Film Review: The Glorias

 

Gloria Steinem – one of the real heroes of the women’s movement – gets her own movie treatment in Julie Taymor and Sarah Ruhl’s “The Glorias,” a two-hour-plus biopic that should impress you but may also exasperate you. The film – based on Steinem’s book “My Life on the Road” – is now available on Amazon Prime.

Born in Toledo in 1934, Gloria’s dad Leo (Timothy Hutton) was an itinerant traveling salesman whose motto was “traveling’s the only education,” which presumably set Gloria up for a lifetime of just that. Most notably, she got a two-year fellowship to India, where she encountered a particularly pernicious form of sexism that could include murder.

Her flair for writing led her to apply for a job at a New York magazine, where she was assigned to write about fashion because female writers weren’t taken seriously enough to be allowed to write about news or politics.

That led to a 1963 stint as a Playboy bunny in New York, after which she wrote a piece called “A Bunny’s Tale” for Show magazine. In 1972, she and social activist Dorothy Pitman Hughes co-founded Ms. magazine, which sold out its first 300,000 copies in eight days. Steinem was the first woman invited to speak at the National Press Club.

Steinem’s life has been both important and chaotic, as she took on one cause after another. Likewise, the film includes women she met and worked with along the way, including Bette Midler as firecracker New York Congresswoman Bella Abzug, Janelle Monáe as Dorothy Pitman Hughes, who taught Steinem to conquer her fear of public speaking, and labor leader Dolores Huerta, whose work with the United Farm Workers is legendary. She worked with native women as well, and the most touching scene is her goodbye to Wilma Mankiller, the first woman elected leader of the Cherokee nation.

“The truth will set you free,” she famously said. “But first, it will piss you off.”

Steinem’s major unfinished work is her effort to get Congress to pass the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment), which still hasn’t passed.

“The Glorias” is in a sense an exhausting mess of a film, using five actors to portray Gloria at different ages and occasionally putting all of them together in the same scene. Is it confusing? Yes, especially if you’re not familiar with Ruhl’s style. It burbles along, occasionally stumbling over itself in the logic department. Best to just sit back, enjoy what you see, and be thankful for this life well lived.

Film Review: How To Fix a Primary

 Inside an Outsider’s Campaign

That American politics is an insider’s game (preferably a rich or well-funded insider, at that) will surprise no one, but in case you’ve never seen it in action, writer/director Brittany Huckabee enlightens you in “How To Fix a Primary,” a documentary that uses Michigan’s 2018 primary for the governor’s job as her example.

Six candidates filed, three Republicans and three Democrats, but the film concentrates on the three Democratic front-runners: Gretchen Whitmer, Progressive Abdul El-Sayed and Shri Thanedar, a rich self-funded entrepreneur who contributed $10.6 million to his own campaign. Huckabee is primarily interested in El-Sayed and Whitmer.

Whitmer is favored by the Democratic establishment, but El-Sayed attracts a staff of mostly younger, enthusiastic progressives who are attracted to his ideas, energy and personal charm. An epidemiologist born to Egyptian immigrants in metropolitan Detroit, he is a Muslim who hopes to attract Michigan’s 271,000 potential Muslim voters. 

                                            Candidate Abdul El-Sayed
 

But he lacks big money, so winning statewide will be a tough job. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez endorsed him, and he is hoping for the big endorsement from Bernie Sanders.

But meanwhile, there’s funding, and that’s where corruption and fixing come in. El-Sayed has no big donors. Whitmer is in better shape, married to the onetime CEO of Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

The way to cheat, Huckabee tells us, is to create a dark-money PAC and let that contribute to the must-be-reported legal 527 PAC. El-Sayed’s Progressive campaign doesn’t want to take big corporate PAC money, which puts him at a huge financial disadvantage.

Meanwhile, there’s the business of talking to voters, something El-Sayed does almost as well as Whitmer, though she has the advantage of a program slogan that precedes her everywhere – “Fix the damn roads!” – that speaks to everybody.

But let’s face it, the business of politics is broken and needs to be fixed. Big donors want big payoffs, and routinely get them. This inevitably changes what we like to call democracy into a buyers’ market. Whether it can or will be changed by a group who have won elections this way, only time will tell.

But “How To Fix a Primary” is a good introduction to the problem.

"How To Fix a Primary" opens Oct. 20, 2020 on Apple TV and iTunes.

P.S. I've just found out that PBS has done a much more in-depth exposé of how Dark Money works on "The Democracy Rebellion: A Reporter's Notebook with Hedrick Smith."

Film Review: The Guardian of Memory (El Guardián de la Memoria)

There’s been a lot of political jawboning about immigration from south of the U.S. border, especially since Donald Trump announced his aversion to it and started building his infamous border wall.

Lost in all the talk are the tragic stories of Mexicans forced by circumstance to flee their homes and apply for asylum in the U.S. Also largely untold is the story of how governments on both sides exacerbate the problem.

Filmmaker Marcela Arteaga’s “The Guardian of Memory” (El Guardián de la Memoria) takes us to Chihuahua, Mexico’s richest state (for its beef and mining, notably silver), where we meet asylum attorney Carlos Spector, who tries against nearly insurmountable odds to obtain legal asylum for these immigrants.

“In Mexico,” says Spector, “they violate human rights by ignoring the law. In the U.S., they enforce the law as a tool of repression.” (He reports that 99% of the cases are rejected.)

But this isn’t just a “these are the facts, ma’am” documentary. Arteaga introduces us to several victims of circumstance who were just living their lives (Chihuahua borders both of Texas and Arizona) until the illegal drug trade moved in, bringing terror, inexplicable violence and death to residents. 

When the Mexican government sent the army in to battle the cartels in 2008, they left uninvolved citizens in the middle of a bloodbath they didn’t ask for. Appealing to the police availed nothing, so many were forced to seek asylum before it was too late. The fear is summed up this way: “The one who stays is next.”

Those who do manage to make it to apply for asylum face more unpleasant circumstances. They are placed in unpleasant detention until a judge hears the case, and even when they do get a judgment it is more than likely to be refusal.

One mother tells of her two sons, who one day disappeared. She went to the police, who did nothing. Then she went to the press, and got death threats from the cartel. Another woman sees the horror of her grandson being killed while watering his grandfather’s grave.

The situation has continued to worsen, and in 2017, the Institute of Strategic Studies named Mexico one of the deadliest conflict zones in the world, second only to Syria.

This 93-minute film is grim and gripping, but not graphic. Violence is described, not shown, and the message is well presented, unmistakable and important to see. 

“The Guardian of Memory” opens October 23 at San Diego’s Digital Gym.

Film Review: The State of Texas vs. Melissa

 The State of Texas vs. Melissa

There are times when the American legal system makes me cringe. Watching the facts depicted in Director Sabrina Van Tassel’s documentary “The State of Texas vs. Melissa” is one of them.

Melissa Lucio, a 48-year-old mother of 14, has been on Death Row in Texas for 12 years for a crime she did not commit – the death of her two-year-old daughter Mariah. But an incompetent defense and a crooked prosecutor conspired to make her the first Hispanic woman on Death Row, one appeal away from execution.

Melissa is poor and Hispanic, but a hard worker and one whom no one (other than the law) has accused of violent behavior. She is also addicted to cocaine, but manages to limit use to an hour a day in the bathroom, careful not to let her kids see her. She has a history of abuse herself, and had five children by the age of 24.

But when Mariah is found dead of blunt force trauma to the head, the police jump to the wrong conclusion after a grueling 7-plus-hour interrogation in which they finally ask Melissa to demonstrate how she would spank Mariah. How they could leap from spanking to blunt force head trauma will forever be a mystery.

Another attorney has looked at the paperwork and noted that there should have been a motion to suppress her testimony (given under duress), but that didn’t happen. Offered a 30-year sentence, Melissa refused, saying she was not guilty. The defense offered no witnesses. And here she is, with one final appeal – the Supreme Court – standing between her and execution.

The story is all too familiar, and all too depressing, further evidence that our land of the free and home of the brave where everyone gets a fair trial is not quite working as it should.

Van Tassel has made an absorbing film. Its only drawback is that we’ve heard the story so many times before. Will we ever learn?

Film Review: 2 Hearts

“There are two ways to live,” says teenager Chris Gregory. “As if everything is a miracle, or as if nothing is. I prefer the former.”

It’s easy (and advisable) to go along with the premise of Lance Hool’s “meet cute” romance “2 Hearts,” which introduces two amusing and believable couples about 20 years apart, who only come together at the end.

But this is more than a typical rom-com. It’s also a meditation on community, positivity, friendship and generosity.

Chris (Jacob Elordi) is a typical American teen who loves a pick-up basketball game and can’t wait to get to college. He ends up at Loyola, where one day he sees Sam (Tiera Scorbye) – whom he calls “The Girl” – as he leaves a class and she arrives for the next one. Chris will tell his brother that she is “the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.” This will be the start of Something Big.

Chris next sees Sam will setting up a campus “Safety Buddy” operation to drive tipsy students home safely. He offers a tip on publicity, and – goes what? – will end up working with her in this good deed.

Something similar happens to Jorge Bolivar (Adan Canto) – the son of a Cuban rum king – when he meets his ideal girl Leslie (Radha Mitchell) in the uniform of a Pan Am flight attendant. Jorge is on the way to Miami for business, but will manage to cleverly “bump into” Leslie in airports and other destinations as well, until they finally admit their mutual attraction and get married.

Based on a true story (the book “All My Tomorrows” by Eric Gregory), writers Veronica Hool and Robin U. Russin give us engaging characters, often clever dialogue, and a story that jumps back and forth between the couples in a way that somehow seems flowing rather than disjointed. You may be able to guess the ending, but the film is a neat trick anyway, nicely pulled off.

“2 Hearts” would be a welcome film anytime, but in the insanity of current politics and the horror of the pandemic, any evidence of humanity has to be considered a major plus.

“2 Hearts” is in theaters on October 16.

Film Review: The Dalai Lama: Scientist

 Science meets Buddhism

The current Dalai Lama, born 85 years ago into a poor farming family, reports with a twinkle in his eye that he probably would have become an engineer had he not been tapped to lead the Buddhist community.

“I always want to know how, why” he reports. “I didn’t want to study, I wanted to play. I took things apart, with a 50-50 chance of reassembly.”

Six-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee/activist filmmaker Dawn Gifford Engle profiles the 14th Dalai Lama in “The Dalai Lama: Scientist,” as part of her series of films about Nobel Peace Prize winners.

Religion and politics are often uneasy neighbors, and when the Chinese Army invaded Tibet in 1950, the Dalai Lama was forced to flee. He escaped to India, where Prime Minister Nehru gave him some land on which to establish the Tibetan Buddhist community-in-exile. But he never gave up his interest in science.

Much of modern science (and most of history) is about change, and the Dalai Lama is fascinated when told that research shows that change is always motivated by internal, not external factors.

This film introduces us to a parade of world-renowned scientists who have visited the Dalai Lama (at his invitation) to discuss their work. Among them are psychologist Paul Ekman, neuroscientists Christof Koch and Francisco Varela and astrophysicist George Greenstein.

This is both a strength and a drawback, the latter for those (like me) who aren’t up to snuff on topics like quantum physics, neurobiology and molecular genetics. Still, it’s fascinating to listen, and especially to see the delight in the
Dalai Lama’s face at the chance to talk about these topics.

And speaking of change, it’s also good to know that The Dalai Lama, who calls himself “half Buddhist monk, half scientist,” has established science as a required course of study for Buddhist monks.

This film will be best enjoyed by the science literati, but also has it charms as an introduction to the engaging personality of the Dalai Lama.

Film Review: Wendy

 

 SHE'S BAAACK!

 I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t wait to get up and out of the parental house, only to find that the greater world out there was not waiting for me and – even worse – was downright indifferent to my arrival.

So I can identify with James M. Barrie’s Wendy and her desire to remain a kid and “fly to the edge of the world,” which sounds like a lot more fun.

Filmmaker Benh Zeitlin (“Beasts of the Southern Wild”) collaborated with his wife Eliza on this version of Barrie’s iconic “Peter Pan” story. This time Wendy’s mom runs a rundown diner in rural Louisiana, just steps from the train tracks.

Wendy isn’t unhappy, exactly, and nobody’s mean to her. It’s just that she wants more adventure in her life.  So one day she and her twin brothers Douglas and James jump on a train, which takes them to more adventure than they’d even dreamed of. 

They end up on a volcanic island – the Caribbean island of Montserrat, dominated by an active volcanic mountain that offers unexpected (but very dramatic) water spouts, controlled by a new sea creature called “Mother.”

Here they meet the Zeitlin’s Peter Pan, at first sight more of a foreboding presence than an exciting one. He’s small and dark, with dreadlocks, wears brightly colored suits and doesn’t smile much. But there’s no question that he’s in charge of the island kids, and he doesn’t hesitate to give them the well-known admonition to “never grow up.”

Once you see the other poor inhabitants of the island, you’ll understand why. These folks have not just grown up, they’ve grown old, clinging onto their sad little lives in which presumably “nothing ever happened.”

The film is short on coherence and plot, but long on beautiful cinematography (credit Norwegian Sturk Brandth Grøvlen), oddball characters and mysterious caves to explore, not to mention the lower depths. It also boasts appropriate music by Dan Romer and fine visual and sound effects.

There’s no Disneyesque magic here. The magic is in not leading an ordinary kid’s life but instead encountering the unexpected every day, which offers its own kind of magic. Stacy Jansen’s costumes and Eliza Zeitlin’s production design contribute to the otherworldly look and attitude of the film.

But the best thing here is the fine cast, led by Devin France’s Wendy, whose irrepressible curiosity and upbeat outlook keep us as fascinated as she seems to be.

Yashua Mack’s Peter Pan rules the island roost with no fear and a kid’s tendency to rash action – such as the time Wendy’s brother Douglas goes missing and Peter suggests James cut off his own hand to get him back, or keep from aging, or something not quite clear. But aside from that, brothers Douglas and James are played with great youthful spirit by real-life twins Gage and Gavin Naquin.

There have been other versions of the story, and there will undoubtedly be more. The Zeitlins’ version takes its place as one of the most original and beautiful to look at.

"Wendy" opens March 13, 2020.

Film Review: Time

 There are lots of movies about heists and hits and doing time, but none offers the emotional punch of Garrett Bradley’s “Time,” a short documentary that’s less about crime than about waiting – and love.

“Time” isn’t about life behind bars or the crime itself. It’s the true story of African-American Sibil Richardson, aka Fox Rich, her husband Robert and how the American criminal justice system affected their large family.

The story starts in Shreveport, Louisiana, where Fox Rich and Robert dreamed of owning a hip-hop clothing store. But one day, with four kids at home and Sibil pregnant with twins, they were arrested for a credit union heist. Though no one was hurt, the crime carries a five-to-99-year sentence.

Calling it an act of desperation, Sibil took a plea bargain and served three and a half of her 12-year sentence. Robert refused that and got a 60-year sentence with no parole, probation or suspension of sentence.

“Time” tells Fox Rich’s excruciating story of waiting, hope and dogged determination as she tries to deal with a less-than-interested criminal justice system. Fox’s pistol of a mother puts it this way: “Shit’s easy to get into. It’s hard to get out of.”

But though busy with the boys, Fox doesn’t sit back and wait. An effective communicator, she files an appeal for Robert’s release and begins to speak in public for the voiceless, offering an opinion she’s heard from her mother: “The prison system is no more than slavery,” adding “and I am an abolitionist.”

Though she has little choice, you have to marvel at Fox’s patience as she tries to navigate through the hurdles of the appeals front. Some of the most heart-wrenching scenes are her calls to the secretary of the judge who will ultimately decide Robert’s fate. Her calm and courtesy only fail once as she thanks the secretary for checking on the appeal each week. “Success is the best revenge,” she says.

Shot in black and white, “Time” is a story that jumps around, compiled from Fox’s 20 years of home movies and contemporary photos, brilliantly put together by editor Gabriel Rhodes.

“Time” is an unusual film with an important message. Rich puts it this way: "Decide not to be defined by your circumstances."