Introducing, Selma Blair (2021, Rachel Fleit)
Supporting actress Selma Blair is known to late-1990s and early-2000s audiences who have seen her from everything to Cruel Intentions to Legally Blonde. In August 2018, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. While the movie mainly chronicles her journey to seek healing through a stem cell treatment, it also captures her relatively glamorous existence in which she jokingly refers to her home as Studio City’s version of Grey Gardens, referring to the documentary about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ eccentric relatives.
Blair’s earlier days were somewhat wild, but she describes wanting to be a better person now. Since she found herself disabled, suffering horrible fatigue and feeling as if she were on fire, she’s been wanting to help others in similar situations.
Blair’s humor always shines through. While she encounters setbacks over the stem cell transplant process, she remains positive while also being completely vulnerable. This documentary is completely recommended for anyone with an interest in Hollywood or a disabled person overcoming their limitations.
Vegan alert:
- Selma wears a fur cap and fur wrap
- Eggs and cream cheese on plate
- Horseback riding
Vegan points:
- Eating watermelon and strawberries
- Feeding horses
Hysterical (2021, Andrea Blaugrund Nevins)
“The cloud is not secure and neither am I.”
Hysterical mines from women’s voices in comedy to create an experience where we laugh along with them and yearn for a world where we all can be accepted. Women are generally brought up as quiet, little girls and not expected to get on stage and demand everyone’s attention.
The documentary briefly covers the history of early stand-up comedians like Moms Mabley, Sophie Tucker, LaWanda Page, and Jean Carroll. It even was tough when Margaret Cho was up-and-coming in the 1990s: her mother’s reaction was that it’d be better if she’d just die rather than being a comedian.
The slew of women talk about experiencing sexism before, during, and after their sets. They were licked, had hands placed on their derriere, were assaulted by other comics, and had fans banging on their hotel room door all night.
They drew material from their trauma: Sherri Shepherd was bullied, Marina Franklin encountered racists when she went to camp, and Nikki Glaser suffered from anorexia. Kelly Bachman was a rape victim who decided to call out audience member Harvey Weinstein during a set in 2019.
Hysterical was empowering to women who felt like they had a voice and would use it no matter the cost. It showed a variety of women making it happen in the comedy world. Love to see it!
Vegan alert:
- Reference to silk panties from Victoria’s Secret and eating “chicken dinner”
- Expression: “no one wants to know how the sausage gets made”
Vegan points:
- Margaret Cho being tender toward her dog, Lucia
Executive Order (2020, Lázaro Ramos)
Currently, it feels like a lot of people are beaten down by the COVID restrictions which can include curfews, wearing masks, stationing in place, and waiting in line for a vaccine. Even Nanfu Wang stated in her documentary In the Same Breath that this could lead to a rise in authoritarianism in China.
Executive Order takes place in Brazil in the near-future. Executive Order 1888 is passed which mandates that all people with high-melanin skin must return to Africa. This makes for a disturbing premise. The movie explores several different responses to this order: there’s an article that protects the citizens and there’s an injunction against Executive Order 1888. Fully integrated members of Brazilian society that were born there fight against it. They were born in Brazil and love their country. Even a Cuban is slated to be deported to Africa, as well as qualified surgeons. The order makes entirely no sense!
Different people take different actions. Some hide. Some fight against those who are hunting them down and some are suspicious of white allies. Another disturbing moment is when a mother is grabbed to be deported, but it’s decided her lighter daughter can stay.
While the situations were well-thought out, I was personally hoping for more of an uprising or some way for the movie to better resolve itself or be more empowering. It showed a desolate universe with little or no hope of fighting against the system. The film can definitely lead to some interesting conversations, so it is worth checking out if you get the chance.
