January TV Wrap-Up
Here’s all the TV shows and films I’ve watched in January; and as per usual, SPOILERS AHEAD!
Flow
If I had to describe the experience of watching this film with one phrase, it would be "playing Minecraft survival on your own". One specific moment I'm reminded of is going fishing in the lake in front of my mega-base, and as I watch the sun set, the music swells. But despite the beauty of Minecraft, the anxiety of being completely alone in a dangerous world is ever-present. This is the exact feeling I had when watching Flow. The abandoned world the cat explores is stunning yet daunting, a reminder that human life was completely gone and apocalypse will return yet again. Water is terrifying in this film; the constant rise made me so scared for the survival of the animal cast, who, by the way, were insanely well developed despite having no words. One thing that confounded me was the purpose of the bird; I couldn't figure out at all what happened to it. But the most thoughtful part of the film was the ending. We as the audience rejoiced when the water levels came back down and our cat was saved- until we realized the cost. The whale that had accompanied their journey and helped them throughout was dying on the forest floor without water. This melancholy ending was perfect because we are left to grapple with the fact that sometimes there are no answers; 'good' and 'bad' are purely subjective, and that's the way of the world. This film absolutely deserved the Oscar it won, no matter how much I loved The Wild Robot.
Heartbreak High
Honestly, this kind of made no sense at all. The one good thing I will say is there is an attempt to represent a diverse group of people that all high schoolers can find themselves in, but besides that, what is going on? The main premise of a certain group of students having to take a Sex Ed class due to being on Amerie's map is strange to say the least; it would have been much better to have the entire school be forced to take the class, and just focus on a specific classroom of students. Also, everyone suddenly disliking Amerie because Harper and her had a falling out makes no sense. Harper never gave a reason for the fight, so why is everyone treating Amerie like she's a psychopath? Especially Sophie; I have no idea what this girl is doing. She really just turns on her friends over the slightest bit of drama. Oh, and leaving her current girlfriend alone in a party to snort stuff in a bathroom with her ex-girlfriend is actually diabolical behavior. It's crazy that she wasn't portrayed as a villain in the show. I think Sophie's character is representative of what's wrong with this show; in an effort to be accurate to what teens do, it ends up normalizing some CRAZY stuff that teens absolutely don't do. Like what do you mean Malakai got hate-crimed and immediately had a threesome afterwards? I seriously don't think this is respectful to the character or what he went through, because this entire event just gets glossed over. But despite all this, I really appreciated that Harper's situation was treated with the weight it deserved throughout. Seeing how Amerie and Harper would repair their friendship was the main reason I watched the whole first season.
Shameless
This show was really good. All the characters were really well written, every episode a combination of funny, devastating, and ultimately hopeful. And the final episode, with the mom returning and trying to take custody of the youngest kid, was terrifying. Even though the family struggles, splitting everyone apart is clearly the worst possible scenario. So yeah, an awesome watch.
True Beauty
I watched this movie on an airplane because I wanted stupid entertainment, and boy did it deliver. In the classic style of Asian dramas, there was rampant overacting and face filters so bright the characters were cosplaying the sun. The corresponding Webtoon sucked, mainly because it had no idea what it was saying about beauty expectations and decided to suddenly become a romance- and the movie fell into the same trap. Tell me why, in order to make the lead look 'ugly', they had to plaster her face in perfect makeup AND THEN use makeup to add red dots and sad eyebrows? And suddenly when she discovers makeup, all the skin texture goes away because of a beauty filter! If this movie is trying to challenge social normals, adhering to them is not a good first step. There are so many things wrong with the message, the first being what the lead says to a girl, who was barred from the school play for being 'ugly', she's giving a makeover to: "Makeup reveals just how awesome she is!". No. That's not how it works. The point is, she shouldn't have to wear makeup to be treated as a human being; looking like a normal teen doesn't make her ugly. And in the climactic moment, when it begins to rain and the lead's makeup comes off, her boyfriend (will explain later) covers her face with a jacket. This would have been the perfect opportunity to show that the prettiest girl in the school in fact looks like a normal person without makeup, but no. They forgot what the movie is about. And then, oh my god, the two love interests. Both of them are filtered into oblivion and have the personality of every emo black haired YA love interest. I was crying of laughter watching these two exist for two hours. When it comes to my own opinion on makeup and beauty standards, I think there is no problem with using makeup a lot and dreaming to make others happy with it. But this has to come with an understanding that you are yourself, makeup or not. One isn't better than the other, because both are you. But anyways, this was amazing entertainment.
The Summer Hikaru Died
This is a horror story like no other. Because the scariest thing about it isn't the monsters, and the curses, or the gods that lurk in the mountains. It's the fact that all people die no matter when they're ready or not, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Within the first five minutes of this show, I was horrified by the death of a character I did not yet know, and even more so by the reaction of the character who loved him. It's amazing how even though the characters haven't been established yet, the show immediately makes us grapple with our own mortality. Atmospherically, the animations create an oppressive summer heat around the entire ordeal: constant chirping cicadas, characters dripping with sweat, and fans constantly running. And story-wise, every conversation makes your heart ache for what could have been and fear for what is going to happen. If I'm being objective, the season did lose its way a bit in the later episodes, reusing plot points and becoming more of a mystery than a character study, but it doesn't change the fact that I absolutely love this show.