Category: Reviews

‘What is a Woman?’

Directed by Justin Folk

Documentary

‘If transgenderism has reduced womanhood to its superficial characteristics, allowing anyone to don it like a Sunday hat, at least part of the reason is that our culture has spent decades divorcing sex distinctions from gender roles.’ – Leor Sapir, City Journal

I had been looking to see ‘What is a Woman‘ for a long while before I finally did. I knew of the film because I am a regular listener of the podcast hosted by the documentary’s creator, Matt Walsh. Not only had there been a thrilling buildup to the documentary’s release, there had also been robust reviews both for and against the film following its release. Writers had either been labelling the film and those involved in its creation as ‘transphobic’, ‘bigoted’, and ‘genocidal’. Or hailing ‘What is a Woman‘ as a must-watch offering of truth and tenacity.

I could hardly take my eyes of the screen throughout my viewing of the documentary. Walsh takes the viewer on a journey that is both gripping and farcical. In his critique of transgender theory and activism, Walsh’s vast range of interviewees includes doctors, psychologists, women’s march protest-goers, gender and sociology professors, university students, Maasai tribesmen, and the average thinker on the street.

Among many factors, what makes the film compelling is the manner in which some of Walsh’s interlocutors are bizarrely stumped by the clearest of questions. I opt for the word ‘clear’ intentionally. Unlike Walsh, I am reluctant to describe the questions (particularly the titular question) as merely ‘simple’. The word ‘simple’ denotes that the question is easily understood or presents no difficulty. The assertion that ‘what is a woman?’ is a ‘simple’ question is brilliantly and consistently disproved by the documentary itself. In transgender discourse, the question has in fact become complicated one.

To this end, the film is an exceptional example of ‘clarifying terms’ and ‘sharpening contradictions’. Defining words and establishing meaning is the best place to draw the battle lines in a culture war. That is why ‘What is a Woman?‘ is a film worth watching for those interested in contending for truth in the age of transgender ideology.

– Lele M

‘More Than A Carpenter’

Written by Josh McDowell

Christian apologetics

‘She shot back, “Mister, I didn’t say religion, I said Jesus Christ.” She pointed out something I’d never known before. Christianity is not a religion.’ – Josh McDowell

I will admit I had no expectations when I first opened this offering by McDowell. Though if I had, I imagine they would have been exceeded considerably. First published in 1977, this brief treatise directly takes on popular challenges against the deity of Christ. McDowell sets up a cogent and compelling presentation of responses and proof of Jesus as Lord.

From beginning to end, McDowell argues the evidence for Christ without appealing to emotion and spirituality. Which is no surprise because he, a fellow former atheist, began his scholarship from the other side. He initially ventured to disprove Christianity. Leaving his personal story to the end of the publication, McDowell makes a point to stick to the facts as he neatly assembles a body of evidence more conclusive than many prosecutors have managed. He explores the subject under themes such as ‘Lord, Liar, or Lunatic?’, ‘Who Would Die for a Lie?’, and ‘What Good Is a Dead Messiah?’.

McDowell’s succinct and systematic approach makes this insightful read suitable for the believer and the skeptic alike. Though the skeptic may require a good measure of Holy water to swallow the hard pills this work dispenses.

– Lele M

‘Annihilation’

Directed by Alex Garland

Science fiction horror

“Some questions will ruin you if you’re denied the answer long enough.” – Jeff VanderMeer, Annihilation

Loosely based on a 2014 VanderMeer novel of the same title, Annihilation is a 2018 sci-fi horror film. This thought-provoking adaptation explores betrayal, grief, and depression. The film follows the story of Lena, played by Natalie Portman, an Army veteran and biology professor who returns as the sole survivor of an exploration into the ‘Shimmer’.

The women-only group of explorers consisting of Lena, along with a government psychologist, a physicist, a geomorphologist, and a paramedic ventures into the ‘Shimmer’ – a mysterious zone of mutating plants and animals caused by an alien presence. This group of explorers is not the first of its kind. An earlier group of explorers including Lena’s husband Kane, embarked on a similar expedition, from which Kane returned as the lone survivor after a year of absence, unable to explain the details of the exploration, where he was, or how he came back.

Securing an understanding of the nature of the ‘Shimmer’ is urgent. Emerging three years prior from a meteorite landing in a lighthouse, the boundaries of the anomalous ‘Shimmer’ have been gradually spreading and may eventually encompass everything. Starring (inter alia) Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, and Oscar Isaac, this thrilling science fiction uses the extraterrestrial and unknown to explore themes like depression and the human propensity for self-destruction.

Although it does not stand apart in its overall presentation, the film makes a commendable effort to traverse compelling universal themes and offers insightful commentary on the human condition.

– Lele M

‘Us’

Directed by Jordan Peele

Horror

“Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them.” – Jeremiah 11:11

Jordan Peele has done it again in this captivating 2019 American thriller. Us follows the story of Adelaide, played by Lupita Nyong’o, who first encounters a doppelganger of herself in a room of mirrors in a funhouse after wandering off on her own at a beach carnival.

Years later, a grown up Addy goes on vacation with her husband Gabriel and their two children. On vacation, the family ends up at the beach where the young Addy once wandered off from her parents. An already apprehensive Addy’s nerves are shot when her son, Jason, wanders off on his own. Although Jason returns safely, the family is visited by terror that night when their psychotic doppelgangers break into their holiday home.

Featuring contemporary hip-hop music over menacing action scenes, the direction of Us is easily one of Peele’s best offerings. The acting by the cast, which includes Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, and Tim Heidecker is another reason this film is brilliant. Jordan Peele’s unique genius keeps the viewer on the edge of her seat as the story unfolds – not through guts, gore and jump scares but through the subtilty of a riveting plot.

Us is a must see horror of a caliber rarely found in contemporary film-making.

– Lele M

‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’

Directed by Michel Gondry

Romantic science fiction.

“How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot! The world forgetting, by the world forgot. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! Each pray’r accepted, and each wish resign’d.” – Alexander Pope, Eloisa to Abelard

Written by Charlie Kaufman, this 2004 American romance film also referred to simply as Eternal Sunshine, follows the story of Joel Barish and Clementine Kruczynski. Played by Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, Joel and Clementine are a separated couple who have erased each other from their memories.

After my first viewing of the film in 2018, I found it to be rather unusual and disorienting. The film employs a nonlinear narrative, along with elements of psychological drama and science fiction which may prove to be a jarring combination for a first-time viewer. I have recently seen the film a second time and I was blown away. Eternal Sunshine, whose title comes from a quotation from the 1717 poem by Alexander Pope, explores themes revolving the nature of memory and romantic love in a compelling sci-fi offering.

Besides the esteemed leading actors, the film boasts an illustrious cast including Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, and Tom Wilkinson.

I intend to see the film a third time soon, and in the meantime I cannot recommend it enough.

– Lele M

‘Dealing with Dawkins’

Written by Dr John Blanchard

Christian apologetics.

‘Perfect for our skeptical times, this book will demonstrate to any open-minded reader that, contrary to Dawkins’ atheistic claims, biblical Christianity is reliable and relevant, powerful and persuasive.’ – Professor Edgar H. Andrews

Blanchard offers an elegant and concise engagement with Dawkins’ scholarship. He reveals Richard Dawkins’ as a man on a proud mission to ‘attack God, all gods, anything and everything supernatural, wherever and whenever they have been or will be invented’ [1].

This is a crucial consideration for Dawkins’ readers, as it demonstrates a bias so passionate it debilitates much of Dawkins’ latter scholarship. To his credit, Dawkins is upfront about his intention to convert his readers to atheism. That is, after all, Dawkins’ appeal. At least, that is why I purchased and read his work years ago as a 16-year-old militant atheist.

The God Delusion and The Greatest Show on Earth are the focus of Blanchard’s response. He tactfully demonstrates that Dawkins’ approach to theology is often shallow, illogical, and ignorant. By the end of the book, he explores the nature of true faith, submits God-centered alternatives, and concludes with a cogent depiction of the only message worth sharing – the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As a former adherent of Dawkins’ cause, I consider Dawkins’ dealt with, decisively.

– Lele M

[1] The God Delusion, p.36