Tag: Sasha King

Vicky

Posted on by victorfraga

The set up – a real-life heroine challenges the shackles of her native country in the hope of creating a more equal society for the future – is powerful. The execution – a selection of interviews pieced to the back of archival footage – is striking. And the length – a lean 90-minute feature – is perfect to sit through. And yet Vicky doesn’t quite hit the heights it aims for, feeling incomplete and inconclusive, meriting it more of an interesting excursion than a grand statement.

It follows Vicky Phelan, a Southern Irish woman who was misinformed when she was given a cervical cancer diagnosis. Quickly becoming something of a national icon, Phelan challenged the medical authorities, and through her investigation, discovered that there were hundreds of Irish women who were given inaccurate diagnoses. In one harrowing section, a widowed husband realises that his wife might have survived her cancer if she was given the appropriate information in 2010. Phelan recognises her victory, suggesting that she could have died before unearthing the truth, and the film follows her as she sits beside her family, realising the importance of the little nothings, birthdays and Christmasses that many of us take for granted.

Much of it is strong, but if there’s an aphorism it’s difficult to make out. It may be partly because the film attempts to piece together a social history that is still unearthing as of the time of print, and if we’re really going to buy that Ireland took notice of Phelan’s brave stance, it would be better to wake until an anniversary – ten or so years in the future – that will allow viewers to engage with the changes rather than the cruel misdiagnoses.

Phelan, meanwhile, gets the hair crawling, largely because she’s so open about her battles with cancer. She recalls the sex that opened her eyes to the illness, suggesting that Ireland is not a society that allows women to discuss their carnal activities. Charmingly, she jokes about her discomfort over “vaginas” to an audience filled with elderly people and young children, but highlights the danger signs that could befall anyone. Her tale made its way to Leo Varadker’s office, and the Prime Minister issued an apology of sorts to the hundreds of women who were let down by the state he was supposed to represent.

Phelan is strong, but the film doesn’t do her tale justice, and it’s unclear why this film is being put on general release in Ireland, instead of packaging it straight to Netflix. But whatever the medium, her tale is stirring, and with any luck, this film could lead to fewer deaths in the future.

Vicky is out now in Irish cinemas.

Akron

Posted on by victorfraga

Set in present-day Akron, in the American state of Ohio, this film presents the romance between two university students Benny (Matthew Frias) and Christopher (Edmund Donovan). They meet in a sports field and swiftly become deeply infatuated with each other, and both of their families are very enthusiastic and supportive of their romance. It feels like the perfect romance between two charming, irresistible and loving young men, until a tragedy from the past resurfaces to haunt them.

Christopher’s mother had accidentally run over Benny’s brother with her car in a parking lot roughly 15 years earlier. Christopher was inside the car and Benny also witnessed the event, but they were both very young and their recollection is very vague. On the other hand, Benny’s mother struggles to forgive and forget the horrific day when she lost one of her sons.

Akron is a film about how difficult Americans find to accept death, to forgive and to move on with their private lives. Benny’s mother is a reasonable, kind and loving person, but she is just unable to cope with the fact that her son’s partner is somehow linked to the tragic accident. In the documentary Where to Invade Next (2015), Michael Moore noted while interviewing the father of a victim of Anders Behring Breivik (who conducted a mass shooting in Oslo in 2011) that Americans struggle to forget the past. The American director is bemused that the Norwegian man has come to terms with the death of his son and is not campaigning for death penalty or reparations. Benny’s mother is not seeking money or revenge; she is simply unable to mend her heart and let her son have a relationship with Christopher.

Akron is a film about pain and reconciliation.

A remarkable feature in Akron is that homosexuality is presented as entirely acceptable feature of American society. There is not a scintilla of homophobia or sexual intolerance, not even in passing. While refreshing, this at times comes across as contrived and unnatural. Not because homosexuality is unnatural, but instead because such level of acceptance is hardly credible. Akron is subversive in a reverse way: by presenting an alternative sexuality as a fully integrated and commoditised lifestyle.

While at times a little too melodramatic, the two directors Brian O’Donnell and Sasha King – who are also partners – created a beautiful film with overall good performances and an engaging script. It may feel futile and petit bourgeois to LGBT audiences in other countries facing much more serious problems (such as violence and even death) than a mother’s soul-searching, but Akron still delivers good moments and an examination of possibilities of reconciliation.

Akron was part of the 30th BFI Flare London LGBT Film Festival in 2016, when this piece was originally written. The film has now been made available on BFI Player – just click here for more information.