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Reviews

The Last Duel: Pain from Another Perspective

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By Seun Olowo-Ake

Directed by Ridley Scott, and written Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon, The Last Duel is set in the 12th Century and is based on the true story of Marguerite de Carrouge (Jodie Comer), Jean de Carrouge (Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) and the accusation that put all their lives at risk.

Knowing nothing about the movie before I went in, I admit that didn’t think I would enjoy Last Duel. However, the more the story unfolded, the more interested I became. I liked how the film decided to tell the story from the three different perspectives and found it fun seeing how all three people saw the exact same situations in such different ways. I also really enjoyed the performances. Damon captured the hot-headedness of Jean; Driver exemplified the charming, eloquent womanizer that was Jacques; Affleck brought so much humour with his portrayal of the more secondary Lord Pierre; and Comer did an exceptional job portraying the devoted, meek wife, the subtle flirt, and the striving-but-not-quite-good-enough wife that Jean, Jacques and her narratives respectively show her to be.

The film begins by showing us the deterioration of Jean and Jacques’ relationship as fortune continues to smile on Jacque, often at the expense of Jean. The resentment that builds in the already brash Jean reaches its tipping point when his wife, Marguerite, accuses Jacque of rape. Jacques insists that he is innocent, and Jean insists that he is ready to fight to the death to prove that he is guilty. This leads us to the duel itself, which was the last one permitted by the Parliament of Paris. (I just discovered that. The title of the movie makes sense now.)

Many people have called this movie a ‘medieval #MeToo film’, and it very obviously has those undertones. From the characters that did not quite believe Marguerite to the women in the film that came forward with their own stories while simultaneously wondering why on earth Marguerite would ‘bring shame to her family in this way’, to the invasive questioning that she endures on the way to her potential death, The Last Duel certainly shows the struggle of women who have suffered and speak out against the toxic men in their lives.

However, another thing that stood out to me is the idea that we are the centre of our stories and that our actions are reactions to what we perceive around us. We see this in all three main characters, but particularly in Jacques who maintains his innocence because of how the world works to him and how he interpreted the behaviour of Marguerite.

I also found it fascinating that the person with the most drastic character change in all three accounts is Marguerite. Both Jean and Jacques were men who had professed in some way to love her, yet they did not truly see her. In fact, the movie constantly shows her struggling to be seen and heard by her husband, by Jacques and by society. It makes me wonder if we as the main characters in our stories view other people the way they truly are, or the way we want them to be. This idea gains more significance when we consider again that our actions are results of how we see the things around us and that we are constantly interacting with other people who are directly or indirectly affected by what we do. The Last Duel (and historical account) gives the more extreme example of assault, but that is something for us all to ponder as we go about our lives.

True love is putting others before ourselves and, in the context of this movie, seeking to truly understand their motivations before reacting- which I’ll admit is really hard, but no one ever said love was easy.

The Last Duel is available in theatres on Friday, October 15th, 2021.

Luzzu – Moderity vs. Tradition

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“Without a boat you lose your way.”

Is it possible to live in a rapidly changing world and stay true to the past? If we start giving up bits of our heritage, will there be anything left of it? Traditional ways of life compete with modernity in Alex Camilleri’s Luzzu.

On Malta, Jesmark (Jesmark Scicluna) fishes in the ways of his family for generations in a brightly colored luzzu boat. The boat was his father’s, and his father’s, and his father’s. Jesmark’s baby footprint is painted on the inside of the boat. He goes out fishing each day, but it is hard work with little payback—especially when trawlers are catching far more, but destroying the ecosystem in the process. When his boat develops a leak, he brings it ashore until he can replace the bad piece of wood.

But Jesmark is also a family man. His wife (Michela Farrugia) and infant son depend on him, and medical bills for the baby are beginning to grow. Jesmark could take a payout from the EU that wants to decrease the number of fishermen, but that would mean giving up fishing forever and destroying the boat. But Jesmark has also discovered the shady side of the fish market, and has begun to attach himself to the black market, moving illegal catches and other goods on and off the island.

Will this be the answer to his family’s needs? Will this move into modernity be an abandonment of past generations? Will it be selling a bit of his soul?

There is certainly a bit of romantic nostalgia about Jesmark’s attempt to live as his father and grandfather had done. It is heartbreaking to think of the beautiful luzzu being destroyed—not just because of its beauty, but because of all that it means to Jesmark.

But the world of his father and grandfather is long gone. Things have changed. It really doesn’t matter if things are better or worse because of the change, it is the reality. Those changes aren’t sudden, but they accumulate year by year by year.

The film concludes with a paraphrase of “the Ship of Theseus”, an ancient thought experiment that dates back to ancient Greece. If you replace the pieces of a boat one at a time, when everything has been replaced is it still the same boat? As we watch Jesmark working to replace the bad wood on his luzzu, we know that this is just the most recent of many repairs that he, his father, and grandfather must have made on that boat. Is that really the same boat as his ancestors fished in?

But even more, this is a story about life. As we see the world change piece by piece—as societies shift bit by bit—as families go through good and bad times—as individuals face new situations and needs—are they still the same person, family, society, or world as before?

These are questions and processes that we face often—it could be at work, in churches, in schools, in personal relationships. We may often feel the pain of loss about what once was. But perhaps we can also find a way to celebrate the continuity of things through the changes.

Luzzu is playing in select theaters.

Photos courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Copshop: Stuck Between Law & Reality

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COPSHOP, (aka COP SHOP), Alexis Louder, 2021. © Briarcliff Entertainment / Courtesy Everett Collection

In Joe Carnahan’s first film in seven years, the director of The A-Team, Smokin’ Aces, and The Grey moves Gerard Butler, Frank Grillo, and relative newcomer Alexis Louder around the inside of an isolated police station in Nevada. Grillo’s “fixer” Teddy Muretto forces his own arrest by Louder’s rookie police officer Valerie Young, with hitman Bob Viddick (Butler) infiltrating the station to kill Muretto. But this isn’t a three-person drama: Viddick isn’t the only assassin in the precinct that night.

Carnahan’s films aren’t exactly known for holding back and Copshop isn’t any different. If you’ve seen Assault on Precinct 13 or 16 Blocks, then you’ve seen most of the principles played out here in terms of what’s going to go down, violently and psychologically. There are a fair number of headshots, beatings, and (periodically) creative ways of inflicting pain on other human beings that gruesomely show the depths people will go to exact revenge.

Toby Huss’ Anthony Lamb adds to the mix within the precinct, a lunatic with an inclination for singing while he taunts his would-be victims. When he arrives in the precinct, the violence escalates and the danger for rookie Young increases exponentially. But that’s where the tension really comes in terms of the dramatic flow of the movie: if all of these characters are bad news, then how is Young supposed to know who to trust? Can she even survive the night?

There are things that make Young more engaging, providing degrees of nuance that make this better than the C-list film it deserves to be. She’s ex-military, her dad (and grandfather) taught her truisms, and she quotes philosophy as well as she drops profanity-laced one-liners on the other ‘inhabitants’ of the precinct that night. Louder’s presence is THE best part of the film, the elevating factor that draws us in — the clear hero stuck in an untenable situation, a Catch-22, a Kobayashi Maru. What do you do when you can’t win?

Young’s detective sticks to doing what she knows is true and right, trusting as long as she can and holding the line between law and justice well past the point of breaking. This is Old Testament, Western law-and-order stuff, with rules broken and codes to live by. It’s not breaking new ground, but it’s still one of the more entertaining thrillers of the year.

Copshop is Carnahan’s best film since The Grey, and he has Louder to thank for that.

Mass: Rage, Forgiveness and Everything In Between

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Set years after a school shooting ripped their families apart, Mass tells the story of two sets of parents who gather in a church basement to discuss what took place. Having lost their son in the devastation, Gail and Jay (Jason Isaacs and Martha Plimpton) have come to the meeting with the intent of getting answers. Meanwhile, as the parents of the assailant, Linda and Richard (Ann Dowd and Reed Birney) have come in humility to listen but also grieve themselves. As the two families unleash their burdens upon one another, they become faced with an emotional crossroads which demands that they decide the next steps for their lives.

Written and directed by Fran Kranz, Mass is an in-depth examination of what it means to deal with our suffering and what steps it takes to move forward. For his first feature, Kranz shows remarkable maturity by allowing his characters to search for something—anything—to cling to that would explain what took place yet he also acknowledges the complexity and ambiguity of cultural pain that cannot easily be explained away. By keeping the film in one location, Kranz forces the viewer to remain in the uncomfortable nature of the moment. Like these four souls trapped in this wrestling match of sorrow, so too is the viewer incapable of escaping this difficult conversation. Leaning into the obscurity of their suffering, Kranz speaks of many potential contributing factors for the shooting itself. From parental neglect, mental health or even violent video games, Mass mentions as many reasons as possible yet never focuses on any specific blame. Instead, the film recognizes that these events have no easy answers. As such, Kranz never over-simplifies the conversation, allowing this discussion of trauma and its effects to spin out in ways that feel natural and honest.

In addition, the film features four truly remarkable performances from its leads. While it could be argued that performances by Plimpton and Dowd rise to the top, this is an ensemble film in its truest sense. Each lead feels fully present throughout the film, giving it an aura of authenticity and purity. From Birney’s burden of shame to Plimpton’s passionate reluctance to acknowledge the humanity of those in front of her to Isaac’s search for answers and Dowd’s quiet inner pain, every character is shown as a complex person struggling to survive their own suffering, There is no stereotypical ‘villain’ to hate, nor any particular hero to love. Instead, this is a space of brokenness and trust between four artists who understand how to bring the pain of their character to life in ways that never lean into caricatures or stereotypes.

Perhaps what’s most impressive about Kranz’s script is its interest in humanizing its characters by balancing its voice and perspective. As parents left in the shadows of grief for the loss of their son, Gail and Jay are given every opportunity to vent their rage, pain and questions as they deem necessary. In every way, Mass validates the suffering of the victims who were affected by this unbelievable tragedy. However, whereas other films of this nature might be tempted to exact their pound of flesh on the parents of the shooter, Kranz also manages to portray them as victims themselves. Although Gail and Jay’s son may have been one of the many who were killed, so too have Linda and Richard experienced losses. Whether it’s the loss of a son they thought they knew or simply the fallout from a community looking to blame them for his actions, Linda and Richard are experiencing as many questions and anger as those who sit across the table from them. Through stories and tears, Linda and Richard paint a beautiful picture of their son as valuable that never absolves him of responsibility for his actions. 

Though both families were affected differently, both matter.

What’s more, the film also examines what it means to move forward from these substantial losses. Left with only emotional rubble behind them, these families must navigate the next steps that are required to allow for healing. What does it mean to let go of one’s rage and suffering? Forgiveness here feels like an ‘f-word’ in and of itself. Does it still honour the victim? Does it release the guilty of blame? In many ways, forgiveness feels like the only possible step yet it is almost impossible to utter out loud. Mass recognizes that there is a cost to grace that releases the guilty but also frees the broken hearted and leaves space for hope to begin.

Powerful and unrelenting, Mass is definitely one of the best films of the year. Featuring some truly remarkable performances and a sparkling screenplay, Kranz leans into the darkness and pain of the moment without ever losing hope that something new can begin. As a result, despite its difficult subject matter and challenging conversations, this is definitely one Mass worth attending.

To hear our interview with director Fran Kranz and star Ann Dowd, click here (YouTube) or here (audio).

MASS opened in limited release in the US on October 8th, 2021 and will be available in theatres on Friday, October 15th, 2021.

I’m Your Man: Digital Dating and Loving Lavishly

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You can’t buy love. But can you build it?

Set in the present day, I’m Your Man tells the story of Alma (Maren Eggert), a scientist who is offered a job evaluating a new line of humanoid companions. After her boss manages to convince her with some mild bribery, Alma agrees to bring the cybernetic Tom (Dan Stevens) into her home for a period of three weeks in order to ascertain their value as romantic mates and potentially the rights they deserve sociologically. Although she’s skeptical (and even resistant), Tom never wavers from his desire to make her happy, forcing Alma to re-examine what she believes to be the nature of love.

Co-written and directed by Maria Schrader, I’m Your Man is a fun and philosophical film that asks some big questions in surprising ways. While the film could potentially unravel due to its high concepts, the film manages to sell its premise and draw the audience in with genuine affection. Admittedly, much of the film’s effectiveness is largely due to the utter charisma of Stevens, who sells Tom with such adorable charisma that you never really question the fact that this woman in this robot seem to be falling in love. (In fact, in the film’s greatest achievement, you’re even rooting for them as a couple.)

At the same time, this is very much a film that wants to explore what love actually means. While the film acknowledges the social implications and dangers of becoming too obsessed with items which aren’t authentic, there is a charm that plays out in this relationship as well. Can a person love a thing as much as it does another human? In truth, this could be argued that this is already the case. If the act of love involves in our investment of time, than where we put our focus should be indicative of what we care most about. For example, rather than invest in our in-person relationships, we frequently spend our days connecting more deeply with our cell phones then we do with those around us. While it seems counter-intuitive, the nature of love has never necessitated that our hearts focus on another living person. (After all, didn’t one say that the ‘love of money is a root of all kinds of evil’?) If love is based on an emotional attachment (even an unhealthy one), I’m Your Man wants to investigate the boundaries of that argument.

What’s most interesting about Alma is that her relationship with Tom truly is beneficial to her soul. When she’s with him, she feels safer and she is more in touch with her own feelings. Because of his programming, Tom will always be affectionate, caring and instill emotional value into Alma. Starved for healthy friendships that encourage and empower, her time with Tom fills her with a security and joy that she is unable to find with others. In short, Tom makes Alma happy (“Isn’t being happy a good thing?” Tom asks repeatedly) As a result, the film makes a compelling argument for this type of connection, one without flaws or missteps.

However, as she grows closer to her robotic companion, Alma recognizes that loving an object has become a primarily selfish act. She’s not wrong in this conclusion. The type of love that has been programmed into Tom is one that allows its owner to focus entirely on being told how wonderful they are. Rather than challenge them towards personal growth, this romance becomes entirely self-validating and one-sided. The healthiest relationships ask both parties to offer grace to their spouse while, at the same time, accepting grace from them. There is an unconditional give and take to love that acknowledges imperfections in both partners and says that they are acceptable to them anyways. 

Last time I checked, my iPhone can’t do that. (Though maybe there’s an app for that.)

Surprisingly witty and compelling, I’m Your Man is a strange blend of sci-fi and romance that absolutely makes you fall in love with its charms. Thanks to a delightful performance by Stevens and some compelling conversations about the true nature of love, the film surprisingly manages to sweep you off your feet while also forcing you to re-examine your priorities.

Now, back to checking my notifications.

I’m Your Man premiered at TIFF ’21 on Monday, September 13th, 2021

Adventures of a Mathematician: Adding Up the Losses

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Set against the backdrop of World War II, Adventures of a Mathematician tells the true story of Stanislav Ulam (Philippe Tlokinski), a Polish immigrant and mathematicians who emigrated to the United States during the 1930s. Hired by the military, Ulam’s incredible intellect made him an essential member of the team tasked with developing both the atomic and hydrogen bombs, as well as the first computer.

While Adventures of a Mathematician feels like somewhat standard fair for a biopic, some particularly enjoyable work by lead Tlokinski keeps the film from dragging. Written and directed by Thor Klein, the film becomes an engaging and surprisingly emotional film that underscores the importance of human life, especially at a time of war. By following the work of Ulam during the 1930s and 40s, Klein brings a unique spin on the events surrounding the discovery of the atomic bomb. Instead of focusing on the wartime efforts on the field of battle, he instead spends his time with those who never carried a gun themselves. Choosing to focus on Ulam’s emotional journey and family relationships, he is able to tell a story that feels so much more human, without getting bogged down by set pieces or special effects. (After all, who would’ve expected a film about the atomic bomb to feature no explosive footage?) 

The most surprising aspect of Mathematician is its conscience. Despite the fact that Ulam and his team worked tirelessly to create weapons which changed the landscape of the world, the film goes to great lengths to also show these men grapple with the ramifications of their actions. One example of this comes when the team of scientists responsible for developing the atomic bomb gather after the desolation of Nagasaki. Despite the fact that they have supposedly accomplished their goal, Ulam and his teammates are quietly despondent, broken by the devastating losses that they are responsible for creating. Whereas past films of this nature have celebrated the ingenuity of its developers or honouring American pride for defeating their enemies, Mathematician sits in the sadness of the moment. Recognizing that their goal was never to cause suffering, this group of men are left mourning the deaths of the innocent. Having believed that the US would only use the nuclear bomb as a deterrent, they are shattered by the heavy losses. (“Aren’t we supposed to be having a party or something?” one scientist laments.) For them, the loss of human life far outweighs the importance of their discovery.

In this way, Mathematician highlights the moral responsibility of knowledge. Rooted at the heart of the film is Ulam’s struggle to reconcile what he knows he can do with whether or not he should do it. To him, science is the opportunity to do the impossible yet those around him consistently misappropriate his knowledge to do evil. As a result, Ulam wrestles with the implications of applying his knowledge in ways that could be misused. While Mathematician never suggests that scientific advancement is problematic, Ulam’s journey points to the fact that there is always a moral question that hovers over their discoveries. Although Ulam believes that the scientific works that matter most are those that better the lives of others and keep people safe, there are those who are willing to abuse them for the sake of power.

Backed by a likable performance from its star, Adventures of a Mathematician is an entertaining look at history from an alternative perspective. As he leans into the moral implications of the discovery, Klein offers a different look at the lives of those that have created weapons of mass destruction and the burden that it placed on their souls. Most importantly though, the film is willing to ask whether or not having all the mathematical equations outweighs having to add up the losses that result.

Adventures of a Mathematician was available on VOD on Friday, October 1st, 2021.

Justin Bieber: Our World – The Boy Becomes a Man

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Let’s be serious. You’ve already decided how you feel about this.

For over a decade now, Justin Bieber has been both adored and despised by the general public. For some, it was because of his music. For others, his antics as a 17-year-old with the world at his feet. He’s been criticized, analyzed and despised but, at the same time, admired and adored by his fans.

But everyone had an opinion.

Now 27-years-old and married, Bieber is a man who wants to move past his impetuous youthful years. Admittedly he still remains a divisive performer, though primarily by those who refuse to forget those tumultuous years of his youth. (He even subjected himself to a Celebrity Roast a few years ago, allowing others to poke fun at his image.) With his new concert doc, Justin Bieber: Our World on Amazon Prime, Bieber wants to remind the public of his talent while demonstrating that he’s become a different man.

Set on the rooftop of the Beverley Hilton Hotel on New Year’s Eve 2020, Justin Bieber: Our World is the pop superstar’s first concert in three years. Performing an outdoor concert in the midst of the pandemic for 240 guests and millions more streaming online, Bieber performs an endless string of hits from his collection, old and new, while observing strict COVID protocols. Directed by Michael D. Ratner, Our World may focus on the music but it also allows Bieber to speak for himself through backstage footage and quieter moments with his wife, Hailey.

Whether you love his music or hate it, one can’t deny that the kid has loads of musical talent. (To be fair, there will be those who deny that… but they’re incorrect.) With this in mind, World proves exactly how prominent his musical dominance has been over all these years. Featuring hit after hit, the performance is a reminder that his pop dominance has been consistent and constant. (Be honest. You know more words to Baby and Love Yourself than you care to admit.) Despite his massive pyrotechnics and special effect, he has a grown as a performer in his ability to connect with his audience, even in larger scale performances. Most importantly though, there’s something about him when he’s onstage that feels so much more genuine now that he did in his youth. Professing his love for his wife or simply speaking to his fans feel honest and even humble.

While one wishes that the film offered more insight into the young man’s mind or his redemption tour in recent years, World does give a taste of who he wants to be seen as by the public. With the limited behind-the-scenes footage that we get, Bieber is portrayed as a young man who truly cares about those around him. The title ‘Our World‘ is deliberate in that there’s a connectedness and support of others that pervades the film. From his wife to his entourage and staff, Bieber has genuinely deep relationships with his team. (Further emphasizing this is the fact that the film goes out of its way to remind the viewer that Bieber’s performance went by the strictest of COVID protocols in order to ensure the safety of his fans and crew.) Carrying himself with maturity, the boy wonder has finally grown up into a man who is doing his best to live with honour. This portrait of Bieber is of a man who is going to prioritize things that truly matter, whether it’s walking with his wife, wearing masks, prayer or his mental health. This is not the youth we once [thought we] knew. He is hard working, loving and, most importantly, humble.

While Justin Bieber: Our World may not win any new fans to his music, it certainly does portray the pop prince in a new (and healthier) light. Though many of us have pointed to him over the years as an example of the destructive power of fame, maybe it’s time for us to admit that our view of Bieber has been tainted by his past. From the age of 15, this young man has been a bonified hit-machine and Our World is a reminder of just how truly talented he really is.

Hopefully, it’s not too late for us to say sorry.

Justin Bieber: Our World is available on Amazon Prime on Friday, October 8th, 2021.

Night Raiders: The Future is History

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Set in the year 2043, Night Raiders takes place in a world where disenfranchised cities in post-war North America are controlled by a maniacal military organization called The Emerson Group. Under their regime, children are considered property of the State and forced into their children’s academy. Having been on the run for years, Niska (Elle-Maija Tailfeathers) and her 11-year-old daughter, Waseese (Brooklyn Letexier-Hart) have managed to stay under the radar by keeping a low profile. However, after Waseese is captured by The Emerson Group, Niska connects with an underground band of vigilantes and joins in their plot to infiltrate the facility and free her daughter.

Written and directed by Danis Goulet, Night Raiders is a sci-fi film with a historical edge. Co-produced by Taika Waititi, there’s a fire to this film that demands attention.  Sharply written and executed, Raiders is an entertaining thrill ride from start to finish. More importantly though, Goulet brings a unique voice into the science fiction genre that allows her to tackle Indigenous stories in a way that connects with everyone. Though its set in the world of sci-fi, Night Raiders still resonates with the real world. Goulet has created a tale that maintains a certain distance from its subject matter yet still feels powerful and poignant. Intense and engaging, Goulet creates a compelling metaphor for the pain of a people group that have often been silenced and ignored. As such, despite the fact that it takes place 20 years into the future, its themes feel current and important in today’s cultural conversations surrounding the history of Indigenous peoples.

Though its set in the world of sci-fi, Night Raiders still resonates with the real world. Intense and engaging, Goulet creates a compelling piece that expresses the pain of a people group that have often been silenced and ignored. As a metaphor for the poisonous environment of residential schools and their effect on the Indigenous communities, Raiders leans into the concept of erasure. With an emphasis on controlling the population, the Emerson Group longs to build a country built on the backs of sameness. As captives, children are indoctrinated into a neutralized culture. Dressing their children in gray tones and keeping them in white cages, Emerson brainwashes their conscripted children with phrasing of dedication to the cause. Colour is eliminated wherever possible with the hope of creating the sense of a unified society. As their indoctrination takes hold, the memories and livelihoods of these children are erased at the hands of the Emerson psychological machine. Similar to the leadership which tormented the children of residential schools, the Emerson Group is concerned only with eliminating differences for the sake of their own ideologies. (It’s also worth noting that everyone who represents Emerson is white while children and families who are subject to their cruelty are all visible minorities.)

With an eye on history, Raiders also very much looks towards the present and the future by speaking into the challenges of breaking free. Although Niska is challenged to step up and take command, her years of oppression keep her under a blanket of fear. Having been stuck under the weight of the Emerson tyranny for so long, she is reluctant to join in the fight against them. Although she yearns for her daughter’s freedom, she believes that the revolution is not her battle. (After all, what can she do about it?) In this way, Niska’s struggle mirrors our current culture as Indigenous populations are being called to step forward and share their stories of suffering. With every traumatic tale that is told, the truth about systemic oppression continues to come to light, allowing for change. However, this bearing of souls is always a challenge, especially after years of psychological oppression. As such, Niska’s journey also resonates at a time when the Indigenous population has finally found the courage to speak out against those that have hurt them in the past.

At the same time, Goulet also demonstrates what’s at stake when she highlights the power of the children themselves. Whereas adults have the opportunity to fight the today’s battles, Raiders acknowledges that their struggle will allow the next generation to have a greater understanding of justice and equity for the future. Although the children require rescue at the hands of the Emerson Group, the film also points to the fact that there is a strength within them that bodes well for future generations. As a result, Goulet balances Raiders with dual perspectives by examining the importance of both an adult awakening and children uprising.

For Goulet, both generations are needed because both voices matter.

To hear our interview with director Danis Goulet & Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, click here (audio) and here (YouTube).

Night Raiders premiered at TIFF and is available in theatres on Friday, October 8th, 2021.

My Name Is Pauli Murray – Historic Footnote

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“I want to see America be what she says she is in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. America, be what you proclaim yourself to be!”

When filmmakers Julie Cohen and Betsy West were making the Oscar-nominated RGB, they came across a citation that Ruth Bader Ginsberg had in her brief arguing for women’s rights before the Supreme Court. They thought it was worth finding out who this person was. My Name Is Pauli Murray is what they discovered. Fifteen years before Rosa Parks, Pauli Murray was arrested for not moving to the back of the bus. Decades before the Wilmington Lunch Counter Sit-In, Pauli and other students desegregated restaurants in DC. Pauli was one of the founders on the National Organization for Women. Essays Pauli wrote were part of the arguments laid before the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education. Pauli made the case that the Fourteenth Amendment could be used to protect women’s rights (as Ginsberg argued). And yet, so few of us have heard of Pauli Murray.

Pauli Murray stars in MY NAME IS PAULI MURRAY Photo: Courtesy of Amazon Studios ©2021 PM PM Doc, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

The film’s title makes it clear that this is an introduction. Pauli Murray’s name is one we should know, but don’t. And Pauli is an interesting personality. Pauli was something of a polymath. Pauli was an author, lawyer, poet, and eventually a priest. (Pauli was the first Black woman ordained in the Episcopal Church.) Pauli often practiced confrontation by typewriter, writing letters to people of power. When writing to FDR, Pauli would copy Eleanor Roosevelt, which lead to a friendship.

You may note my lack of pronouns here. Pauli was gender non-conforming, and in today’s language would probably identify as transexual. As a child Pauli dressed and acted as a boy. The family referred to Pauli as a boy/girl. For a time, Pauli rode the rails in the persona of a man. When facing surgery at one point, Pauli anticipated the doctors discovering undescended testes. (They didn’t.) This sense of inbetweenness is important for understanding some of the work that Pauli did.

Much of the film is made up tape recordings of Pauli reading from an autobiography as it was being written. It is important that we can hear that story in Pauli’s own voice. It is also important to hear the stories of people who knew Pauli and who have continued to build on that legacy.

What I miss from the film (and that is no doubt because of my ministerial background) is any real examination of the theological understandings Pauli developed while attending seminary later in life or serving as a priest. Given Pauli’s wonderful insights while studying the law, I would expect that Pauli could also bring that background and intellect to the realm of religion with similar insights.

Pauli Murray stars in MY NAME IS PAULI MURRAY Photo: Courtesy of Amazon Studios ©2021 PM PM Doc, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Pauli Murray truly was one of those unknown giants upon whose shoulders people are still standing seeing a future that can be made better. Pauli might well be seen as a footnote in the history of civil, women’s, and LGBTQ rights. To be a footnote does not lessen the impact. Indeed, we use footnotes as foundations for important ideas. Pauli may not have been someone most of the world see do important things, but great things were built upon Pauli’s work.

My Name is Pauli Murray in in select theaters and will be available in Prime Video beginning October 1.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg stars in MY NAME IS PAULI MURRAY Photo: Courtesy of Amazon Studios ©2021 PM PM Doc, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Photos courtesy of Amazon Studios.

Algren – A writer and his world

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Three Rules of Life:

  1. Never play cards with a guy named Doc.
  2. Never eat at a restaurant called Mom’s
  3. Never sleep with a woman whose troubles are worse than your own.

Nelson Algren was one of the key writers of Post-World War II America. His writing was as plain-spoken as the above quote. But after a time, he fell out of the limelight, although he continued to be held in high regard by other writers. Michael Caplan brings him back to our attention in the documentary, Algren.

Algren’s writing often focused on the American underclass—especially as it was found in Chicago. He wrote about hustlers and prostitutes and addicts. His book The Man with the Golden Arm, about a poker dealer addicted to heroin, was the first winner of the National Book Award. When Algren wrote about his subjects, he saw them as people who have no other voice. He did not look down on them. He wrote with compassion and with respect.

The film shows us how Algren came to be drawn to those of society that we often overlook or avoid seeing. After he graduated college with a degree in journalism early in the Great Depression, he spent time as a hobo before becoming part of the Federal Writers Project. In the army at the end of the war, he became involved in the black market. He always was attracted to poker (although those who knew him said he was a terrible player).

The film also points out that Algren was less than pleased with the way his books were translated into films. He was especially upset with Otto Preminger’s version of The Man with the Golden Arm. These characters, who Algren treated with respect, Preminger held them in disdain.

The film is quotations from his writings, comments by people who knew him, and a large number of photos by Art Shay, an acclaimed photographer who served as a chronicler of Algren’s life in Chicago. The editing of all these images, and bits of texts, is very fast paced, bordering on phrenetic. I personally found this pace distracting, because there would be things to read on screen without enough time to read them.

Hearing his writing being read aloud (often by Studs Terkel) gives the viewer a sense of the poetry that Algren had within his prose. And to use such language to tell the stories of people who many of his readers might consider inferior to themselves was yet another way he elevated his subjects. His raising them up served as a kind of call to justice for how the world should see them and consider them.

Algren is in select theaters.

Photos courtesy of First Run Features.