been thinking a lot about community as of late, specifically in the context of third spaces, and had the epiphany that the juke joint in sinners is a third space.
there is so much love, care, and community in the juke joint. it's a space that exists for its community and the Black patrons that occupy it, demanding freedom and a right to exist. it fosters connections, community, and care for one another and it is such a powerful demand that quite literally transcends time. the desire to exist, have free will, and find community is a human desire that extends far beyond the systems constructed to oppress that innate desire.
and it is such a freeing thing to see it on screen.
i've been fascinated recently with movies that avoid closure. movies that don't go in a three act structure or that don't follow the harmon story circle. ones that don't want you to be okay with the ending, ones that don't want to explain the ending
the boy and the heron (2023)
the boy and the heron was like that. and i remember the second time i saw it i couldn't stop crying, because i got the meaning of the entire film. i needed to see it twice to understand why i wasn't okay with the closure of it. and that was so fucking valuable for me.
i'm becoming okay with endings that don't close. i don't need the characters to close to feel like i've gotten everything out of the film, and it's been wonderful to watch.
la la land (2016)
it's like how people say to avoid the last ten minutes of la la land, because they hate the way it closes. but i think watching that is beneficial. and i'm now imagining cutting movies earlier than they do.
go fish (1994)
what would've happened if go fish was cut when ely and max finally had sex, or even just before?
groundhog day (1993)
what would've happened if groundhog day got cut when phil realizes he can't do it?
crazy rich asians (2018)
what would've happened if crazy rich asians cut at the dead fish?
it would change everything you see about a film. you'd have a totally different understanding.
intentional lacking of closure is an art form in of itself. leaving the viewer wanting more. inspiring thousands of fanfictions about what happens next, what ending should it have actually had.
been watching heartstopper lately, and the amount of detail in every episode is just insane, so here's a few things i noticed in the second episode alone.
spoilers, obviously
i'd have done this with the first one if i remembered to do it, but unfortunately i didn't! so we'll be starting with the second episode.
first things first: I LOVE THIS OPENING SHOT. we learn so much about nick in this one shot, yet it goes by so fast that if you blink you'll miss it. he's got a dog. he prefers a warmer tone to his room. he likes cars, sports, and reading. his dog seems to mean a lot to him - there's a portrait of what's probably him and his dog, by the looks of it. the one critique i have with this shot is just to brighten it up a little; as much as i agree with the idea that a darker set up encourages a darker theme, i think the details here are important. it provides characterization to nick that the viewer hasn't really gotten to see yet, especially so early on in the series.
at this point, the only thing the viewer really knows about nick are that he's the head of the rugby team, has been sitting next to charlie, and they have an intense amount of romantic tension, even this early. it's heavily implied that nick is the primary love interest in the series, especially given the events of the previous episode. this is really only further elaborated as the opening sequence goes on; nick has charlie's instagram open, and it's public by the looks of it. he sees pictures of charlie with his friends, a book he's read recently, and him mirroring his cat. yet as he scrolls further, he sees a darker side of charlie - the side that's been bullied, bruised, and beaten for being gay.
which takes us, immediately, here.
he asked for it.
it's not really bullying.
what did he expect?
even this brief showing of charlie's darker past gives nick insight - enough to where charlie looks at him in spite before the title displays. it's a classic example of homophobic bullying, yet entirely accurate to the realities faced by many queer people, sans the use of slurs. nick didn't realize how painful it was for charlie. and now knowing that, and given the implications of the cuts with charlie on the drums, nick knows how he's processing the trauma of it. he understands why charlie's a drummer.
and yet, he can't find the strength to send anything but "are you feeling okay?"
interestingly enough, frankie cosmos' "sappho" begins playing here. a song about a wlw relationship in a mlm focused show, yet still playing into similar themes. "sappho" questions a love that's potentially out of reach, but its narrator wants to acknowledge that they don't care what could happen, as long as they're okay together. and that's kind of where heartstopper seems to be going with it.
once nick offers for charlie to talk about what's been going on, things relax, even for a minute. it's a moment of vulnerability, in both the soundtrack and their instagram messages. and as nick says he cares, "sappho" shifts back into its elevated pattern, trying to harden up any vulnerability shown a moment ago. it's a wonderful use of song and scene; a dialogue-less exchange that further establishes the tension they feel around each other, and by the end, they've both opened up a little.
again, another well-lit and extremely well-done sequence! we learn here how ben and charlie got started - just a simple congratulations. and as we cut back to nick and charlie's dms, there's a thought of ben using him. but ben's nick's friend - or is he? not anymore. it's clear already that nick values charlie more than he values ben, even though they've really only crossed paths in their single shared class.
but nick's only a supportive straight friend.
right?
i do love how heartstopper acknowledges its roots as a graphic novel; it serves as both a great transition point and a method of keeping true-to-form. plus it provides amazing visual effects that stand out amongst an otherwise live action show!
i quite like the introduction of elle here; she's an outsider, the new kid, and yet, she's fine, she says. even as she's asked to make new friends, she still seems like she doesn't fit in. going class after class following behind people who do fit in, who are popular, who do have friends. again, another common high school experience, and yet, one that many queer and trans people have gone through, even beyond schooling.
the use of song haunts these scenes a lot, and really provide characterization in ways that aren't really possible otherwise. elle's here is the ever-iconic "girls" by girl in red; more specifically, the use of it implies her crush-from-afar on tara, how she admires tara a lot and is quite shy herself. even the brief use implies that elle has a small crush on tara.
i love the art teacher. he's a representation of every queer kid's comfort english or arts teacher and provides good advice. cold at times but brutally honest and upfront. a gorgeous characterization only complimented by the fact that he is openly gay.
also his classroom?? amazing set design. take an elementary school's art studio and keep that same energy through high school. we're all still kids internally and this channels all of that. there's paint on chairs and colored silhouettes on walls and glorious bits that just say this is an art classroom and you're welcome here. stellar set work.
