ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

Lucas Hedges

Films in Full Colour #3: WAVES

by Leave a Comment

We, at ScreenFish, believe that we are all created in God’s image and want to show our support where we can to those in the Black Community who continue to battle against systemic racism. While our team strives for diversity, we can always do better ourselves in giving voice to those who need the chance to speak out and be heard. 

In our new series, ‘Films in Full Colour’, we will be examining films that explore issues specifically within the black community. For each episode, my co-host will be Jordan Thoms, pastor of Warden Underground Church in Toronto and our hope is that, through the lens of film, we might be able to shine light on the issues faced every day by African Americans. This week, Jordan and I welcome ThatShelf.com’s Victor Stiff to look at broken fatherhood, racial injustice in the court system and healing through forgiveness in Trey Edward Shults’ Waves.

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Soundcloud! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts or Google Play!

Want to continue the conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

Films in Full Colour #3: WavesDownload

Waves – A Family’s Darkest Hours

by Leave a Comment

In Waves, from director Trey Edward Shults, a suburban African-American family faces struggle, then tragedy. Healing is surely needed, but in what power will they find it?

Ronald (Sterling K. Brown) is a demanding and domineering father. He describes himself as “the wise and noble father”. It is said lightheartedly, but we know it is not a mere jest. He expects perfection from his teenage son Tyler (Kevin Harrison Jr.), especially in his wrestling. Ronald constantly pushes Tyler, both physically and emotionally, to achieve.

Tyler is dealing with other pressures as well. He has an injury he keeps hidden from his parents. His girlfriend Alexis (Alexa Demie) announces she is pregnant. His whole world is facing collapse, which will not sit well with his father. In an alcohol induced rage one night, Tyler tracks down Alexis at a prom party. They fight and the tragedy occurs that will tear this family apart.

The dynamic of these relationships (especially the contentious connection between father and son) give the first half of the film great energy and emotional power. Tyler, on whom this first half focuses, is obviously in a downward spiral. He senses no support from his father. Viewers may think Ronald is overly demanding, but we also sense that he is acting out of love to give his son the best possible world.

The second half of the film is a drastic shift in both focus and tone. It shows us the family in the aftermath of the tragedy. Ronald and his wife must deal with grief and anger, but that mostly plays out in the background. But their daughter Emily (Taylor Russell) becomes the real focus. Emily is Tyler’s younger sister. She is quiet and withdrawn, even more so in the aftermath of what happens in the first half. She lives in the shadow of her brother and his actions. Her parents are deep in their own issues. She feels abandoned.

We watch Emily as she slowly begins to come to terms with who she is. She is befriended by Luke (Lucas Hedges), one of Tyler’s wrestling teammates. He is not put off by her connection to Tyler. The two begin an innocent, tender, and romantic relationship that gives Emily a chance to grow, to love, and to feel love.

This becomes the beginning of restoration in her life, and perhaps also for the family as it searches out what it means to love each other in the darkest of times. Finally, Ronald knows that he must reach out to his daughter in a different way than the demands he placed on Tyler.

For all the turmoil and energy of the first half of the film, I personally found the subtlety and quiet of the second half to be far more powerful. It allows us to see that even in the darkness that seems to overwhelm the family, there can still be hope if they continue in love—and more importantly, find ways of sharing that love with each other.

It is not an accident that in an early scene when the family is in church, the pastor reads from 1 Corinthians 13 about love. In that scene, the words just seem to wash over the family, but later that becomes a seed that may blossom in their lives.

Photos courtesy of A24.

Ben Is Back: Broken Honesty on a Bruised Holiday

by Leave a Comment

Ben is Back tells the story of Ben Burns (Lucas Hedges), a nineteen-year-old drug addict who unexpectedly returns to his family’s suburban home on Christmas Eve. From the moment she first sees him, Ben’s mom, Holly (Julia Roberts), welcomes him openly yet remains cautious of her son’s drug addiction. Over a turbulent twenty-four hours, new truths are revealed, and a mother’s unconditional love is put to the test as Holly fights ceaselessly to keep her son sober.

Written and directed by Peter Hedges (About a Boy, Dan in Real Life), Ben is Back is a gritty family drama that proves both compelling and authentic. Although the set-up of the film seems relatively straightforward, the script continues to surprise with its willingness to stare down the inner darkness of its characters. This level of nuance provides the cast with an opportunity to showcase their talent, especially Roberts and Hedges. Without question, this is Roberts’ best role in years and, arguably, one of the best performances of her career. Young Hedges’ portrayal of the damaged and conflicted Ben also holds his own up against Roberts’ powerhouse performance, proving that he continues to grow into his talent.

Throughout the film, Ben constantly reminds his mother that truth is a luxury. While he repeatedly quotes his sponsor’s call for brutal honesty, he also reminds his mother that he cannot be trusted. Committed to delving into his history with unflinching honesty about what he has done and with whom, Ben becomes a walking testament to the belief that we ‘reap what we sow’. Recounting every face, every moment, and every action of his journey, he [now] recognizes that there have been consequences to his actions in ways he could have never considered, whether it be to others or his own soul. (In addition, by setting the film through Christmas Day, the film also adds another layer of complexity by juxtaposing Ben’s battle with addiction with a time of year often seen as celebrating new beginnings.)

On the other hand, Holly’s views her son through the eyes of love and, as a result, has difficulty accepting that he is as ‘bad’ as he believes. While this type of behavior is typical for a parent in this situation—who wouldn’t want to believe the best in their child?—things become more complicated as Holly begins to blur the lines of truth and lies in order to convince herself that things are better than they are. (In fact, at one point, Holly even begins to reframe history by trying to persuade Ben that his behavior really wasn’t all that bad.) There’s a complexity to Roberts’ role as she blends her performance as Holly with both unconditional grace and blurred truth. Her love for Ben pursues him relentlessly as her ‘lost sheep’. However, at the same time, her belief in Ben also borders on manic through her unwillingness to accept the truth about his life. Are there boundaries between love and grace? Ben is Back reveals the complexities of unconditional love and commitment to one’s child, especially when addictions and mental health come into play.

Anchored by remarkable performances by its leads and a solid script, Ben is Back creates a world where one’s hidden darkness must be faced in order to step out on the other side. In doing so, it also manages to successfully subvert the ‘family drama’ by demonstrating the complexities of a parent’s love for a broken child.

Ben is Back is in theatres now.

Boy Erased: Shame On Me

by Leave a Comment

Image result for boy erased

Based on the memoir of Garrard Conley, and written and directed by Joel Edgerton, Boy Erased is based on a true story that shows us the struggle of coming out, particularly in a religious home, and the dangers of conversion therapy.

Jared Eamons (Lucas Hedges) was the son of a pastor and grew up in a very religious home. While away from his family at college, Eamons began to experiment with his sexuality and, eventually, he was outed to his parents by a vengeful ex-partner. After seeking the counsel of fellow pastors, Jared is sent to conversion therapy by his father, Marshall (Russell Crowe).

During Jared’s time in conversation therapy, the audience witnesses the meritless and often abusive tactics that are taken to “cure” these boys of their homosexuality, like being hit repeatedly with a Bible to extract demons. In fact, boys would be so broken from this process that some would even commit suicide. To avoid the abuse, some would pretend to go along with the therapy in an effort get out sooner and continue living their lives as they see fit.

Image result for boy erased

The villainous leader of the conversion program, Victor Sykes (Joel Edgerton), continuously pushes the boys to admit to some deep anger, particularly towards their fathers. It was assumed that there was some deeper reason why they were gay. They must have damage in them somewhere. However, Victor meets his match with Jared. He argues that he doesn’t hate his father. He’s not going to pretend like he’s angry as an excuse for who he is.

Jared lived a somewhat sheltered childhood with a longing for the freedom to be who he really was, and we see this symbolically with the scenes where he flies his hand out of an open window in a moving car. Despite his mother’s warnings, Jared knew this was what he wanted in that moment.

Image result for boy erased

In many ways, Jared’s mother, Nancy (Nicole Kidman) becomes the unsung hero of this story. She trusts her gut and goes against her husband’s wishes for the betterment of her son. She realizes that conversion therapy is wrong and refuses to continue to subject her son to the torture. We see this most in a very powerful scene where she says “Shame on you!” to Victor, but then says “Shame on me!” to herself, realizing the mistake she’s made in sending her son to the program.  Nancy reminds us to trust out gut, stick to our guns and, most importantly, to know when to own up to our mistakes.

In Canada, conversion therapy only appears to be banned in 4 provinces.

In America, conversion therapy only appears to be banned in 14 states and 1 territory.

Boy Erased exposes the fact that conversion therapy is not “therapy” at all. It shows the travesty that has and can severely damage people if not stopped.

Manchester By the Sea – Moving through Grief and Pain

by Leave a Comment

Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) spends his days as a janitor in Boston. It’s not a great job, but it provides him with what he needs. Still, there remains an anger within him that comes out in inappropriate ways from time to time. When his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) dies, he must return to his home town of Manchester to deal with the arrangements. It’s not a place he wants to be—for a number of reasons. Manchester By the Sea is a story of moving through grief and finding new ways to face life.

manchester1

Besides the funeral arrangements, Lee learns that Joe has named him guardian of Joe’s teen age son Patrick (Lucas Hedges). Lee really wants nothing to do with this responsibility because he doesn’t want to stay in Manchester. He is well known around the town. For many, he is “the Lee Chandler”. He also runs into his ex-wife Randi (Michelle Williams), which is awkward as Lee is trying to forget the pain they share. As the story progresses, we see what his life here was like. He was happy once but, a tragedy destroyed his life here, eventually leading him to the anonymity of Boston. Lee and Patrick must find the balance that allows them each to have the kind of life that will suit them. For Patrick, it is to find his way into adulthood. For Lee, however, it is how to find his way back out of his anger and pain.

In some ways, this is a slice-of-life story of a family in grief. It is a disconcerting experience that triggers emotions in strange ways. For example, since the ground is frozen, Joe can’t be buried until spring, and Patrick is distressed that his body will be kept in a freezer until then. As Lee comes to terms with his new responsibility there are plans that must be made, but they are the very kinds of responsibilities from which he has been running. While the road is difficult, Lee and Patrick find new ways to approach the trials before them.

manchester3

Lee’s struggle is the real focus. It is only as we slowly learn the cause of his pain and anger that we can appreciate just how hard it is for him to return to Manchester and family life. The anger that, at times, comes to the surface in his life is really his anger with himself. His tragic mistake is something he cannot bring himself to forgive but, because he is thrust back into life with people who he loves and who love him, he is forced to come to terms with who he is and find ways to live with himself and his past.

Special features include a conversation with writer/director Lonergan, the making of featurette “Emotional Lives,” and some deleted scenes.