When we watch a movie, we are consuming an image presented to us, with established tropes, perceptions of beauty and relationships, and often from only one perspective (it's easy to guess which one, too). Independent filmmaker and professor Nina Menkes' documentary, Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power, turns the spotlight on who is creating the images and points of... Continue Reading →
A traumatized woman looks for answers in the tense horror-thriller Knocking. Molly (Cecilia Miloccco) has spent the past year dealing with trauma. She's being discharged from the hospital's psychiatric ward and is trying to start her life again, but the loss of her partner Judith (Charlotta Åkerblom) puts a dark cloud over everything she does.... Continue Reading →
Image courtesy of TIFF In the leafy childhood paradise of Céline Sciamma's Petite Maman, you'll discover one girl's journey to understanding and love. Nelly (Joséphine Sanz) is an eight-year-old girl helping to pack up her recently deceased grandmother's house. Nelly's mother (Nina Meurisse) is sad because of the loss, and grief makes her distant. One morning,... Continue Reading →
A family trapped in the master bathroom of their suburban home wait for the horrors beyond the door in We Need to Do Something. Mel (Sierra McCormick) is a teen with a little brother Bobby (John James Cronin), mom Diane (Vinessa Shaw) and dad Robert (Pat Healy). When a nasty storm hits, the family head... Continue Reading →
I was invited to do another presentation for Fantasia 2021! This was something brewing in my head for a while, so I was thrilled to explore Black women in a monstrous role. I wanted to reach back and reveal how Black women are seen in general and apply those perceptions to some of our favourite... Continue Reading →
Aretha Franklin is and always will be the Queen of Soul, but the woman behind the well-deserved title was a bit of a mystery to me. Luckily, National Geographic continues its Genius Limited Series Anthology based on history-making innovators. This season, we get a look into the origins of Franklin and her musical genius. With... Continue Reading →
Growing up, I was lucky enough to have a father who was an artist, and I have fond memories of gazing at each brushstroke that made up his vibrant paintings hung all over our house. In general, however, black artists seem to be an invisible resource. They have always been here, creating anything from paintings... Continue Reading →
Extreme cinema has its purpose, usually to tell a story in the most shocking manner to get a visceral response as we watch. While some directors use it for pure shock value, others reject the formulaic films cranked out of the incessant Hollywood machine. Some feel that extreme representation of brutality, sexuality, and gore is... Continue Reading →
Growing up is difficult for most. Learning who you are, what influences you, and nurture versus nature all factor in developing as a human being. When family secrets and dysfunction come into play, the “coming of age” process becomes much more complicated. Julia Ducournau’s film Raw takes these factors with a female perspective, creating a... Continue Reading →
Reviews and essays on genre film from a WOC perspective
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Reviews and essays on genre film from a WOC perspective
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Reviews and essays on genre film from a WOC perspective
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