A Monster of a Tale
In 1999 there was a movie that captured the balance between borrowing from another older story while also capturing an original idea within its own movie. The movie was Galaxy Quest, a loving parody of the hit Star Trek series but also contained in the film an incredible idea - āwhat if the show was seen by an alien race as real?ā
The rest is what I believe is one of the better modern comedies and reimaginations of an old idea.
With Bomani J. Storyās film The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster, I could not help to think - this is exactly what Galaxy Quest did. How Story executed this film should be seen as an example of how to bring new life into an industry that seems to be more interested to be, as Bilbo Baggins would put it, ābutter scraped over too much breadā. Letās face it, so many of the films marketed to us as the audience are breathtaking visually but leave you for want of air on the gut-level of quality storytelling. Storyās movie is a fresh breath of cinema.
First, how he incorporated the Frankenstein novel is as sharp as a tack - and I donāt mean the movies, if youāve read the original 1818 novel, youāll see the difference - and does not hold back from the incredible weight of tragedy that saturates the gothic novel. This is the story that has inspired other fantastic cautionary tales in the science fiction universe - from Jurassic Park to Terminator. Storyās astute use of Shelleyās themes, ideas and story arc is a sight to behold, particularly for a film at this budget.
The second point I want to give is how well the dynamic works within the family onscreen. With dialogue that is smart and well-paced, it would have been easy to fall into the trap of making a movie about 'ideasā rather than an 'experienceā (something I often gripe about with friends about modern movies - itās a movie weāre watching after all, not an op-ed newspaper piece). Story does well to avoid this, making this story about family and then weaving themes within the family and local community experience. With the genre in the wheelhouse of tragedy, Story spares no emotional expense at reminding you as the viewer, with brutal and at times grisly violence to prove a thematic point - death spares no one, not even those we love most. Mary Shelley knew it well in 1818 with a life lived that seemed even more dramatic and tragic than her novel, and Story tapped into that in a way I can only describe as a palpable 'moodā whose residue lingers like a cold biting wind on an autumnās night. When I watch this film again, I plan on making it a fall tradition for anyone willing to watch.
Iāll wrap this review with this one thought - I hope big studio executives and heavy weights watch this film, and not just for the sake of supporting independent cinema in theaters. Hollywood is in desperate need of bigger films taking emotional risks, not simply visual ones. Itās been a long time since Iāve seen a film like The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster where the writer/director is able to balance an old idea and firmly place it in a context where it comes to life in a whole new way. And unlike Frankensteinās monster, it does not seem sewn together in pieces. This is a tale whose director knows the true depth of a story and its timeless relevance and makes it a living breathing thing that is whole and well-made. How fitting, considering this guyās last name. I canāt wait to see what he does next.