^{By: Amanda Guarragi}

In some parts of the world, women aren’t free to be themselves at all. So when a documentary feature like Sirens is brought to our attention, it comes with great importance that we understand the difference in female identity in all parts of the world. Director Rita Baghdadi focuses on the first and only all-woman thrash metal band in the Middle East called, ‘Slave to Sirens’. While they navigate the political unrest and the heart breaking unraveling of Beirut, these five bandmates form a beacon of expression, resistance, and independence. Baghdadi specifically follows founders and guitarists Lilas Mayassi and Shery Bechara; their relationship is somewhat flawed and we see the change in how they work together within the band. They are joined by vocalist Maya Khairallah, bassist Alma Doumani, and drummer Tatyana Boughaba, as they journey through young adulthood together, while fighting the system and expressing who they truly are.

What Baghdadi did was really focus on the music and what it meant to this band of women. What those lyrics mean to them and how this genre of music allows them to fully express themselves. The connectivity between music and human emotion is definitely shown in this feature. You can tell that these women have been struggling with their own sense of agency among the government silencing them. The only way they can authentically express themselves is through their music and they go on this emotional journey as they try to push forward as a band. Lilas Mayassi was going through her own identity crisis and not knowing her sexual identity. Baghdadi also showed how harmful the messaging was in the Middle East towards the LGBTQ community.

It’s a journey through adolescence in a world that doesn’t feel as open or welcoming to women. How can a young girl even attempt to navigate through any of that without the freedom to express themselves. Baghdadi also captures the beauty of creativity in all its madness in a very candid way. There were natural conversations about changing certain notes or lyrics, even the arguments felt natural because it came from a soulful place. You could see how much the music itself meant to each of them and when Mayassi got passionate, it changed the whole dynamic of the band. It’s an entertaining and educational feature that really highlights the struggles of this band through a female lens.

Sirens is a documentary feature that will get you into the mindset of these women and how they operate within the band. The standout is Mayassi because she is the central focus but her partner Shery Bechara also creeps through and has her moments as well. Together they are the ones to ground the band in having these important meetings to discuss the issues within the band and what they need to do to move forward. You don’t need to be into heavy metal to appreciate this documentary because all music has a story, which creates an emotional connection to these women. Even though it all feels very natural, there is also a sense of urgency through Baghdadi’s direction.

In Adamma Ebo’s directorial feature debut, she makes a bold statement with her flashy direction and strong storytelling between two lenses. We meet the proud first lady of a Southern Baptist megachurch, Trinitie Childs (Regina Hall) who carries immense responsibility on her shoulders. Her church, ‘Wander To Greater Paths’, once served a congregation in the tens of thousands, but after a scandal involving her husband, Pastor Lee-Curtis Childs (Sterling K. Brown), forced the church to close temporarily, Trinitie is struggling to manage the aftermath. Now Trinitie and Lee-Curtis must rebuild their congregation and reconcile their faith by all means necessary to make the biggest comeback that commodified religion has ever seen.

I truly didn’t know what to expect going into this film but I was pleasantly surprised with how much fun this was while addressing the constructs of religion. What I really appreciated was how Ebo told this story on two different plains in order to get a firm grasp of the difference in perspective for her characters. From a technical aspect, the change in aspect ratio was used effectively to show the difference behind the scenes and what was going to be used in the mockumentary. The visual cue for the audience was very clear and added so much to the story. As the film went on, we see the lines blur a bit because first lady Trinitie and Pastor Lee Curtis Childs both lose their sense of self on this journey.

Ebo pulled out great performances from Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown. They both brought such an energetic and lively presence to the screen. Whether it was faking it for the mockumentary or expressing themselves behind the scenes, they were electric and they made you listen to their every word. Both of their performances were incredibly strong, but Regina Hall slightly edged Brown because of the range of emotions she explored with her character. Trinitie is a woman who has been through so much with her husband and has been cast aside, while he gets the credit. After the scandal, she stays with him, and it shows the strength she has to fight for her marriage. However, he still doesn’t recognize the work that she puts into the congregation and their marriage.

Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul is funny and entertaining all the way through. There are really great moments between Hall and Brown. They are such a good pairing and they definitely need to do another film together because their chemistry was incredible. Ebo also dives into the facade of religion and belief through the scandal in this film. The scandal is covered up and then there is a redemption arc for Childs’ because that’s how he makes a living. Showing this and highlighting the way the corporations can cover up these scandals through a mockumentary style film was incredibly interesting and worked for the story.

^{By: Amanda Guarragi}

What many don’t realize is the stress that comes with ageing parents. For the later half of their lives, their mind changes and they grow weaker by the second. After a long life with your parents, it’s only right to look after them in their time of need. But, there are plenty of strained relationships and in the end; it’s out of moral obligation to help them and not genuine love. In God’s Country, we see Sandra (Thandiwe Newton) who has just lost her mother. She has always tried to please her mother and she was never satisfied. Her mother drained her and made her feel inadequate, which then translated into every aspect of her life. So, she’s tired. On top of that she has had to navigate the challenging politics and power dynamics at the college where she teaches. And then there is the racism, sexism, and toxic masculinity she encounters wherever she goes.

God’s Country examines one woman’s grieving process and determination to be taken seriously amid her refusal to surrender to the confines of society. This film would not have worked without Thandiwe Newton as Sandra. The emotional depth and brewing anger that she was able to bring to this role definitely worked with the pacing of the film. At first, once we get to know Sandra and her current environment, it moved a bit slow. While she processes her grief and the sense that she can finally live for herself without scrutiny, she begins to change. She’s more forthright and she speaks her mind on issues that are affecting her daily life in her community and the future of the education system. It’s simply about a woman reaching her breaking point because she doesn’t know how to express herself while grieving.

The structure of the story was interesting as well. The choice of bookmarking Sandra’s days after her mother’s passing is similar to the Bible story of how God created Earth. Each passing day was a lesson, and each day had a moment of dealing with her grief. The situation with her community members was a distraction from her mother and as the story goes on it became more evident that she just wanted to let her anger out on someone. Those two men, just so happened to be in her crossfire and they ended up being exactly what Sandra needed to get some justice in her own world. After going through so much, she finally rested on the seventh day and was at peace with her decisions.

God’s Country directed by Julian Higgins is a slow burn that has a great character piece at its centre for Thandiwe Newton. She made you connect with Sandra on many levels because of everything she was going through all at once. The film also did not feel preachy in regards to the issues being presented at the school or even when she approached the two men who were giving her trouble. It is a well-written script that wraps these themes together to show that one woman can take on so much while going through her own personal issues. This is also an example of not fully knowing what someone else could be going through and to always be kind to everyone.

^{By: Amanda Guarragi}

We definitely need more films with a female friendship at the forefront that handles the exploration of identity. Luckily for us, Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne’s directorial feature debut, AM I OK? gives us two best friends, Lucy (Dakota Johnson) and Jane (Sonoya Mizuno) go through big life changes together. It has become clearer that so many people haven’t truly discovered themselves and who they are yet. We have been conditioned to think that your identity, or even your life, by the age of 30-years-old needs to be fully formed and established. But that’s just not the case for so many of us now because now, it seems like people value their time on this Earth a bit more, and they want to authentically live life as freely as possible instead of repressing any part of themselves.

If you’re lucky enough to have a best friend who is more like a sibling to you, then definitely hold onto them tight because they will always know what’s best for you. Lucy and Jane are the best of friends. They finish each other’s sentences, predict every detail of each other’s food order, and pretty much know everything about each other. Johnson and Mizuno had such a natural chemistry that just brought so much comfort while watching the film. Their banter back and forth was so much fun, but the emotional moments shared between the two of them is where they both really shined. When Lucy finds out that Jane has been promoted at work and agrees to move to London for her new position, Lucy confesses her deepest, long-held secret: She likes women, she has for a while, and is completely terrified to come to this realization later-in-life.

It’s true when they say that after college, everyone just takes on their own path and life in your late twenties feels like a competition because everyone has taken on a different priority. Some people are already married with a home and a newborn, others are travelling, and some are just focusing on their careers. After watching AM I OK? – which will eventually become a comfort film for so many – there is no right way to live life. What may work for others, won’t necessarily work for you, and that’s okay. Notaro and Allynne made a film that shows how everyone moves at their own pace and that life is filled with so many opportunities to grow. It shows that you can reinvent yourself, that you can question every single thing about yourself, and it’s okay. There’s so much comfort in knowing that others are going through the same thing, especially later in life.

AM I OK? will resonate with so many because life continuously changes and it feels like an endless wave crashing down. When one thing goes right, something else can go wrong, and we learn to roll with the punches, even if some are more difficult to process than others. Even if life can get crazy and you get caught up in it, there will always be those people closest to you, who truly know you, to ground you and help you through those moments. We all have our person and it was just really beautiful to see such a strong and loving female friendship on screen. Even though this pairing worked wonderfully together, Dakota Johnson gives such an endearing performance and it’s just lovely to have Lucy as a character.