2023 Q2 Media Roundup

Hi everyone!

I had hardly any time to watch/read/play anything in spring but here's what I did manage to fit in:

Aisha

Aisha is a 2022 Irish film and the first of two films I watched on my flight back from Asia in May. The film is about a Nigerian asylum seeker in Ireland who has spent years already moving between temporary accommodations waiting for progress on her case, and an Irish ex-prisoner turned security guard who befriends her.

Aisha is a beautifully quiet film, even in its heaviest moments. It feels close to a documentary, showing us Aisha's day-to-day existence and her struggles in a starkly honest depiction of what those seeking refuge in this part of the world experience. We see Aisha's loneliness, pain and trauma, and how these things are compounded by her transitory existence, waiting for recognition from the government, suffering discrimination and harassment, all the while suffocated by fear of deportation. It's not an easy watch, but the beautiful relationship soon formed between Aisha and Conor lends the story the same levity and brightness that it does to the two's difficult lives.

I can't speak for Ireland, but anti-immigrant sentiment is running rampant in the UK right now, and the image so many have of how immigrants are treated and what they're given by the government when they arrive in the country is so laughably far from the unspeakably harsh reality. I appreciated Aisha because I work with many asylum seekers and refugees, who form a huge portion of the homeless population, and Aisha brought to life the stories they'd told me, helping me to better understand their experiences. It's a film I'd like everyone to watch as these are struggles we should all seek to understand and empathise with, but equally because the simple story of what connection with and kindness from just one other person can do no matter the circumstance is more poignant and powerful here than ever.

Till

Till is also a 2022 film, and the second that I watched on my flight. The film tells the true story of Mamie Till-Bradley and her son Emmett Till who was murdered in Mississippi in 1955. Emmett Till, fourteen years old at the time and visiting family, was brutally killed for the supposed act of whistling at a white woman (never actually proven to have happened).

I imagine Emmett Till's story is taught in schools in the US, but it wasn't one I was familiar with. It's perhaps most famous for Emmett's mother's decision to hold an open-casket funeral and publicise images of her son's body to make known the level of violence he was subjected to, shocking the nation and beginning a lifelong series of notable contributions to the civil rights movement.

There's not much that can be said about a film like this. I'm glad it gave me the opportunity to learn about a story I otherwise wouldn't have, and I found the film to be sensitively, artfully and powerfully realised. The lead performance from Danielle Deadwyler was particularly unforgettable. Recommended viewing.

Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse

Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse really doesn't need an introduction, and I was probably the last person on Earth to watch it. Nonetheless, it's a 2018 animated film taking inspiration from different bits and pieces of the original Spider-Man comics to create a fresh, new story. The main character is a teenager called Miles Morales who, surprise surprise, gets bitten by a radioactive spider and finds himself with strange powers he isn't immediately sure what to do with.

My dad got me into the original Spider-Man films when I was younger so I've always had a tangential familiarity and fondness with the franchise, but no real contact with it as an adult. I've watched to watch Spiderverse since the initial wave of praise and just never got around to it until my best friend finally sat me down to do it a few weeks ago.

As expected, I loved it. The film is a visual spectacle, and an undeniable testament to the art form of animation on a scale unlike most things I've seen. It was great fun, relentlessly entertaining and deeply heartfelt without feeling generic in the sentimental beats it was hitting. It had real heart to it, and Miles' journey of self-discovery and development was truly well done. I can't say enough good things, and am hoping to catch the sequel on the big screen!

The Great Ace Attorney 2

Two years after the Switch release, I finally finished The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles! The spin-off follows Phoenix Wright's ancestor, Ryunosuke Naruhodo's exploits in Victorian era London with the typical investigation and court gameplay sections.

I'm a huge Ace Attorney fan and echo the sentiments that TGAA is the series at its best. I'm not sure if it's my personal favourite pair of entries, but it very much felt like the culmination of the series' evolution over the years, particularly in its intricate overarching plot and theming. I really appreciated the historical elements of the game's story and social commentary even if not always perfectly executed. TGAA definitely has some of my favourite characters in the series so far and the soundtrack was particularly phenomenal. Overall I loved my experience with this game! I can't believe I don't have any mainline AA games left to play :'(

Finally, here's a playlist of some videos I enjoyed!

'Til next time!