Middle of Nowhere (FILM REVIEW)
Middle of
Nowhere
Film Review
by Kam Williams
Wife Weighs Absentee Hubby’s Worth in Introspective Tale of Female Empowerment
Middle of Nowhere is a cinematic masterpiece
reminiscent of those rare treasures that have managed to capture an authentic slice
of African-American life, ala such black classics as Love Jones (1997), The
Best Man (1999), The Visit (2000) and Brown Sugar (2002). However, this introspective tale of female empowerment simultaneously touches on a number of universal themes apt to resonate
with an audience of any demographic.
The picture was written and directed by rising star Ava DuVernay, this year’s winner at
the Sundance Film Festival in the Best Director category. The story revolves
around Roberta “Ruby” Murray (Emayatzy
Corinealdi), a med student who’s on
the brink of becoming a doctor when her husband, Derek (Omari Hardwick), is sentenced
to 8 years behind bars for a drug conviction.
Rather than abandon the love of her
life, the loyal wife decides to drop out of med school to give her man the
emotional and financial support he’ll need while in prison. This means she’ll
have to endure long bus rides just to see him, and also have to pay his legal
bills on a nurse’s salary.
However, the shame and separation eventually
take a toll on the relationship, especially when Derek has a jailhouse romance
and sabotages his chances for an early parole with fresh criminal charges for fighting.
Suddenly Ruby finds herself questioning the wisdom of her slavish devotion, and
she begins entertaining the advances of a bus driver (David Oyewolo) she’d befriended.
To
date or to wait, that is the question? Ruby has a couple of confidants to turn
to for advice, but neither proves to be of much help. One is her sister, Ruth
(Lorraine Toussaint), a single-mom with a bad track record of her own with men.
The other is their embittered mother (Edwina Findley) who can only muster up
ineffective, if well-meaning, suggestions like “Hold your head up, please.”
So,
in the end, it’s up to Ruby to decide for herself, but only after lingering
interludes of reflection and contemplation. A refreshing alternative to the superficial
mainstream fare that tends to stereotype sisters as either sassy mammies or
compliant sex objects.
Excellent
(4 stars)
Rated R for
profanity.
Running time: 101 minutes
Distributor: AFFRM
To see a trailer for Middle
of Nowhere, visit:
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