Student Playwriting Festival Captures Voices of a Budding Generation
Performers in the Student Playwriting Festival (Photo Credit: Lehman's Theater & Dance Department)
By Esgardo Castelan
This year’s Lehman’s Student Playwriting Festival, held annually at the Studio Theater, featured five unique family-oriented plays written and performed by Lehman students and alumni. The plays focused on life events such as workplace romances, explosive Thanksgiving dinners, and tragic degenerative memory loss; the one that ran from Feb. 26 to Feb. 29 culminated with a collaborative act.
The original short plays included “Remember Me” by Damarilee Alvarado, selected as one of ten plays to be featured at CUNY’s Theater Festival at City College in March, “Playing Around” by Raelene Holmes, “Pure White” by Myles McNeal, “Just Say Hi” by Francisco Morales, and “Thanksgiving” by Princess Thomas. They were all produced in four weeks in coordination with faculty Director Stephanie Stowe.
Morales’ “Just Say Hi” is about a romance that simply couldn’t flourish despite plenty of chances, due to characters’ self-doubt and overthinking. It stars two office coworkers who work on different floors battling with mutual romantic feelings. Morales cleverly uses asides to show close glimpses of the characters, who constantly run into each other on the elevator.
The story reaches its climax when both characters tell each other what they want, a twist that drives the plot into an unexpected direction, while maintaining the wish for a happily-ever-after. In essence, the fast-paced, funny and charming tale teaches a lesson of letting chances slip away. Anyone who ever had a crush can easily relate to the protagonists’ awkward and silly interactions as they attempt to maintain some semblance of work etiquette.
Thomas’ “Thanksgiving” brings high tension from the onset, as Monica, 18, and 30-something Anna and Deborah, hurl passive-aggressive insults at each other during their family's holiday dinner, discovering burdens and secrets neither of them can hide any longer.
Their exchange reveals that both Monica and Anna strove to secure a comfortable life for Monica who was born into poverty in which Anna, who is innocent of all family grudges, couldn’t really make ends meet. The characters who initially act hostile towards each other eventually reconcile their differences and work together to keep the family whole.
(Photo Credit: Lehman's Theater & Dance Department)
Thomas does an excellent job representing the many families who sadly fall victim to their grudge-holding habits, highlighting the importance of family unity during difficult times and the dangers of keeping secrets. It’s a heartwarming testament to the strength of family and women that reaffirms family values, honesty and communications while maintaining a light tone through sheer melodrama.
In Alvarado’s “Remember Me,” the character Harley wanders near a coffee shop during a snowstorm. She waits under the storm with a friend, Gabriel, who she eventually recognizes after realizing it is not the first time she’s entered the shop, as it is not clear at first that the barista already knows the protagonist. The audience learns the truth of her illness and memory loss along with her.
The interplay between the two suggests a romantic undertone, and spectators can’t help but wish they had known each other under different circumstances. The plot is a tragic love story without the love, that shows taking care of others is a chivalrous act and a virtue that can go a long way.
“Pure White Ash” is about a gang that has been taking hits and there is a price for their gang leader. The drama comes down to who the gang leader can trust because there is a mole in the gang.
“Play Around” focuses on 21st century dating with smart phones and dating apps. It shows how people can be who they really are in person but not online. When Trina Farina-a woman who wants to get some attention, meets Tom-a man up to no good in the woods, it doesn’t end well.
Together, the plays reveal how young adults are living and feeling in today’s world.
In Breaking with Original Novel, “Call of the Wild” Creates Lackluster Hero
(Photo Credit: 20th Century Studios)
By Melissa Tejada
"Call of the Wild" is a family-friendly remake of Jack London's 1903 novel that might be too friendly for its own good. Released on Feb. 21 and starring Harrison Ford as John Thornton, the film perfectly displays graphic scenes of the violence that dogs are subjected to without actual dogs being harmed, thanks to Director Chris Sanders’s clever use of CGI technology. Those who prefer action films may not be completely attracted to the plot because all action-packed scenes are usually cheesier than they are exciting. Still, some moments have an urgent, emotional quality that leaves viewers on the edge of their seats.
With a price tag of $150 million, the film is set in the 1890's Klondike Gold Rush. The canine protagonist, Buck, who was previously living lavishly, is now transported from his California home to businessmen who use him for financial gain in Yukon, Alaska. As a newcomer, he quickly gains the trust of the other dogs in his new pack. The leader of the pack, a jealous, temperamental husky named Spitz, becomes threatened by Buck’s ability to gain the other dogs’ trust, and a confrontation between the two leads Buck to become the pack leader, as Spitz runs off into the woods in defeat.
Buck's luck comes to an end when the abuse returns, and he is transferred into the hands of Hal (Dan Stevens) and his sister, Mercedes (Karen Gillan). However, John quickly saves Buck from a beating by Hal and eventually becomes his new owner, while Buck turns into a version of John’s Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor.
Sanders does an excellent job in showing the abuse off-screen, instead of direct and graphic scenes, but Hal's abusive manner is fearful enough for many audiences, especially children.
Buck also encounters a spiritual guide in the form of a wolf with captivating eyes that saves his life multiple times, giving the movie a new level of spirituality. This character, symbolic of his previous ancestors, represents Buck’s call of the wild. It seems that every step further in his journey, even in following Thornton to the gold mines, he is one step closer to the wilderness.
Harrison Ford and his CGI co-star in “Call of the Wild”. (Photo Credit: 20th Century Studios)
Throughout the film, Buck's big brown eyes, intelligent facial expressions and towering demeanor make him lovable and endearing.
"The theme that stood out to me was kindness. Buck begins as a terrifically reckless dog who is tricked into a wagon trap to be sold as a sled dog, while spending his time out after ruining his owner's party," said Sadly Wiser, who attended the film with her grandson in Westchester County at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.
However, the film falters in making a distinct break from realism in its erasure of indigenous people. The movie is set in the Alaskan Yukon, but the only indigenous character is Françoise. Originally portrayed in the novel as a man, Françoise is played by actress Cara Gee in the film. This gender-switched character is vital in Buck's character development.
There is a possibility that Sanders left out the Yeehats, the indigenous people from the 1904 novel, in order to keep Buck in a family-friendly lens. In the original novel, Buck's primitive nature is shown when upon finding half-starved dogs as well as their Yeehat owners attacking the camp, he searches them out and kills many by biting into their throats.
Taking away a scene with so much action from a movie that has been unusually passive also does not seem in the best interest of the film, but it would not fit the family-friendly lens. Buck’s attack in the novel, as well as losing so many people close to him, seem to be his final farewell to the life of domestication in the novel, which would not bode well with viewers.
Given these qualities, it’s no surprise that this movie oozes ownership by the Walt Disney Corporation. What is also not shocking is how this movie flopped because it was not one of the more requested films in the book to film categories, making only $79.8 million at the box office, despite its use of expensive technologies such as CGI. It is weakened by how greatly it differs from the original novel, although its creators may have wanted to eliminate the novel’s many disturbing aspects.
Sander’s amazing efforts to filter out animal abuse and create an excess of emotional connections in order to deliver a more family-friendly plot did not satisfy the audience's craving for more action. I give it only three out of five stars, especially if viewed by those who have read the book.
Netflix’s Horse Girl Shows Complexities of Mental Health
Alison Brie in “Horse Girl.” (Photo Credit: Netflix)
By Veronica Longo
“Horse Girl” is an unusual mix of romantic comedy and eye-catching retrospective on mental health and social circles among young adults. The film, directed by Jeff Baena, was released first at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 27, and became available on Netflix on Feb. 7, where it’s listed as comedy, drama, mystery and sci-fi.
The story centers on the mentally ill Sarah (Alison Brie) and her horse, Willow (Goldenite). Her life seems normal until after a birthday when Sarah begins experiencing a series of strange events and blackouts.
Sarah has a family history of mental illness passed down from her mother and grandmother. Her situation is relatable: she is friendly but often experiences social anxiety and either becomes obsessed with a subject for too long or stays silent.
As the film progresses, parallels between Sarah and the actress who plays her, Alison Brie, become clearer. Then the questions of what’s real and what’s fantasy start causing more confusion. “Horse Girl” pulls audiences into her delusions, leaving them wondering what is true.
The picture shows how Sarah often disturbs people with her obsessions. She obsesses over the horse, a TV show named “Purgatory,” and her crafts, to the point when she visibly upsets anyone she speaks to.
The film takes an unsettling turn when Nikki and her boyfriend Brian seem creeped out after they find Sarah re-watching her favorite grisly TV show, “Purgatory,” during her birthday celebration. Although disturbed, they still encourage Sarah to have fun, which leads her to meet Darren, Brian’s roommate. Soon after, she becomes fixated on him.
Sarah falls into a downward spiral of drinking and doing drugs in order to be socially accepted under peer pressure; Sarah’s new friends then seem to enjoy her moments of embarrassment. The next night triggers Sarah’s descent into madness, and the atmosphere of the movie shifts. The end of the party signals a change in music to a disturbing soundtrack, accompanied with strange visuals.
(Photo Credit: Netflix)
The scenes often don’t smoothly interchange within this film. Sarah blacks out and loses chunks of time, which is why many of the issues and scenes do not seem to connect. The deterioration of Sarah’s mental health is apparent as she becomes unreliable as the narrator. This film is not here to provide straight answers. Instead, it gives a real look at what people who suffer from schizophrenia, Bipolar 1, psychosis, and other types of mental illness that people suffer through.
Brie told Vulture.com that much of this film is based on her own struggles to come to terms with her “real-life family history with paranoid schizophrenia and depression.” Brie, much like the sufferers of other psychological issues, talks about the real terror she experiences from losing her own sanity and not realizing it.
The film is important because all too often the issue of mental health is either avoided in mainstream conversation or romanticized. It is refreshing to see a movie paint it in a different, realistic light. It is heartbreaking how Sarah turns to those closest to her to question them about her sanity only to receive a brush off. Because of “Horse Girl’s” complex message, it may take more than one viewing to understand. This, along with the fact that it does not fully answer the questions it poses for its viewers, is the weakest point of the movie. What happens to Sarah?
Through the uncertainty surrounding Sarah’s experiences, the biggest payoffs of the movie are its twisted ending and the message of solidarity it sends to those who live with a mental illness. Sarah’s constant fumbling with social cues and norms will resonate with introverted viewers. A lot of instances are very unsettling and disturbing. Is Sarah lucidly dreaming, or having a mental breakdown? “Horse Girl,” with all its oddities, should be watched with an open mind.