What We're Watching: Hope, December 2020
Welcome to What We’re Watching!
You’re probably used to seeing our column “What She’s Watching”... well here’s our updated and newly renamed version! Why change the name? Well for starters, we wanted the name to reflect the new collaborative nature of the vertical and we also wanted to be more gender-inclusive as aligned with our mission at TLL. So get ready, we have a lot of great things planned! We’ll have a new theme each month with a few picks selected by Editorial Lead Brynna and a few other selections hand-picked by the TLL team and our community of contributors.
Now, let’s get to What We’re Watching! 2020 has felt like 10 years rolled into one, and I don’t know about you, but it’s been hard to stay optimistic. Now that it’s December and this undeniably heavy year finally comes to a close, here are some picks to help bring a little hope into the new year.
Knock Down The House (2019 dir. Rachel Lears), available Netflix us
Knock Down The House is a documentary that follows four working-class women, Paula Jean Swearingen (West Virginia), Cori Bush (Missouri), Amy Vilela (Nevada), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York), as they campaign for seats in the US House of Representatives in 2018. These four women are building grass-roots campaigns against career politicians in a system that wasn’t designed to include them. Their passion for their communities is undeniable and it’s not hard to root for them all. This documentary is a reminder that change starts from the ground up - that hope for a better future truly lies with everyday people fighting for their communities. We can’t sit on the sidelines and wait for change to happen, we have to take charge and fight for the world we want to see. Plus, who doesn’t want to see a rising AOC find her confidence as a budding politician? - Brynna A.
credit: knock down the house / netflix
credit: knock down the house / netflix
The Punk Singer (dir. Sini Anderson, 2013), available on youtube, google play and itunes
The Beastie Boys' and Nirvana's legacies are incomplete without the contributions of feminist musician, artist, and activist Kathleen Hanna. The Punk Singer is an intimate exploration of the Bikini Kill frontwoman's life and career, from her beginnings as one of the zinesters behind the Riot Grrrl movement in the 90s, to her comeback to music in the 2010s with her most recent band The Julie Ruin. Hanna is an electrifying performer who made space for women in the punk scene and prioritized their safety and self expression, in addition to paving the way for other outspoken and unconventional female musicians. Aside from battling sexism and reverberations of abuse on a personal and public level for years, she also gets personal about her more recent struggles with late-stage Lyme disease. Her deeply personal and subversive work continues to resonate with new generations of feminists and creatives.
As a teenager, Bikini Kill were my heroes, and Hanna’s ethos and philosophy made me feel like I, too, could do it all. Watching this film encouraged me to remain vocal about and confident in my beliefs, not to mention pick up a guitar again and accept my queerness. When I find myself feeling stagnant and uninspired, I can still return to The Punk Singer for a pick-me-up. Whether you're already a fan, discovered Bikini Kill via PEN15 (their song "DemiRep" is featured in the intro), or just love music in general, this documentary is an inspiring and energizing watch. - Sophie PB,
Supergirl s4 ep14 ‘Stand and Deliver’ (2019 dir. Andi Armaganian, written by Rob Wright and Jess Kardos), Available on Netflix US
credit: supergirl / the cw
Season Four of the CW series Supergirl deals with xenophobia heavily throughout. The season’s focal plot includes refugees from other planets becoming the targets of a hate group known as the Children of Liberty. Watching this season, it’s not hard to draw parallels between the fictional group and supporters of a certain soon-to-be-former president (one of their slogans is ‘Earth First’). Episode 14 of the season features the potential repeal of the Alien Amnesty Act, which grants rights to refugees that have found a home in this version of the United States.This push is made by Ben Lockwood, the founder of the Children of Liberty and the newly appointed Director of Alien Affairs. Many aliens across Supergirl’s home of National City come together in a march to protest the repeal. She joins them not as Supergirl, but as Kara Zor-El, one of the last survivors of the planet Krypton, giving hope to those both observing and participating in the protest. This episode shows a fictional world dealing with very real issues. As creatives, we often turn to our work to make sense of our world, and this episode reflects that. While this episode does get a little messy with other plot points from the season, the heart and hope are definitely still there to remind us what we can achieve when we stand together - Brynna A.
Black Mirror Season 3, Episode 4 “San Junipero” (2016 dir. Owen Harris, written by Charlie Brooker), Available on netflix us
credit: netflix / black mirror
By far one of Black Mirror’s more hopeful and uplifting episodes, San Junipero is a love story that carefully explores technology, the question of what comes after death, and finding second chances at love. This episode focuses on Kelly, a 73-year old woman who has outlived her husband and somehow managed to battle out a slow progression of cancer. For five hours of relief and happiness a week, Kelly opts to upload her consciousness to a computer-created haven, San Junipero. It’s here where her life (and plans on death) totally change as she meets Yorkie, who she totally falls for. Yorkie’s backstory is painful, she seeks the comfort of San Junipero to live without limits as in her real life she was paralyzed after a car crash when her parents reached poorly to her coming out as a queer woman. The two women differ in their approaches to life and death and meet in various timelines, finding out more and more about each other’s Earth life. In falling in love, they face the unknown beauty that is San Junipero, with Kelly finding something worth dying for and Yorkie something to live for.
It’s bittersweet to think about what happens to our loved ones after death. This episode had me examining if and how love can transcend these levels of consciousness, difficult situations and even more complicated personal beliefs. Plus, you see a beautiful LGBTQ+ storyline to watch that doesn’t sensationalize queer identity. You’ll watch this episode and cheer on a couple figuring out their own answers to the eternal question and definitely think of your own hopeful possibilities. - Daniela E, TLL content and partnerships
Unicorn Store (2017 dir. Brie Larson, written by Samantha Montgomery McIntire), Available on Netflix US
credit: unicorn store / netflix
In Brie Larson’s directorial debut, Unicorn Store shares the story of Kit (Brie Larson), a twenty-something year old woman who feels stuck and directionless after being sent home from art school for ‘creative differences’ between her and her professors. Without anywhere else to go, she is forced to move into her parents’ basement. She tries to push away her creative side, fearing it’s too childish, and takes a job from a temp agency to prove to her parents that she’s an adult. Being forced to change direction unexpectedly, and having to move back in with parents, are both things that many young people can relate to this year. As a recent college-grad I’m not where I thought I’d be at this point in my life (I think I’m on plan G at this point), and it’s not hard to relate to Kit’s struggle to be true to herself while still finding a way to make ends meet.
On her first day at work she receives an invitation to a mysterious place called The Store. The Store’s salesman, played by Samuel L. Jackson, who gives a phenomenal performance once again, offers Kit the opportunity to buy a real Unicorn, but in order to do so, she has to confront the parts of herself that she’s been pushing aside. Throughout the film, Kit begins to embrace her inner child in a way that allows her to become the most authentic version of herself, even if it’s not what others think she should be. Unicorn Store is kind of like a hug from that friend that tells you that you can achieve your wildest dreams no matter how out of reach they seem, and I think we can all use this reminder as adults. - Brynna A.
ABOUT WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
What We’re Watching is our guide on tv and films from our team at the Light Leaks. Finding new things to watch shouldn’t feel intimidating- too many of us have been bombarded by bro-y film culture telling us what’s good. This column is our way of introducing you to new (and maybe some familiar) favs to watch. Happy viewing!