Movies
A film with history. It handles a part of black US history I wasn't aware of, the film was also the first one directed by an Afro-American woman that got a full-fledged theater release. Not bad for an indie production. The film itself has some interesting elements but also bordered on cheesy. Descendants of the slave communities are living on small islands close to the South Carolina coast. The Peazant family considers it time to leave their little commune behind and move to the mainland. Times are changing and they want to be more than just some outcasts on a small island. Daughtes of the Dust makes a real effort to be a bit more poetic. The music is interesting and some of the shots are nice, but while the premise is interesting, the drama that comes of it is pretty basic. The film is also a bit too long, but since this is a non-trivial indie production, I can respect that choice.Read all
I was actually quite excited to see a relatively modern short film receiving some critical praise, of course it turns out it's a 80s film pretending to be a 40s film. I probably should've known better, I've been around critics and films fans long enough, but I still fall for it once in a while. Mignon Dupree is one of the few powerful women in Hollywood, with that power she tries to create a better world for struggling actresses of color, who aren't even being considered for onscreen parts. What the people around Mignon don't realize is that she's a black woman herself, parading around as a white girl. If it isn't clear enough from the narrative, this is a short about racial and sexual oppression in 40s Hollywood, and its broader impact on society. The film isn't exactly subtle and the 40s look, while relatively efficient, isn't something I was really happy to see. Too crude and predictable to be good, but not entirely uninteresting.Read all