Inclusion at the Movies: Searching and The Bookshop reviews

This weekend is another opportunity to support diversity and smarts at the movies. With Searching, and The Bookshop, those with decided superhero and summer blockbuster fatigue get something new and great to enjoy.

SEARCHING

The deserved success of Crazy Rich Asians has ostensibly opened the door in Hollywood for more Asian-American actors in lead roles. Hopefully the powers that be have finally seen proof that diversity sells. Not only is Crazy Rich Asians a delightful tale, it’s also full of charismatic performers, each of whom could carry a film on their own. Those paying attention know the Asian-American star power just waiting to be fully utilized, with actors like the tragically underutilized John Cho. This weekend, writer/director Aneesh Chaganty’s film Searching, which stars Cho as the first Asian-American lead in an American thriller in wide release, will be playing in a theater near you. See it. This movie must be seen by those who want to reaffirm the message that audiences want greater onscreen diversity. It should also be seen by anyone who loves an inventive flick so full of suspense, it will keep them guessing till the very last scene of the movie.

Widower David Kim (Cho) is a single father to his daughter Margot (Michelle La). He works hard, keeping up with her studies and extracurriculars while trying to move forward with her after the loss of their beloved wife/mother. He keeps up with her via text, which is shown, much as all the computer and technological elements of the film, as a cinematic device. They seem close. One day, she goes missing. When David has to break into her laptop and look for clues about what might have happened to her, he realizes he doesn’t know her as well as he thought. Aiding him in the search are Detective Vick (Debra Messing) and David’s brother Peter (Joseph Lee), who might know more than he’s letting on.

Fans of John Cho know it’s beyond time to see him in a non-Asian specific lead role. He has proved his talent and thespian skill in comedy, drama, and action. In Searching, he is able to really shine, relaying his desperation through nuanced physical cues, never overplaying a character that could have, in lesser hands, become a cliche of the overwrought parent in crisis.

The less said about the plot, the better it will be for viewers who love a good old-fashioned thriller. Nothing is what it seems, and twists abound. The story is most impressive in its use of laptops, computer screens, video chats, and texts as the basis for the entire movie. It’s been done before, but never with such success.
When Crazy Rich Asians released, a number of celebrities and activists bought out theaters to expand viewership and prove the importance of representation. Word of mouth has made a huge difference to the film’s success. This will be as true for Searching. It’s both a very entertaining movie, and an opportunity to support wider diversity onscreen. Talk about it, tweet about it, and get yourself to cineplex so you can both enjoy it and make a difference.

A

THE BOOKSHOP

What can one say about The Bookshop, a movie that stars Emily Mortimer, and cinematic treasures co-stars Bill Nighy and Patricia Clarkson? It’s a bit like PBS version of a superhero movie…The Bookshop is directed by Isabel Coixet, who wrote the screenplay from the classic 60s novel by Penelope Fitzgerald.
In 1959 England, widow Florence Green (Emily Mortimer) puts all her money, time, and passion to opening and operating a small bookshop in a very conservative coastal town. She attempts to brings about a cultural awakening in carrying books by the likes of Ray Bradbury and Vladimir Nabokov. Unfortunately, she comes under the scrutiny of local grand dame and town bully Violet Gamart (Clarkson), who decides she must have the abandoned, leaking mansion Florence is lovingly restoring for her own purposes. Violet, jealous of Florence’s gumption and quiet determination, begins a campaign to get Florence to abandon her dream and relinquish the house. Florence finds an unlikely ally in reclusive book lover Edmund Brundish (Nighy), who supports her efforts through purchases and an offer of friendship.

Can those who threaten to unravel the plans of a quiet, resolved dreamer be stopped? Florence soldiers on even in the face of repeated warnings. There is also a strong feminist element to the story, in that she has a vision of something more for her town, and she believes she can create it. For her, being a woman is just not part of the equation and should have no bearing on whether the minds in this small town can be expanded. It needn’t be a man offering this expansion. Whether she wins the war against the narrow-minded, inflexible elements in her town doesn’t really matter, if she can show that standing up for change, and for personal vision, is a soul’s most worthwhile endeavor.

Beyond the glorious production design and spectacular costumes, seeing Mortimer interact with both Bill Nighy and Patricia Clarkson is a delight, even as the exchanges are alternately caustic or excruciatingly awkward. There is one scene in particular, between each pair, that perfectly represents gracious thespians giving each other room for expression and reading each other moment to moment. Clarkson can be terrifying behind her carefully applied bright red lipstick, and with Brundish Nighy serves up the sort of fractured spirit searching for connection that is both compelling and heartbreaking.

Movies that come to the big screen that are not about folks in tights fighting to save the world are few and far between. The Bookshop is one, and the main character is, in her way, as much a heroine as any in the DC or Marvel oeuvre. She is just a grieving woman who will do whatever it takes to find joy in life again, and stands up for her dreams. There’s nothing more heroic than that.

B

About Cinema Siren:

Leslie Combemale, who writes about women in film and artists behind the scenes and below the line at http://cinemasiren.com/, is a movie lover and aficionado who aspires to get more people back into the beautiful alternate worlds offered in dark movie houses across the country. She has also been the owner of ArtInsights Gallery of Film and Contemporary Art (https://artinsights.com/) for over twenty five years, promoting artists who are the unsung heroes essential to the finished look of films and their campaigns. She interviews actors, directors, and production artists from all over the world, and writes about film for sites like AWFJ.org, thecredits.org, http://www.animationscoop.com and likeabossgirls.com, and is often invited to present at conventions such as the San Diego Comic-Con, where she has been a panelist and host for The Art of the Hollywood Movie Poster, Classic Film History, Disney & Harry Potter Fandom discussions, and now produces a panel at SDCC called "Women Rocking Hollywood”, in its third year.