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The Favourite (2018)

Where do I start with this latest outing (The Favourite) from director Yorgos Lanthimos?

I guess one place is to categorically state that the subjects – Queen Anne, Sarah Churchill and Abigail Masham (nee Hill) and the intrigue of the latter two’s battle for the Queen’s affections and good graces. Being unfamiliar with this period in English history, my go-to normally involves an obligatory Google or Wikipedia search.

But nope, not this time. I decided to go into the film relatively blind save for the knowledge of The Favourite winning honors at this year’s Venice Film Festival.

The Favourite
Rachel Weisz and Olivia Colman in the film THE FAVOURITE. Photo by Yorgos Lanthimos. © 2018 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

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TCM Classic Film Festival 2018

It has been a month and I have to tell you – it feels like with each passing year, I have more fun at the TCM Classic Film Festival. Maybe it is the familiarity of walking up and down Hollywood Boulevard. Maybe it is the bumping into old friends and making new ones. Or maybe it is the fact that I attempt to pepper my Hollywood experience with something new each time. Maybe it is all of the above (I am inclined to think that it is all of the above). But one thing is certain – that at the conclusion of the 5-6 days, I am already plotting what adventures will await me 12 months down the road …

TCM Classic Film Festival 2018 Logo

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Tribeca Film Festival ’18 (Part 2 of 2)

Here is Part II of my adventures at Tribeca Film Festival, 2018 (Part I is here).

Netizens

I have to admit that for as much as I am on various social media platforms during the day, I have not heard this term, netizen. But I guess it is a thing (and makes sense too).

In the wake of #MeToo, many are welcoming the long-overdue conversation we need to have as a society about how we interact with one another in public and private online spaces. As any extended period of time in these spaces will show you, it is not the “world community utopia” which many hoped it would be. At best, online trolling, etc. is merely annoying. At its worst, the interactions can be harrowing and life-altering, as examined in Netizens, directed by Cynthia Lowen.

In this documentary, Lowen looks at three subjects whose lives have been affected by online harassment. After watching this film, I even feel like I am letting the perpetrators off pretty easy by simply calling it “harassment” because what is happening is a violation of the most insidious nature and includes a variety of digital abuse, such as:

  • Non-consensual pornography
  • Cyber-stalking
  • Threats of violence
  • Privacy invasions
  • Impersonation
  • Character attacks

For me a main driver of the narrative is the profile of Carrie Goldberg, a New York City-based attorney who has opened a law firm which specializes in Internet privacy and sexual assault and their intersection. For Carrie, herself a victim of cyberharrassment, this truly is a life’s work. This is not stated to underplay or diminish the stories of the other women featured (Tina and  Anita Sarkeesian). In fact, every woman is given equal time to share their terrifying experiences of being the targets of such horrible personal attacks. But Ms. Goldberg’s story seems to lie at the nexus of all the cases of harassment and how we as a society respond to it (or don’t). The ability of these women to be able to come out on the other side with the courage to share their stories is worthy of our notice.

Netizens tribeca film festival 2018

However as I left the screening, I wanted to hear MORE because it felt like there was a lot more story to tell. After some contemplation, I came to the conclusion that this (sadly) is just the beginning and that there will be many more stories for others to tell …

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