I recently discovered that Confetto is singular for Confetti and that the most common denominator for things that bring joy to people are round, colorful and give a feeling of lightness/elevation- so a confetto is a winner on all accounts.
Randomly found out that there is such a sport as “wife-carrying”. It started in Finland and legends have it that it originated from thieves abducting them (??) in the 1800s but was introduced as a more legitimate sport in 1992. Rules include “The wife to be carried may be your own, or the neighbor's, or you may have found her further afield; the wife must, however, be over 17 years of age.” and that “The wife is a gender free term that is used over the carried person” as of February 2023.
Finally- Spotify wrapped was the idea of a Black woman, Jewel Ham, interning there at the time who was never credited for it. She is now a visual artist and you can check her work out here.
Anyway on that note- here are my December cultural highlights- I hope you enjoy!
Film
Seed of The Sacred Fig- Mohammed Rasoulof’s film wouldn’t have to be good to stand out but it is gorgeous and its production nothing short of heroic. A target of Iran’s conservative government for criticizing the regime in his previous movie, he filmed it in secret and fled, leaving all his electronics behind prior to editing it to avoid 8 years in prison. With only a bag of clothes, he went through several villages, hopped on a random person’s motorbike to make it to a German embassy and escape. All for this movie. Two of the actors Missagh Zareh and Soheila Golestani are not allowed out of the country and were asked to pressure Rasoulof to remove his film from the line-up at Cannes- but they didn’t. And the story of the film echoes its launch experience: a father gets promoted to the role of judge investigator- the person who gets paid to serve death penalties to activists, while protests are happening all over the country, inspiring his two young daughters who want to join in. Pressure and conflict arise in their household putting all their lives in danger.
A Different Man - A Different Man is a more subtle and profound sister movie to The Substance. Edward, a depressed aspiring actor with neurofibromatosis (genetic disease leading to tumors growing under the skin) is given the chance to get a new face. In becoming a regular invisible person he comes across Oswald- another person with neurofibromatosis who has not gone through the surgery- and is seemingly the most liked person ever and soon to be come his nemesis. This movie is a balm amidst the plastic surgery and filters that make us loose touch with our inner life/beauty.
Look into my eyes- A really dark documentary that follows a group of psychics in New York City and what brought them to this profession. More often than not they have used it as a mean to find ways to connect with others.
Going Varsity in Mariachi- A super heart warming documentary on a group of Texan high schoolers competing in varsity mariachi. Most of them have ended up in the mariachi group somewhat randomly but found in its practice a way to learn more about their culture, make friends and to challenge themselves in ways they didn’t think were possible. The doc alternates between rehearsals, competitions and the students private lives and exposes us to the wealth of mariachi music which I personally had barely scratched the surface of.
Performance
This Is My Favorite Song- Francesca D’Uva showcases her insanely wide-ranging talent in this show (which I had never expected based on her stand up alone)- making dozens of characters come to life through song. From Shakira, to the kids she nannies, to the nurses in the ER inspired video game she played growing up, to her elementary school church performance- she takes us on a warm, loving and gentle ride, processing the death of her dad who she lost in June 2020. It’s unusual to witness someone as humble and quiet as Francesca who is such an over the top singer/vocal performer. An incredibly lovely and intimate show.
Visual Art
Mercedes, Part 1 by Modesto Flako Jimenez- A gallery, community performance and healing room- Mercedes takes us back to the home in Bushwick where Modesto was raised by his grandmother Mercedes. As her main caregiver as she battled dementia, he has developed this installation to document the experience of caregiving within the Latinx community and to give people tools to take care of themselves and their loved ones. The installation had us enter 12 at a time in the recreation of her house, meet her family, watch a documentary about their experience caregiving for her during this time and we finished with an art workshop. A beautiful and thoughtful community experience.
Books
I spent the last two weeks devouring two highly pleasurable and popular books with their own versions of Romance. Finally read All Fours by Miranda July- what folks are calling the great novel on perimenopause. A stunning journey of self-love, discovery and reinvention of a woman with a family. Intermezzo- another Sally Rooney blockbuster is a really thoughtful look into two brothers psychology and relationship after the loss of their father, and of course as they navigate their boughts of complicated romances.
Have a wonderful new year. Much love.