Darrel Manson

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Articles

Nickel Boys: Seeing through other eyes

Jan 17, 2025 | screenfish.net | Darrel Manson

“The one thing Nickel taught me was how not to die.”Nickel Boys, directed by RaMell Ross, is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning book The Nickel Boys, by Colson Whitehead. The story centers on a young man sent unjustly to a reformatory in the Jim Crow South. The story may be all too familiar, but the visual storytelling method Ross uses is all about giving us a new perspective. Elwood Curtis (Ethan Herisse) is a promising high school student—so promising he’s about to begin early college classes.
Flow: Hopeful post-apocalypse

Jan 16, 2025 | screenfish.net | Darrel Manson

We have gotten used to the idea of a post-apocalyptic world filled with violence and greed. The animated film Flow, from director Gints Zilbalodis, is a different (and delightful) kind of post-apocalyptic vision. It is a new way of understanding the lifeboat ethics that we all may be facing in the midst of a changing world. Flow is Latvia’s submission for Best Foreign Feature. (And as of writing, has been shortlisted.)This is the story of a cat.
My Old Ass - Wisdom of the ages

Jan 8, 2025 | screenfish.net | Darrel Manson

“I’m very grateful for this moment with you.”Oh, the advice we could give to our younger selves! The opportunities they wouldn’t miss! The mistakes they wouldn’t make! But would they (or I guess it’s really “we”) listen? Megan Park’s My Old Ass is built around the meeting of a future self and how that brings a new perspective to life (both the younger and older versions). Elliott (Maisy Stella) has just turned eighteen and is counting the days (literally) until she leaves home to go to university.
AFIFest: The Room Next Door - Being there

Jan 8, 2025 | screenfish.net | Darrel Manson

“I have practically held death in my hand. I never imagined it would be so light.”Pedro Almodóvar’s first English language feature, The Room Next Door, is a film about dying. It is also about so much more—especially about what it means to be with someone—to walk with them through what the Psalmist called “the valley of the shadow of death”. The Room Next Door won the Golden Lion for best film at the Venice Film Festival. Ingrid (Julianne Moore) and Martha (Tilda Swinton) were once close friends.
Mary - Coming-of Age Nativity

Dec 9, 2024 | screenfish.net | Darrel Manson

“You may think you know my story. Trust me, you don’t”In time for the Advent season, Netflix is giving us Mary, from director D.J. Caruso. It is styled as seeing the Nativity story as a coming-of-age story. All the biblical (and extrabiblical) characters are there. Most (but not all) of the important parts of the Nativity are included. For some, this might be a useful devotional piece for the Advent and Christmas seasons. But…. Let’s start with the story as told here.
AFIFest - Hard Truths -Walls of Anger

Dec 9, 2024 | screenfish.net | Darrel Manson

“Why can’t you enjoy life?”Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths is a character study of life that cannot conquer fear. Leigh’s films often have much more to do with character than plot, and his particular method of filmmaking without a script often leads to wonderful results and performances as it does here. Pansy (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) faces each day with anger. She rages (to the point of being humorous) against everyone and everything.
AFIFest: Oh, Canada - Final Testimony

Dec 3, 2024 | screenfish.net | Darrel Manson

“This is my last prayer and, whether you believe in God or not, you don’t lie when you pray.”Paul Schrader makes films about people searching for redemption. That means starting with a world of darkness, hoping for some light, which is not always promised. The people involved are often those who have many sins and deeds that need to be accounted for. In Oh, Canada, that search is amplified by placing it in the near proximity of death.
AFIFest: Group Therapy - Laughing at pain?

Nov 7, 2024 | screenfish.net | Darrel Manson

Mental illness is no laughing matter. However, humor can come out of very difficult and painful situations. There are comedians who have found ways of bringing their own struggles to the world in ways that entertain, but also may give us insight into the lives of people who face mental illness—perhaps even ourselves. Group Therapy, directed by Neil Berkeley, lets us into the lives of some comedians who have real understanding of mental health issues.
AFIFest: Meet the Barbarians - Who do we welcome?

Nov 6, 2024 | screenfish.net | Darrel Manson

A small French village is about to do a wonderful thing. But when it doesn’t turn out to be what they thought, there are problems. Meet the Barbarians (Les Barbares), directed and co-written by Julie Delpy, who also stars, is a comic look at how changed circumstances may bring hidden issues to the surface. The film opens with a “Once upon a time” title card. This gives us a clue that there is a fairy tale aspect to the story—or at least that we can expect a happily-ever-after ending.
Conclave - Intriguing intrigue

Oct 24, 2024 | screenfish.net | Darrel Manson

“The Church is not tradition. The Church is not the past. The Church is what we do next.”Imagine if the U.S. Senate was locked into the Capitol, and they would choose one of themselves to be the President. They need a 2/3 vote. There is no news in or out while this is going on. There are strong personalities. There are serious differences in philosophies and temperaments. Now transfer that to the Roman Catholic Church choosing a new Pope. There you have the basic premise of Edward Berger’s Conclave.