Post by klep on Feb 10, 2020 7:48:07 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 2/10: To Sleep With Anger
BLACK FILM WEEK!
To Sleep With Anger is about a man named Harry (Danny Glover) who shows up to visit friends unexpectedly, and throws their family life into turmoil. But the thing is that Harry isn't doing it on purpose; he isn't doing anything but poking at what's already there. Gideon's (Paul Butler) family is full of unspoken, unresolved conflicts. Harry's arrival doesn't introduce conflict so much as make the family confront what they've been avoiding.
Most families have some conflicts of this kind. None of them are overwhelming - some person isn't pulling their weight, a child feels like another is the favorite, parents are too demanding of their children, and so on. We find it easier not to raise these issues and make trouble - we have to continue living with our family after all. But these things can fester, and breed resentment over time. Like the trumpet-practicing boy next door, the irritations can build and build until finally someone snaps.
Harry doesn't set out to cause this chaos, but he does unconsciously sense the problems and pick at them, like a scab. He questions why Junior (Carl Lumbly) and Pat (Vonetta McGee) really volunteer at a soup kitchen. He prods Babe Brother's (Richard Brooks) dissatisfaction, encouraging him to the wilder side. He questions Hattie's (Ethel Ayler) righteous turn from an apparently more wild youth. He sees the wounds, and sticks his finger in them.
There's plenty of foreshadowing of what's to come. African-American folklore plays prominently in the film. Both Harry and Gideon have lost tobys - a protective charm - given to them by their grandmothers, and Harry suffers the additional omen of having a broom be swept across his foot just after he arrives. These ominous tidings presage the turmoil that will roil the family, and promise bad news for the elder men. It's therefore no surprise when Gideon falls ill nor when Harry has a heart attack and dies.
Matters in the family spiral out of control while Harry overstays his welcome. The marriage of Babe Brother and Linda (Sheryl Lee Ralph) frays, and in Gideon's illness tensions over family roles (and particularly Babe Brother's own role in matters) boil to the surface. The sudden release of all these negative emotions in a short span ultimately leads to a brawl between the two brothers which ends with their mother cutting her hand on a knife as she intervenes. The shock of how far things have gone starts the healing process.
Back at home the next day, Harry dies and Gideon wakes from his illness, barely aware any time had passed. With the issues now out in the open (and a body laying on the floor because the coroner can't be bothered to pick it up), the family finally seems to be in a healthy place. And as we fade to black, the kid with the trumpet starts playing jazz.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 2/17: Stop Making Sense
DOCUMENTARY WEEK!
BLACK FILM WEEK!
To Sleep With Anger is about a man named Harry (Danny Glover) who shows up to visit friends unexpectedly, and throws their family life into turmoil. But the thing is that Harry isn't doing it on purpose; he isn't doing anything but poking at what's already there. Gideon's (Paul Butler) family is full of unspoken, unresolved conflicts. Harry's arrival doesn't introduce conflict so much as make the family confront what they've been avoiding.
Most families have some conflicts of this kind. None of them are overwhelming - some person isn't pulling their weight, a child feels like another is the favorite, parents are too demanding of their children, and so on. We find it easier not to raise these issues and make trouble - we have to continue living with our family after all. But these things can fester, and breed resentment over time. Like the trumpet-practicing boy next door, the irritations can build and build until finally someone snaps.
Harry doesn't set out to cause this chaos, but he does unconsciously sense the problems and pick at them, like a scab. He questions why Junior (Carl Lumbly) and Pat (Vonetta McGee) really volunteer at a soup kitchen. He prods Babe Brother's (Richard Brooks) dissatisfaction, encouraging him to the wilder side. He questions Hattie's (Ethel Ayler) righteous turn from an apparently more wild youth. He sees the wounds, and sticks his finger in them.
There's plenty of foreshadowing of what's to come. African-American folklore plays prominently in the film. Both Harry and Gideon have lost tobys - a protective charm - given to them by their grandmothers, and Harry suffers the additional omen of having a broom be swept across his foot just after he arrives. These ominous tidings presage the turmoil that will roil the family, and promise bad news for the elder men. It's therefore no surprise when Gideon falls ill nor when Harry has a heart attack and dies.
Matters in the family spiral out of control while Harry overstays his welcome. The marriage of Babe Brother and Linda (Sheryl Lee Ralph) frays, and in Gideon's illness tensions over family roles (and particularly Babe Brother's own role in matters) boil to the surface. The sudden release of all these negative emotions in a short span ultimately leads to a brawl between the two brothers which ends with their mother cutting her hand on a knife as she intervenes. The shock of how far things have gone starts the healing process.
Back at home the next day, Harry dies and Gideon wakes from his illness, barely aware any time had passed. With the issues now out in the open (and a body laying on the floor because the coroner can't be bothered to pick it up), the family finally seems to be in a healthy place. And as we fade to black, the kid with the trumpet starts playing jazz.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 2/17: Stop Making Sense
DOCUMENTARY WEEK!
Our pick for Documentary Week is the acclaimed concert film Stop Making Sense. Shot by the dearly departed Jonathan Demme, Stop Making Sense chronicles a Talking Heads concert, capturing the offbeat and delightful energy of David Byrne. Come join us next week for our discussion; Stop Making Sense is available for rent in the usual places, and is free for Amazon Prime members.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 2/11: The Piano
Jane Campion's Best Picture winner kicks off the next podcast pairing about women struggling to assert their own identity in isolated circumstances. Join us Wednesday for our discussion of The Piano, available on the Criterion Channel and for rent in the usual places.
Jane Campion's Best Picture winner kicks off the next podcast pairing about women struggling to assert their own identity in isolated circumstances. Join us Wednesday for our discussion of The Piano, available on the Criterion Channel and for rent in the usual places.