina then brings in the religious big guns; Christian value philosophy finding itself dangerously nestled into impressionable Black minds. While Gia has ultimately decided to put relationships on hold to concentrate on getting Trey and Shaynah back, Trina pushes Gia into reconsidering options, to still give men a chance, to raise a baby that Gia cannot possibly afford. Trina blinding herself to Gia’s obvious distress, pursuing a “misery loving company” angle, puts their friendship at risk. Trina considers Gia’s moves as an act of betrayal, not an act of benevolence. 

Gia (Tia Nomore) and Mel (Keta Price) walk through nature. DP: Jody Lee Lipes.

One of the most imperative figures in Gia’s life is her friend and neighbor Mel. In light of her grieving her recently departed mother, Mel opens up about her emotional turmoil whilst introducing Gia to a much needed special place away from the men who sit outside hollering at any passing female. In nature, Mel and Gia can breathe fully, divulge their life worries beside the waters and the trees, an escape from their harsh realities. Their scenes showcase another kind of grounding that Gia needs, a calming serenity that nature contains. Plus, Mel is one of the few that expects nothing from Gia whereas Trina wants Gia to keep the baby and Miss Carmen believes that adoption is the best option. Mel genuinely cares about Gia, showing up whenever Gia needs her, taking Gia’s frustrations without blowing back at her, and listening to Gia. Mel is a healing vessel, a moral compass that does not judge Gia for her choices. 

Gia (Tia Nomore) looking through potential families for the baby in her womb with Miss Carmen (Erika Alexander). DP: Jody Lee Lipes.

Miss Carmen, kind and supportive to a class of expectant mothers, has a motive at the end of the day— giving babies fresh homes, fresh starts. A skeptical Gia browses through the pages, humoring Miss Carmen,  The unfortunate parallel is that while Gia loves and cares for her unborn child, questioning ways of ensuring survival, Gia’s baby represents a hopeful beginning for another family. They have generous resources that Gia cannot fully provide, primarily a soon-to-be empty nest, meaning ample room and one on one attention. Yet, Miss Carmen reminds Gia that she has a choice and in the end, is at Gia’s side when Gia needs her. 

Led by a brilliant cast including newcomers Tia Nomore, Doechii, and Keta Price alongside award-winning actress Erika Alexander (whose already receiving acclaim for her supporting role in American Fiction), Savanah Leaf’s refreshing voice revives a deadening industry, a nice, sentimental surprise coming from a former Olympian. The starkly written and directed Earth Mama aligns with the sensitive material explored in Leaf’s earlier documentary short film The Heart Still Hums (co-directed/co-written by actress Taylor Russell). In that emotionally riveting piece, two incredible organizations: Chicks In Crisis and Black Mothers United help five women in Sacramento, California get their lives back on track as they face the brutal consequences of systemic oppression— homelessness, family neglect/abandonment, and limited monetary resources. The women sacrifice just as Gia sacrifices, putting their children’s well being above all else in the world. 

It is highly recommended to watch The Heart Still Hums and Earth Mama together. 

Trina and Gia. DP: Jody Lee Lipes.

Also, similarly to A. V. Rockwell’s A Thousand and One, Earth Mama bravely confronts the foster care system— a problematic, separation tactic that treats individuals sans compassion and grace. Children are more so its victims and not necessarily nurtured towards a brighter future. As part of her agreement to keep seeing Trey and Shaynah— two kids taken care of by unseen strangers— Gia stays clean and works a decent retail job. She’s treated, however, as a prisoner, subjected to urine tests with frequent requests to view her living arrangements. Thus, the mother interacts with her children much like inmates do with their families, for limited time, supervised. Although reasonable and somewhat fair— the children deserve to be in safe, thriving environment— this does highlight the often generational, structural failings for American women who have no college degrees, low income jobs that provide no room for further promotion/substantial wages, and the housing crisis in addition to a lack of sexual education and mental health aid. Even if Gia chased her sports dreams, she would always be hounded by the past, have this blight on her record, and Trey and Shaynah (who already shows signs of resentment) would certainly not forget. 

Overall, Earth Mama doesn’t embellish truths or disguise Gia’s story into a fairy tale ending. Instead, the ambiguous outcome offers a slim glimpse of hope to a young woman and her three precious children—forever judged for merely existing. 

The New ‘Goosebumps,’ Analyzing Allison’s Trope Purpose

Goosebumps series poster.

Another revamped version of R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps returns to the small screen. Instead of individual stories set in sporadic places, Rob Letterman and Nicholas Stoller’s series puts the iconic horrors (like Say Cheese and Die— the episode starring a young Ryan Gosling and The Haunted Mask, a personal favorite) in a singular small Washington town. Soon, the young angst brings another horror altogether. Allison, Isaiah’s popular girlfriend, has competition for his waylaid affections in the next door neighbor Margot and even the vengeful, invisible Isabella. Yet, of the three girls, only one isn’t included in the upcoming Scooby Doo-ish quintet that eventually forms.

James (Miles McKenna), Isaiah (Zach Morris), and Allison (Rhinnan Payne) seem to be a tight crew, but they’re anything but. DP: Stephen McNutt and Thomas Yatsko.

If you’ve read any tweets, you can see from the start that watchers write off Allison as an insecure, jealous, and annoying Mean Girl. Allison, a gorgeous Black teen sporting a moisturized Afro and killer fashion sense, vents about her canceled secret party, unknowing that Isabella has been cyber bullying her— supposedly as tit for tat. The quiet, unsuspecting girl is this year’s cruel hacker and it doesn’t take a mask to showcase that Isabella too behaves nastily. She just exhibits it differently. 

Allison’s Halloween party goes off without a hitch at the haunted home of Harold Biddle until new owner Nathan Bratt, the English teacher / failed writer, kicks everyone out. Allison runs into the woods— questionable behavior, Sis— and meets Biddle’s ghost. Isaiah happens to find her and seems genuinely concerned for her well being. This care begins fading away in the next episodes. Allison sees the closeness between Isaiah and Margot and questions it, which is understandable. How can anyone compete with the childhood girl-next-door, the one who has seen him grow up, whose families are also explicitly intertwined? Plus, she’s beautiful, fair, and soft spoken. Of course, Allison feels threatened by Margot, someone many would prefer. The writing makes this storyline glaringly obvious— its noticeably drawn feminine parallels of darker versus lighter complexion characters. Allison showcases a brash and loud external personality whereas Margot is a vulnerable and shy internalized figure. So, yes, this specific (yet expected) conditioning begins early in adolescence. 

Allison inspecting the haunted Biddle House with Isaiah (Zach Morris) and James (Miles McKenna) for her secret costume party. DP: Stephen McNutt and Thomas Yatsko.

The other takeaway is that Isaiah and Margot’s parents went to high school together. They too formed a close-knit pact with the other parents in town, excluding Allison’s own. She would always be on the outside looking in, a girl with no connections other than being the stylish babe on the football player’s arm. There is no interest in developing where she comes from, her Cordelia Chase behavior, or why she even dates Isaiah. Perhaps that’s just old-fashion high school sentiment, the popular always seeks the popular, no questions asked. Often, it seems Isaiah doesn’t really like Allison as much as she likes him. Young, dumb, teenage coupledom stuff. She’s a placeholder until the one he truly wants admits her feelings. 

Once the lights go out, the curious trio: Isaiah (Zach Morris), Allison (Rhinnan Payne), and James (Miles McKenna) inspect the mysterious Biddle House. DP: Stephen McNutt and Thomas Yatsko.

Thus, the cheating happens— a metaphoric coincidence of Isaiah copying off Margot’s test (which she allows) while Margot’s father, the school guidance counselor Colin is having an intimate affair with restaurateur Nora— Lucas’s mother. Meanwhile, Allison is suspicious, asking Isaiah if anything is happening between him and Margot. He denies and denies, expressively stating that nothing is there. Allison’s strong women’s intuition should have told her not to settle, especially upon witnessing the five (Isaiah, Margot, James, Isabella, and Lucas) having secret meetings. Allison could have helped move things further along, the first seeing the ghost burst into flames before her very eyes and keeping mum about the experience.

Instead of being a good boyfriend, much less a genuine pal, Isaiah shuts out Allison on the paranoia tip, but admits the plagiarism with Margot. This again parallels Colin and Nora’s scandalous affair. The sadness and disappointment sweeps across Allison’s face— that “how could you?” despair. Isaiah couldn’t ask Allison for help, ask the teacher or librarian for additional aide, let alone study. No. He runs to Margot and begs the smart girl to let him copy her hard work. Allison says Isaiah’s not who she thought he was and turns her back on him, heading to Colin’s office. In that moment, Allison would either lose a shifty boyfriend or pretend that she could overlook what was manifesting right in front of her. And it had nothing to do with an angry spirit. In that moment, she becomes another villain, a catalyst to the impending coupling of Isaiah and Margot. Also, Allison then is petered out, mentioned only casually as a stinging barb from Isabella’s lips. 

Isaiah (Zach Morris) aka Fred and Margot (Isa Briones) aka Daphne of this makeshift Scooby gang. DP: Stephen McNutt and Thomas Yatsko.

Once Isaiah dumps Allison offscreen, a relieved James vents about how much he never liked her (turncoat!). In the next breath, however, Isaiah relays concern over Margot and her soon-to-be stepbrother Lucas. 

“You don’t think I have anything to worry about, do you?”— Isaiah asks James who gives subtle wingman flashbacks of Greg “You’re So In There” Wuliger from Everybody Hates Chris. It’s an eye rolling contradiction. Alas, that’s the honest thing about youth, still uncertain about who/what you want in your future. You may want mint chocolate chip cookie dough, but the rocky road has always been a divine flavor to your taste buds. Allison doesn’t symbolize true love to Isaiah. She was already established, a comfortable thing already conquered, a dying flame. They almost seemed brother/sister, platonic. Whereas Margot presents the untested boundaries, the forbidden possibility. Also, Isaiah and Margot’s interactions always held a tension that wasn’t apparent between Isaiah and Allison— that’s intentional. 

There’s no room for Allison on this paper bag test couch anyway— the “Scooby” gang: Isaiah “Fred” (Zach Morris), Isabella “Velma” (Ana Yi Puig), James “Shaggy” (Miles McKenna), Lucas “Scooby” (Will Price), and Margot “Daphne” (Isa Briones). Plus, Isabella— who’s also harboring a crush on Isaiah touches his thigh. James is sadly sandwiched between the strangest quadrangle of unrequited crushes. DP: Stephen McNutt and Thomas Yatsko.

Still, for Allison, if I were writing for her, viewers would see her coming to terms with the Biddle ghost and whatever else she’s certainly seen at night. What are her own reservations for the future? Would she prefer staying in a creepy town where ghouls and worm monsters swirl among the strangely empty streets? Or would she have done what typical lovers do— follow her boyfriend wherever he wound up? However, what if that first encounter in the woods made Biddle possess her as opposed to Nathan? Did her parents move to town after the five accidentally burn Biddle alive or did they two witness Slappy in action?

Maria (Rhinnan Payne) in the forthcoming short film, Are You Hungry?— cinematography by Belen Garcia, photo by Luka Ciprian.

Allison’s portrayer Rhinnan Payne, who has a modest amount of film/television credits, shows a promising future here. An upcoming project— Rachel Rose’s short film called Are You Hungry?— has Payne leading as Maria, a star varsity basketball player reflecting on the thrill of the game and appreciating an aggressive coach’s methods. Maria sounds similar to Allison, passionate, determined. There’s about twenty people or more in the male created Goosebumps, so yes, this Maria role definitely gives Payne breathing room outside of big casts, especially as Payne is recurring and not heavily promoted on the latter.

May we always remember Allison (Rhinnan Payne) dressed as Uma Thurman’s infamous Bride and SZA’s Kill Bill playing on the rolling end credits— probably one of the more clever moments in the series. DP: Stephen McNutt and Thomas Yatsko.

After binging all ten episodes (some contain good scares) and seeing that Black girls remain unloved by the white male gaze, the biggest takeaway is that Rhinnan Payne made an impression. Furthermore, Allison may not have been around long, she counts as a Final Black Girl anyway (though no one dies in this Goosebumps except Biddle and his parents— rest in peaches).

‘Our Father, The Devil,’ Teaches Of Untold Hells On Earth

Our Father, The Devil film poster.

Our Father, The Devil simmers a slow burning masquerade that loosens its secrets seam by seam, ultimately revealing two people attempting separate paths of redemption. Yet, questions arise between the parallel twists and shocking turns. Can a person truly be redeemed after committing heinously evil acts many years ago? How much are they willing to risk in order to achieve a clean slate? And is an apology ever enough to begin the process of forgiveness? 

Marie (Babetida Sadjo) is a lovely dark-skinned chef donning a septum piercing, epic lip stick shades, and banged box braids. She’s rootable from the start. DP: Tinx Chan.

The film opens on beautiful, elusive Marie Cissé having a solitary drink. She represents the idyllic dream— a quiet existence in the French mountainside, respect from Sabine, her boss as a talented head chef for a nursing facility, and the keys to a befitting kingdom via Jeanne, a dear, supportive mentor. Marie has a whiny friend in fellow co-worker Nadia. In the sweet secluded cabin in the woods, high above a cliff and majestic scenery (an important heirloom in Jeanne’s family), Marie enjoys the solitude and tells no one about it. However, Marie’s resplendent bliss becomes threatened by the sudden appearance of Father Patrick, a charming priest who has swept the entire staff and residents under his religious thumb. Every move he makes—from his walk to the way he carries a spoon— triggers Marie. 

Furthermore, Marie, the African immigrant, has grown accustomed to French colonialism. Her body already seems to belong to the surrounding whiteness. A co-worker undermines Marie’s cooking, Sabine refuses to give much needed vacation, and a persistent bartender aims to seduce. Whereas Nadia believes Marie just needs a man, Jeanne respects Marie’s potential and rich, delicious cooking. At the same time, Jeanne encourages Father Patrick’s influence unknowing that the enigmatic man stirs discomfort. Marie’s desperation for temporary escape grows and grows until she decides to do something unexpected about it. 

All the prayer and time in the world cannot change a victim’s inherent trauma, Father Patrick (Souleymane Sy Savane). DP: Tinx Chan.

The narrative shifts towards the former mouse, the former soldier snatching back her power from the once horrendous cat. The metaphor weighs heavy here. Father Patrick believes his past can be buried beneath sacred black and white cloth. In glaring reality, Marie, sees the monster that forever scarred her. Trauma— the reason for Marie’s closed off personality, her steel guardedness— impacts her newfound motivation. After what has been done to her as an innocent child, how could she trust a single soul? How could she give this man an ounce of remorse? And can she heal with the blood stains permanently imprinted on her mind? 

The gifted cabin symbolizes another form of pleasure, albeit sadistic—  a place to enact revenge where no one can discover them, let alone suspect foul play. Father Patrick’s pleading tries to convince and tug on Marie’s vulnerable nature, for a moment seeming quite believable. The terrible fact about surviving trauma is that certain elements remain burned in the brain. They may be far from whence they hailed. Time may have passed. Marie may have carved herself a healthier situation.

But she was not going to forget what was done to her or her family. 

Our Father, The Devil is brilliant from its effective title to the fiery direction and story, a feature length debut by Ellie Foumbi, also an actress starring in early Nikyatu Jusu shorts, Suicide By Sunlight and Say Grace Before Drowning and Abbesi Akhemie’s The Couple Next Door. Nominated for Best First Feature at this year’s Independent Spirit Awards and Best Film at the Africa Academy Awards, Foumbi’s strong, vital voice deserves a seat at the Directors To Watch table. Someone needs to put out a bulletin, alert the media radar. Her fresh, bold narrative delivers far better material than most films wallowing in the same rehashed storylines with the same overpaid actors. 

To feel or not to feel remorse for your prisoner— and rightfully so, Marie does not give a chuck for a while. DP: Tinx Chan.

The cast is also excellent, especially the dynamic Babetida Sadjo as Marie, a woman confronted by an ugly past that could potentially mar her brightening future. Souleymane Sy Savane as Father Patrick rendered a character reinventing himself as a close ally to sainthood. In one moving scene, a tear glides down his eye and for a split second, a hardened Marie could have almost succumbed as easily as the community she partly distances herself from. Sadjo and Sy Savane play off each other beautifully— raw, harsh, and severe. Brilliant acting masterclass work with Tinx Chan’s intense cinematography pushing Foumbi’s emotional story forward.

Overall, Our Father, The Devil sends guttural shivers through the heart and mind. It’s thrilling, mysterious, sensuous, and difficult, but leaves an unforgettable impression.

Saturday Soapy Flashback: Julia Lindsay, A Good Woman Turned Catastrophic

 

The tea on Julia Lindsay (Annie Parisse)— she was a perfect example of a good character with the villainy volume amped up way too high. 

On the April 10, 1998 episode of As the World Turns, a runaway rich girl named Julia Lindsay sat on a train next to her future downfall— the wishy washy Oakdale, Illinois police detective Jack Snyder. The smart, beautiful Julia should have trusted later instincts and escaped the heartfelt clutches of a man hung up on the mischievous vixen Carly Tenney. 

Julia’s first appearance. 

Julia sans her glasses. 

In typical soapy fashion, Jack hopes to escape his heart’s wicked desires and find a true good woman— someone to snuff out the sinful temptation. Yet, Jack— who knows of Carly’s crimes and never turns her in for them— assuages his conscience by moving forward with Julia, a woman needing a full commitment. It doesn’t help that Jack will always run into his blond-haired ex in small-town Oakdale, bound by the family farm and a comfortable job that keeps him on lawful high ground. However, newbie Julia cannot compete when constantly reminded of Jack’s all-consuming love. She must be second best, his projection despite his denying the truth. 

Carly and her cousin Molly tag team Julia in the bathroom at a bar. 

Jack sings a song beautifully for Julia and they win tickets to a hayride. 

Despite being married to police captain Hal Munson, a pregnant Carly follows Jack all over town, a feral cat in heat, determined to not let the man get over her. Of course, this involves bullying Julia whenever possible, making fun of her appearance and her “goody goody” attitude.  

In a Bechdel passing scene (which happens in soaps occasionally), a fearful Camille (Lauren Martin) confides to Julia (Annie Parisse) about her breast cancer diagnosis. 

Camille Bennett pushes Julia into pursuing Jack. Simultaneously, Jack— who told Julia to give him space— pressures Carly to leave Hal— his boss and her husband. Later, however, Carly runs over Julia (who is waiting for Jack at the hayride) with her car and takes forever to call the ambulance. Jack finds her and believes his alcoholic brother Brad is responsible, not realizing it’s the object of his tormented obsession/stalker Carly. The next story is an overlong “who ran over Julia” as the woman wakes and struggles to remember who was yelling at her to wake up. Sigh. 

Despite odds never to be in Julia’s favor, the Carly/Jack/Julia triangle was Must See Daytime for a while— until Julia’s surprise revisits became just as redundant as Sheila Carter returning to Young & the Restless and Bold and the Beautiful.

Once Julia’s jealousy ignited her unhinged insecurity, she started therapy with Reid Hamilton— criminal mastermind James Steinbeck’s son David in disguise. Reid recommended that Julia leave Jack— which she did. Some great potential stories for Julia could have involved deepening her passion for journalism passion and browsing through jobs that lessened her contact with Jack and Carly. Surely, the Snyder farm did not take up the whole of the city. Maybe Lisa Hughes would have given the girl stories in another town. Perhaps in order to gain access to a juicy story, Julia risks her life and in the process finds someone new— someone who would nourish her heart. After all, in soap operas, only few women characters are allowed to be spinsters. Where is the passion and desire in singleness, especially as Julia is a gorgeous, dark-haired vixen with or without her eyeglasses?

If only Reid Hamilton wasn’t a Steinbeck in disguise, maybe Julia would have gotten over Jack once and for all. 

Julia eventually fell for Reid and became engaged to him. Yet, the heart wanted what it wanted— a one sided love with a man who simply did not feel the same intensity. Sure, Jack married Julia, but he truly wasn’t invested in the commitment, wasting Julia’s time whilst desperately pining away for Carly. Julia became pregnant and lost her baby, the beginning of the end of her sanity. 

In this promo shot, Jack may be holding Julia’s hand, but Carly’s pressed against him— implying that she’s much closer to his heart than Julia ever will be. 

The writers probably had a field day coming up with scenarios to turn Julia worse than Carly, transforming a once good woman character into an unhinged man-obsessed rapist. Between forcing herself on a drugged Jack, trying to murder Carly, and stealing a newborn baby, Julia seemed more an evil twin than the original bespectacled train passenger. Then again, soap operas rely heavily on the interloper trope— the more extreme the better for example Sunset Beach’s Virginia Harrison. 

A happier, healthier Julia. 

Julia’s portrayer Annie Parisse born Anne Marie Cancelmi, a thespian and graduate of Fordham University, was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 2001. Parisse’s last return to As the World Turns in 2002 ended with Julia fleeing for Turkey. Since then Parisse has starred in Law & Order, The Following, and Mrs. America as well as several film and theater projects. Her next project is Michael Shannon’s Eric Larue co-starring with Alison Pill, Judy Greer, and real-life husband Paul Sparks. 

Julia (Annie Parisse), Jack (Michael Park), Carly (Maura West), and Hal (the late great Benjamin Hendrickson).

The downside of soap operas partially stems from lopsided depictions of women— often times overly exaggerated for extra dramatic impact, to have the audience root for the core suffering couple above all else. More often than not, the “rooting” couple can be beyond toxic as the case was for Jack and Carly. Julia Lindsay’s viciously assassinated character was sacrificed at the writer’s altar in order to prop up another woman just as morally corrupt. A police officer had to choose which of the evils he could live forever with. If only that bespectacled woman never departed the train to this stop: “welcome to insanity, population: you.” 

‘Veracity,’ An Impactful LGBTQ Short Film

Veracity film poster. 

Olivia learns the hard way that popularity can turn on a dime, especially in high school. It offers no protective shield against the early developmental stages of teenage homophobia— a condition that some will continue to latch onto in adulthood. Unfortunately, it has deep negative history in the Black community, that of which still exists today. 

Olivia (Kiki Layne) performs her monologue in drama class. DP: Tommy Maddox-Upshaw.

Carolyn (Christina Harper) begs Olivia (Kiki Layne) to attend James’s party with her, saying that only with Olivia can Carolyn receive entry. DP: Tommy Maddox-Upshaw.

Veracity highlights the super quick turnaround Olivia faces after she’s discovered kissing the new student Imani, a quiet, isolated girl kicked out of her old school for the very thing Olivia is suddenly ostracized for. Carolyn, the best friend character immediately removes herself as Olivia’s sidekick, becoming instead a fellow instigator. 

Olivia (Kiki Layne) is very much intrigued by the new transfer in her drama class Imani (Shea Vaughan-Gabor). DP: Tommy Maddox-Upshaw.

At James’s house party where lots of underage drinking happens, Olivia is assaulted by James. Yet, no one seems to care about it. She even brushes it off and warms him that his advances remain unwanted. Instead, Olivia finds out Imani lives there. Since unsuccessful at getting the quiet girl to enjoy the party backfires, the two watch television together. A tickling session becomes a full out passionate session which is then rudely interrupted, causing a huge humiliation for both Olivia and Imani. Everyone is so comfortable seeing James kiss on Olivia without her consent, but two girls making out because they want to disgusts their young impressionable minds— minds that are conditioned to only be okay with heteronormativity. 

Olivia walking through the hallways, feeling the repercussions from the party. DP: Tommy Maddox-Upshaw.

The heart of the matter is that growing up many Black parents/guardians teach the values in respecting racial differences/backgrounds. The later sexual talks (uncomfortable as they are) only focus on heteronormativity. Thus, when queerness comes, everybody is appalled, unprepared to react accordingly. Parents will abandon their children, even disown if they’re not “acting normal.” There can be no celebration when there’s little understanding and lack of empathy. 

Imani coldly informs Olivia that before she was kicked out of her old school, she had a girlfriend and received consequences for it including expulsion. DP: Tommy Maddox-Upshaw.

Olivia makes the girl’s bathroom her escape place. DP: Tommy Maddox-Upshaw. 

With award-winning actress Kiki Layne in a stellar debut as Olivia, brilliantly directed by Seith Mann, and bravely written by Janaya Greene (who wrote the screenplay during her senior year of high school), Veracity could have easily transformed into a full-length feature, a perfect companion piece to dee rees unforgettable Pariah— a film that came out three years prior which also started as a short. Veracity touches on significant changes the outcasted Olivia undergoes in order to put her mental health on a good path— attending support group and compromising with Imani that she is there to be a friend, not necessarily form a romantic relationship.

Another student offers Olivia a positive outlet. DP: Tommy Maddox-Upshaw.

A man shares his story about falling for his teammate, losing that friendship, and being disowned by his mother. DP: Tommy Maddox-Upshaw.

Olivia is moved by the story, perhaps seeing the commonality in her own present. DP: Tommy Maddox-Upshaw.

Veracity deserves immense love and flowers for bringing awareness to the issues LGBTQIA+ teenagers experience on top of trying to get an education. They have to survive daily bullying from their peers at school and whatever exists at home— that’s stacked pressure weighing on their vulnerable impressionable minds often leading to self-harm. Imani definitely presents the identity struggle, contemplating doing the unthinkable as events continue escalating for her, her own cousin disgusted by who she is. Although it is unclear what Olivia endures in her home life, she no longer has to channel her lesbianism alone and neither does Imani. 

So Carolyn doesn’t need Olivia around to get into James’s good graces. DP: Tommy Maddox-Upshaw.

Imani contemplates the tragic way out. DP: Tommy Upshaw-Maddox.

Often, a hug can bring the most beneficial source of comfort— something of which the quiet Imani needed from Olivia. DP: Tommy Maddox-Upshaw.

From beginning to the powerful end, Veracity showcases that there is love and care— a supportive community waiting— to all those who are undergoing traumatic consequences for being different. This solid short film is available to view on YouTube as part of the Scenarios USA series.