REPEAT OFFENDERS

REVIEW: TURNING RED

With this issue being dedicated to motherhood and our connection with the motherland, what better movie to encapsulate this message than Pixar’s recent project Turning Red. Normally, I wouldn’t jump at the chance to write about a Disney movie, especially one that wasn’t released in cinemas, but after watching how director Domee Shi was able to bring this story to life and seeing the shifted discourse around this movie, I felt it warranted being discussed further.

I was surprised at how relevant some themes were and the amount of depth in a movie targeted towards tweens. For a brief summary, the story follows the protagonist, Mei Lee, as she navigates her way through early adolescence whilst trying to uphold the values and expectations of her mother. When Mei suddenly learns about her family’s gift to turn into a Red panda, she becomes overwhelmed with anxiety about how this will affect the course of her life and her current situation. The movie follows Mei coming to terms with her gift as she interprets how the elder members of her family reacted when faced with the same challenge. Mei struggles to balance what her mother wants with what she wants, leading to the ultimate showdown at the 4-Town boy band concert (featuring music written by Billie Eilish and Finneas)

Turning Red addresses how choices made many years ago can still influence the present day.. Shi tells a bigger story than the one initially introduced to audiences and encourages the audience to experience Mei’s story from another angle, one that resonates with anyone with a complex family history. Whilst Turning Red follows the story of Mei Lee’s acceptance of her gift, it also addresses her mother Ming’s rejection of the gift and how this affected her relationship with her own mother, Mei’s grandmother Wu. We are shown how Ming’s

own rebellion as a young woman left a fractured relationship between her and Wu that has continued throughout Mei’s life, as the audience grows to understand Ming’s need to have control over Mei. Throughout the film, this burden is immediately noticeable from Mei, who shuts down when being addressed by her mother, to avoid any further conflict. This is important to anyone who has ever felt weighted by the expectations of someone they care about, and the struggle between what you want vs what they want and expect.

Despite this angle of the story, much of the discourse on social media about this film revolves around its links to generational trauma and the impact it has on all generations involved. Turning Red addresses the core of generational trauma within families, much like Disney’s recent work Encanto, which includes similar themes. We see Mei not only understand the trauma her family has encountered, both before and after the Red panda gift, but also how she accepts her family’s history in order to create stronger and more authentic relationships with her maternal lineage. An article from Vox expands upon this idea, stating intergenerational trauma “can manifest as learned behaviours in response to oppression, abuse, or other challenges that are then passed down through the family or community”, much like the Red panda gift. It becomes clear that the relationship between Mei and her mother has stemmed from her Ming’s desire to repress her past to create a better life for Mei, but as a result, has led to Mei resenting her mother for her overbearing nature, thereby creating a story that many families can resonate with.

In addition to these important generational messages, Turning Red is filled with joyful anecdotes about growing up in the early 2000’s. With references to Tamagotchi and the cult-like following of boy bands, many people can feel represented by this movie and the characters within. Even the opening credits illustrate the awkward but fun demeanour of Mei as she dances and interacts with the title sequence. Many are quick to say Pixar is losing its edge, suggesting the films are no longer fun or represent the same energy as films such as Toy Story or Finding Nemo. However, this is merely an opposing view of how Pixar is evolving to tell stories that are more representative of different people’s experiences, as Mei’s Canadian Chinese heritage plays a vital role in both the humorous and more serious tones of the movie. It will be interesting to see how kids growing up in 2022 will respond to the plot devices in Turning Red and how it influences their relationship with their parents and the choices they make. Whilst Turning Red is targeted towards younger viewers, you don’t have to be in school to enjoy the thought provoking themes that the story incorporates. Mei Lee is a character that is easy to root for whilst still being flawed and a bit of a mess. Shi does a terrific job of telling a story that many can relate to, regardless of their age, gender or race. Mei and Ming’s journey of overcoming generational trauma is an inspiring tale of how although a family may be broken, it’s never too late to be fixed and be better for those who will follow.

Despite its direct to streaming release, Turning Red is worth the watch. Available now on Disney+.

by Jackson Robb

REPEAT OFFENDERS GRAPEY BOOK CLUB: MATTHEW OLZMANN’S CONSTELLATION ROUTE (2022)

It is difficult to review a poetry collection, because the impact of poetry is intangible and inarticulate. The power of my words is naught in comparison to the power of Matthew Olzmann’s new poetry collection published in January at the beginning of this year, Constellation Route.

Constellation Route is Olzmann’s third poetry collection, after Contradictions in the Design (2016) and Mezzanines (2013) which was selected for the Kundiman Poetry Prize.

The poems in this collection are direct, literal, and subject-based, sometimes bordering on the absurd. Olzmann writes letters to Bruce Wayne, William Shatner, and a 52-hertz whale. But even while absurd, the poems are intellectually witty and emotionally insightful. “Do whales believe in Providence?” he asks. Reading this, I thought of two questions in response: Does anyone truly believe in Providence or divinity? More than that, do whales actually centre their actions around belief systems?

Olzmann writes in an elegiac style about three circles in the Venn diagram of themes that seem to preoccupy his thoughts: his country (America), his religious faith (or lack thereof), and his place in both of those spaces as an Asian- and Jewish-American author. The epistolary nature of these poems is interesting because Olzmann not only addresses others, but also himself, from varying perspectives, like a flying saucer and a North Carolinian traffic light.

In Constellation Route, Olzmann seems divinely obsessed with the United States Postal Service, drawing upon the extended metaphor of delivery routes throughout the collection. He writes odes to the USPS and draws upon its “Glossary of Postal Terms” as epitaphs to individual poems. On a deeper level, Olzmann positions himself in flux, unable to decide whether he is the sender, receiver, or delivery-person of any given message. It’s both heart-warming and abjectly alarming that Olzmann, in his forties, is so incredibly aware of his existence and yet unsure of what that means in this senseless world.

Part of what I love about Olzmann’s writing is his ability to articulate the meaning we find in objects of incongruity but that we are not able to eloquently express. His poetry isn’t “instapoetry” and it doesn’t fall under the umbrella of the classical poetry that you only read in school. It fits in a category situated somewhere between literary fiction and escapist poetry. Olzmann’s writing catches you unawares – when you think you’ll cry, you’ll actually be in fits of laughter, and simultaneously devastated.

The title poem, “Constellation Route” (which opens part four of the collection) encapsulates the tone of this collection. The poem begins: “I spent at least five minutes looking for my glasses / when they were on my head.” He later writes: “In moments like these, I want to believe / in a cosmic plan, a higher power orchestrating it all, / that every blunder has a reason built inside it.”

by Nikita Byrnes

HOROSCOPES

ARIES

Things are happening at a hectic pace for you. Slow down, get into crochet and live your cottage core fantasy.

CANCER

It’s time to cleanse your life of toxic people. No more crying over men with dirty fingernails.

LIBRA

You’ve been feeling uptight and fearful lately. Have you tried drinking water, or maybe going for a walk?

CAPRICORN

Take a deep breath and stop being so suspicious of everything. People aren’t out to get you and not everything is a conspiracy theory. Except Will Smith hitting Chris Rock, that looked staged.

By Harrison Fraser

TAURUS

Are you planning a trip? Is there somewhere you’ve always wanted to go but never found the time? Even if you make time, petrol costs too much so don’t bother.

LEO

Embrace the weirder aspects of yourself. Anything to stop saying ‘uncut jaaammzzz’ like it’s your entire personality.

SCORPIO

You are feeling reliable at the moment. Keep up the good friend energy, it’s giving Lady Gaga and Liza Minelli at the Oscars.

AQUARIUS

Always rushing around, getting your little head all anxious. Why hurry to get home when all you do is eat and sleep sis? GEMINI

Giving main character energy like you’re Lexi from Euphoria, wandering through life like it’s your own play. Queen you’re Cassie on the carousel.

VIRGO

Budgeting is your main worry at the moment. Trying to not spend money is always good, but have you heard of emotional bankruptcy? Something to think about Virgo.

SAGITTARIUS

You need to get better at saying sorry to people you’ve hurt. That means apologising for all the excel spreadsheets you made for when your friendship group goes to dinner. Just split the bill.

PISCES

This could be the start of your villain era. Find the courage to call out relatives for saying shit like “I don’t believe in pronouns”. Okay, how do you form coherent sentences?

EDITORIAL PRODUCTION

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF - Saliha Rehanaz DEPUTY EDITOR - NIkita Byrnes NEWS EDITOR - Olivia Chan REGULARS EDITOR - Eleanor Taylor CREATIVES/FEATURES EDITOR - Rayna Bland REPEAT OFFENDERS EDITOR - Harry Fraser

CREATIVE PRODUCTION

Liz To, Stephanie Sutton, Lorenzo Meli Liz To, Stephanie Sutton, Ella Scott Bruna Gomes, Clara Kristanda, Ashleigh Ho, Lauren Knezevic, Jackson Robb, Isabella Trope, Anthea Wilson, Jasmine Joyan, Sruthi Sajeev, Nam Do, Nicholas Chang

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

Jaime Hendrie, Bruna Gomes, Bodie Murphy, Clara Kristanda, Ashleigh Ho, Lauren Knezevic, Jackson Robb, Isabella Trope, Anthea Wilson, Jasmine Joyan, Sruthi Sajeev, Nam Do, Nicholas Chang

MARKETING & ADVERTISING CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Unnati Tayal, Tess Marsden, Nicola Stewart, Angelo Andrew Amelia Taylor, Allastassia Carter, Amy Davidson, Niall Heron, Emma Oldmeadow

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Polina Bilinsky Mycak, Georgina Binns, Racquel Soares, Tahlia White, EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD Rohini Banerjee, William Lawrence, Gypsy Bryant, Rebecca Ryan-Brown Allastassia Carter, Amanda O’Neill, Racquel Soares, Jarrod Currey, Anahera-Keita Chessum GRAPESHOT acknowledges the Wallumattagal clan, of the Darug nation as the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and meet. We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceeded, no treaty was signed, and would like to pay our respects to Elders, past, present and emerging. We would like to extend those respects to all First Nations people reading. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land.

EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD

Allastassia Carter, Amanda O’Neill, Racquel Soares, Jarrod Currey, PUBLISHER Anahera-Keita ChessumCOORDINATOR

GRAPESHOT acknowledges the Wallumattagal clan, of the Darug nation as the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and meet. We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceeded, no treaty was signed, and would like to pay our respects to Elders, past, present and emerging. We would like to extend those respects to all First Nations people reading. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land.

Mariella Herberstein Melroy Rodrigues

PUBLISHER COORDINATOR

Mariella Herberstein Melroy Rodrigues