FILM Kieran Culkin delivers a stunning performance in "A Real Pain," says Tanvi Gorripati (CAS '27). B2
FILM "Bird" focuses on fantasy and friendship, but underachieves, according to Isabelle Cialone (SOH '27). B4
MUSIC Amber Cherry (CAS '26) calls Orla Garland’s perfomance at The Atlantis "brillantly odd." B7
NOVEMBER 22, 2024
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande star in the movie version of the acclaimed Broadway musical. B3
Caroline Woodward Guide Deputy Editor
Grace Ko Hoya Staff Writer
Sarcastic, cynical and an absolute gut punch to the heart, “A Real Pain” left me devastated as I walked out of the theater. With its deceptively simple narrative, Jesse Eisenberg delivers a unique story of grief, using its raw honesty and simplicity to illustrate the unspoken pain that hits you when you least expect it.
Written and directed by Eisenberg, “A Real Pain” centers on cousins David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) who take a trip to Poland to commemorate their grandmother’s passing. Together, they take part in a group tour of Poland to understand their grandmother’s former life and history. As they reconnect, they reminisce about past joys and discover their growing differences, all while uncovering the new hidden burdens they each bear.
A part of the charm of “A Real Pain” is its delightful script. The dialogue is full of what I affectionately call “Eisenbergisms” — lines filled with dry humor and cynical sarcasm. The sharp banter between David and Benji
had the audience in fits of laughter while Benji’s frequent, unconventional trail of thoughts left them thoroughly charmed.
The humor eventually serves as an effective counterpoint to the grief and pain both characters carry individually, as well as the devastation of the tour they embark on — a journey that forces them to confront the horrors of the Holocaust, which their grandmother once endured and escaped.
The other half of the film’s charm lies in its phenomenal performances, which bring the script’s sharp vibrancy to life.
In particular, Culkin’s performance as Benji absolutely blew me away. His unique blend of vulnerability wrapped in sharp snark — most notably showcased in his portrayal of Roman Roy in “Succession” — makes Benji both captivating and heartbreakingly tragic to watch. Benji is visceral, and Culkin brings that unstable, disarming nature alive through the care he takes to portray the inherent pain hidden beneath Benji’s charm. The close-ups given to Culkin show how easily he is able to pull the switch to reveal Benji’s internal turmoil, as his eyes grow lost and clouded, only
for a winning smile to bury that pain deep within his character once more.
Additionally, Eisenberg takes on an unexpected softness as David. Known for infusing sarcasm into his characters, he proves equally apt at conveying pure sincerity. While David maintains the similarly cynical, biting tone and frenzied anxiety of Eisenberg’s previous roles, pure love for Benji shines through his performance.
Eisenberg and Culkin share a rapid-fire familiarity, effortlessly bouncing off each other. They bicker, clash and dissolve into laughter with the ease and authenticity that only family can share.
Above all, the portrayal of grief in “A Real Pain” is unexpectedly harrowing. It was this representation of pain that my mom had brought up in our ritual film debrief on the way home from the press screening. For both her and me, the devastation of “A Real Pain” was in this idea that true real pains will never change.
In one moment, David reflects on the “unexceptional pains” everyone experiences, expressing his frustration with Benji, who seems
IMDB
“A Real Pain” explores complicated themes of family and grief with standout performances by Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg.
to burden others with the full weight of his struggles. David, in contrast, chooses to keep his pain private, believing it to be his alone. However, the film begins to draw a distinction between these unexceptional pains and real pains. Real pains become the eternal grief of the Holocaust that David, Benji and their tour group can view and learn but never truly understand. It’s a gnawing pain that Benji carries deep inside — one that David, despite his efforts, will never fully comprehend.
This idea of an eternal, unchanging kind of grief is driven especially by the film’s opening and heartbreaking closing shot of Benji’s face. Despite reconnecting with David and finding some closure over his grandmother’s passing, Culkin’s Benji wears the same expression of insecurity and disorientation at the airport as he did at the start of the film. The happiness that previously colored his face vanishes as soon as he says goodbye to David, his charming bravado now gone. Nothing has changed and Benji sits there with the same pain that plagued him at the beginning.
For all the humor and tender moments between its captivating characters, “A Real Pain” concludes with the image of Benji’s lost eyes — a final moment that leaves viewers with the stinging sorrow of his hopeless pain.
Caroline Woodward
Guide Deputy Editor
There is a lot of pressure on the cinematic adaptation of “Wicked.”
The original “Wicked” is an utterly iconic musical. The production, based on Gregory Maguire’s novel which reimagined L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” has achieved nearly unparalleled status in the United States theatrical canon. It has been running continuously since 2003, making it the fourth longest-running show in Broadway history. The production has received three Tony awards, a Grammy and overall international acclaim. Simply put, the show is not only a pillar of Broadway but a major cultural influence in general.
With this status in mind, it is hard to understate the sheer weight of audience expectations for this movie. The extent of hype surrounding the film may make one wonder if a film adaptation could ever possibly deliver. I was one of these skeptics. To me, as to many others, “Wicked” is a very personal story: It was
the first musical I ever saw, my first introduction to the world of theater and entertainment in general. I went into this movie with much apprehension and a heavy dose of skepticism. After all, how could “Wicked” live up to the considerable cultural legacy its source material has created?
However, I am thrilled to report that the live-action movie adaptation of “Wicked” not only delivered on the high standards set by the musical but exceeded my admittedly high personal expectations. The world, characters and plot of “Wicked” are so successfully translated to the screen that the film feels less like a remake and more like a necessary, wonderful and enthralling expansion of the story.
The cinematography, soundtrack and performances stood out as the necessary factors that “Wicked” needed to excel in. Needless to say, it did. Before the movie’s release, one of the biggest critiques on social media surrounding the production was a seeming lack of color within the sets, costumes and general look of the film. In trailers, the world of Oz, a world known for
the technicolor aesthetic seen in the 1939 version of “The Wizard of Oz,” seemed to be dull and backlit. There was a noticeable lack of vibrancy in advertisements, which made many fearful of the faithfulness of the adaptation. While I was also concerned about this lack of vibrancy, it simply was not an issue on the big screen.
In fact, the world of “Wicked” is so full of color and life that it completely enthralls the viewer. It was incredible to see fully realized physical sets that were only enhanced by wonderfully integrated CGI tactics. Vibrancy exploded off the screen and the setting, one that previously had been limited to the stage, became fully actualized through the lens of film. The medium seemed entirely necessary in order to explore this world fully, making the adaptation feel purposeful and driven. This is an Oz we have never seen and one whose colors and intricacies make me want to explore more.
Another primary aspect on which the film’s quality hinged on was the successful translation of the musical’s soundtrack to cinematic
IMDB
This iteration of “Wicked” delivers the energy and style of the original storyline while making creative improvements to the original musical. At the risk of being too corny, it’s wickedly good.
vocal performances. Luckily, this goal was also fully achieved. The soundtrack of the film is absolutely incredible and entirely holds up to the original, with all of the vocals sounding just as clean, catchy and powerful. The film incorporates iconic musical motifs throughout its runtime, teasing the audience as the story progresses, before finally allowing the songs to be fully realized in grand displays of music, dance and choreography that could only be achieved through the magic of film.
Much of the soundtrack’s success rested on two main performances: that of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande). Once again, the film hit the mark here, bringing true life and power to the characters through both unbelievably strong vocal performances and nuanced acting which revealed the dedication both women clearly had to their roles. Other notable performances include Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, whose charm perfectly matches the character’s rogue tendencies, and Jeff Goldblum, who captured the eccentric and endearing yet off-putting nature of the Wizard.
The only major flaw I can find in the film stems from a slight marketing mischaracterization: The “Wicked” film adaptation is not the whole story of the musical, but rather simply the first part, with the second part releasing in 2025. This makes the already almost three-hour experience seem incredibly tedious. However, the film uses every moment of its run time to its fullest potential.
Besides, after the success of this film, I am glad the rather complex story will get the opportunity to be completely explored.
Overall, “Wicked” is an absolutely, fabulously fun cinematic experience, one that both upholds and expands on the show’s iconic legacy and one I am so happy will provide new fans with a faithful and well-made entrance into the world of “Wicked.”
Isabelle Cialone Guide Staff Writer
If you had an imaginary friend growing up, you likely remember either wishing they were real or truly believing they were. This childhood fantasy meets a grim reality in “Bird,” a coming-of-age tale that follows 12-yearold Bailey (Nykiya Adams), whose harsh circumstances have forced her to grow up too quickly. Her father, a young, erratic drug dealer named Bug (Barry Keoghan), announces his upcoming remarriage to his girlfriend Kayleigh (Frankie Box), whom Bailey dislikes. Bailey’s mother is similarly problematic as she raises Bailey’s three younger siblings under the watchful eye of an abusive boyfriend. Amid the harshness and squalor of her life, Bailey longs for something more. Her only solace lies in her phone camera, which grants her control over the moments she chooses to capture and acts as a shield against the violence she often faces. These vertical clips are interspersed with the more traditional camerawork of the film, which appears shaky and unrefined, as though hand-
IMDB
“Bird” imbues magic into central character Bailey’s depressive life though her friend Bird, though the film falls short, says Isabelle Cialone (SOH ’27).
held. This beautifully creative cinematography allows the audience to experience Bailey’s life through her eyes.
The raw complexity and authentic flaws of the characters are what truly bring depth to this film. Bug is somehow simultaneously negligent and overprotective of his children, and his spontaneity constantly reminds us that he is too young to be a father to two teenagers. This complexity comes across as confusing at first. It is difficult to determine whether he should be liked or loathed, but this ultimately makes him feel very real. Bailey’s older brother Hunter (Jason Buda) fights his own troubled loneliness with violent vigilantism, which leads him down a rocky path. Despite the film’s portrayal of a dysfunctional family, a sense of sincerity and familial love still flourishes and takes hold by the movie’s end.
Bailey’s life is changed when the eccentric titular character Bird (Franz Rogowski) literally waltzes into her life. Whether he is imaginary or real is left ambiguous until a surprising use of magic later in the film clarifies that neither he nor the fantastical elements of the film are mere figments of Bailey’s imagina-
tion. As Bailey helps him navigate the scars of his troubled childhood, he returns the favor by bringing her the friendship and whimsy she’s long missed in her harsh upbringing. Bird takes on the role of a guardian angel — eerily endearing in his quiet vigilance, perching atop buildings and protecting Bailey fiercely as she faces the challenges of adolescence in a bleak and unforgiving world. Still, the relationship between Bird and Bailey occasionally comes across as predatorial due to the unlikely nature and closeness of their friendship. Though this was not the intention of the film, it is a difficult perception to dispel. Bird’s character is moving insofar as he embodies nature’s beauty seeping through even the most industrialized and dilapidated streets, and the ability of a soul that has suffered to recognize and ease loneliness in another. However, “Bird” falters in its use of magical realism. The resolution of one of the central conflicts is entirely dependent on magic, but the film fails to commit wholeheartedly to the fantasy genre prior to this moment. The magic works better when it is ambiguous and likely made up, which captures the childlike use of
imagination as an escape. When fantasy becomes fact, it ultimately proves unsuccessful. After this unexpected use of magic to progress the plot, the story loses some of its coherence. The ending feels anticlimactic compared to the sudden outburst of surrealism. Some plotlines are ultimately left unresolved and themes that the film subtly explores, like that of gender through Bailey’s self-expression, end up feeling somewhat underdeveloped.
Keoghan offers a solid supporting performance as Bug, though his Irish accent is at times hard to follow (fortunately, most of the showings seem to have closed captions). Rogowski’s portrayal of Bird perfectly captures his peculiarity while also rendering him an emotionally touching character. Despite Adams’ young age — she filmed the movie aged 12 — her performance is truly the stand-out.
The cruelty of Bailey’s world is alleviated not only via the elements of fantasy but also with a sprinkling of silliness throughout the movie, which comes in comical quips and unexpected moments of song. Though she has been forced to take on an adult role, Bailey’s youthful spirit still shines through in her ability to create joy in even the darkest situations.
“Bird” may have blundered by not fully committing to its attempt to incorporate magic, but its message still soars: Regardless of the situation we are in, there is beauty and strength to be found in ourselves. Sometimes, all we need to uncover that strength is a friend, whether that friend be real, imaginary or a bit of both.
Clayton Kincade Guide Columnist, Chair of the Board
There are books all around my townhouse: on bookshelves, in trolley carts, on my desk, on coffee tables, on the floor, on rectangle pieces of concrete jutting out of the base of a purposeless living room wall. Most of the texts are from my direct roommate and me, and you can expect to find sticky notes and annotations overflowing from their pages — dog-earing is banned in this house.
Despite today’s reality, my relationship with reading has never been an ironclad love. I was a voracious reader in my youth, but I stopped reading during middle and high school, burnt out by required readings that did not interest me. I returned again to the form during the throes of the pandemic, and I fell in love again with how novels could reconnect me to the world while revealing deep truths and contradictions about the human experience.
Alarmingly, more and more people are using the excuse that literary and media content as a collective is “boring” when they mean to say that they cannot be bothered to encounter challenging
material. To expand their minds and hearts, audiences should engage with material that does not constantly stimulate them, resisting succumbing to the trend of anti-intellectualism.
Take “The Bee Sting” by Paul Murray, a 600plus page novel about an Irish nuclear family breaking apart due to financial, environmental and social stressors. It’s one of the best novels I’ve ever read — it was even a finalist for the Booker Prize, one of the most prestigious worldwide book awards — but many on Goodreads, a book review platform, have given the book a one-star rating for its length and ambiguous ending.
Perhaps, in this sense, it is better to address what the reader misses when they dismiss content as “boring.” Many of my political science classes have readings that could be classified as “boring,” such as historical textbooks, but these writings have forged my political beliefs and helped me parse right from wrong.
Even content that should not be labeled as “boring” has become “boring.” Book content creators on TikTok have admitted that they “skip” paragraphs when they take up too much of the page and “only” read dialogue. Jimmy Kimmel called several movies at the 2023 Academy Awards, which dealt with indigenous genocide,
Ready for roasted nuts, mini donuts and holiday spirit all before Thanksgiving? The 1500 block of 19th Street NW sparkles from Nov. 22 to Dec. 15 with the opening of the annual Dupont Circle holiday market. Open 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, the market has more than 30 small businesses with artisanal, handcrafted and unique gifts for sale. Pro tip: Take the Dupont Circle Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle (GUTS) bus to get there, and check online for timing.
the creation of the atomic bomb and feminism under the patriarchy and within sex work, “too long.” Pop songs and albums are abandoning quality standards to become shorter and shorter to grab our attention spans.
I sometimes skim class readings, check my phone during a movie or hum along to a trending song; so does everyone at some point. Life happens, but the open celebration of anti-intellectualism — the shamelessness to which people have normalized these behaviors when 130 million U.S. adults lack proficiency in literacy — is incredibly worrying.
Literacy covers all areas of life: engagement with political dialogue, the ability to identify information from disinformation and comprehension of social behavior. It is beyond vital that we start small: challenging ourselves to sit with that long novel, movie or article when the silence has something to teach us.
While writing, I think of the rise of artificial intelligence and the insistence that technology summarizes writing for time. Apple Intelligence will summarize your iPhone notifications; Google AI will summarize all your searches, scholarly or inconspicuous; ChatGPT and OpenAI are
By Caitlin McBride
Frolic through the bazaar located in front of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery, across two blocks of F Street, between 7th and 9th Streets. Opening on Nov. 22 and continuing until Dec. 23, the market offers free admission and is open from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily. This year, for the market’s 20-year anniversary, it promises “eclectic wares,” “delicious food” and “can’t miss” activities.
everywhere and in everything, summarizing, writing and generating information left and right for people too bothered to do “boring” tasks, like reading a book.
From the economist’s perspective, I’m scared that the long-term implications of our short attention spans and the devices created to accommodate said impatience will catch up to humanity. I do not expect this change to happen in the next few decades, but I fear for generations beyond my reach. I hope and pray that I’m wrong.
Our lives are largely plotless inventions, with no clear rising action, climax or falling action. If on a graph, the form of a life is a scribble — loops that cross over one another, lines that go backward and forward at the same time, a big, confusing blur.
The most “boring” forms of media, the ones intentionally slower in pace, have taught me how to love, grieve, forgive and understand. They have made my conversations with friends more robust, interesting and insightful.
So please, try to engage with challenging media that will intentionally “bore” you. I promise that you’ll be better for it.
The perfect event for those who have always wanted to see the Smithsonian National Zoo … at night! Environmentally-friendly LED lights and glowing animal lanterns create a magical effect. Live music, tasty winter treats and carousel rides are also available for purchase. Buy a $6 timed pass online for an evening from Nov. 22 to Jan. 4, 2025, and enjoy a field trip classic with a wintry twist.
If you’re sticking around for Thanksgiving in Washington, D.C., be one of the first to see the United States Botanic Garden’s holiday exhibit! Model trains, mini replicas of D.C. landmarks and giant models of native U.S. flowers will draw you through the indoor and outdoor gardens. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day between Nov. 28 and Jan. 5, 2025, gallivant through the festive lights, poinsettias and holiday decor along the way.
Tanvi Gorripati Deputy Guide Editor
In a packed venue full of leather jackets, flannels and the unmistakable aura of nostalgia, Slowdive reminded me why they remain at the heart of the shoegaze genre. Over three decades after their debut, the English rock band continues to captivate fans with their ethereal melodies and mesmerizing performances.
Slowdive was formed in Berkshire in 1989. They became one of the leading figures in the English shoegaze scene, a genre known for dreamy soundscapes and airy vocals. Slowdive released three studio albums before disbanding in 1995. They reunited in 2014, nearly two decades later, reinvigorating their lega-
@SLOWDIVE/INSTAGRAM
The revival show of Slowdive, an English rock band, reprised their genre-defining role in the shoegaze scene.
cy with a self-titled album in 2017 and their fifth studio album, “Everything Is Alive,” in 2023. This latest release marked a milestone as their first album to reach the top 10 placement, debuting at No. 3 on Billboard.
Slowdive’s revival coincided with a broader resurgence of the shoegaze genre, fueled by Generation Z’s embrace of their nostalgic yet timeless sound. The band’s growing popularity has attracted larger and more diverse crowds to their shows. The crowd at Slowdive’s latest show embodied the band’s generational appeal, with suburban dads reliving their youth alongside college-aged couples in love.
The artist Quannnic opened for Slowdive, representing the continued revival of the shoegaze genre. Quannnic is an 18-year-old artist who started in their bedroom in 2020, producing shoegaze and emo music inspired by the original English shoegaze bands of the
1980s and 1990s. Their inclusion in the lineup symbolized the bridge between shoegaze’s storied past and its promising future.
Slowdive’s setlist masterfully blended fan favorites with tracks from their latest album, providing a healthy mix of nostalgia and fresh material. Iconic songs like “Alison” and “When the Sun Hits” drew cheers of excitement from longtime fans, while newer tracks resonated with first-time listeners. The band encored the show with “Dagger,” the slowest and most intimate song in their discography. Its hauntingly simple lyrics provided the show with a poignant ending, leaving the crowd in a reflective silence as the band made its way off the stage.
They let their music speak for itself, with few theatrical movements or overly intimate interactions with fans. In fact, the band rarely spoke, never even announcing the
songs they performed. While this could have easily resulted in a dull performance, there was something captivating about their understated presence, managing to entertain without being over the top. Every member of the band exuded a breezy kind of confidence that can only come with decades of being in the industry and performing.
The music was accompanied by trippy visuals and strobe lights. The flashing lights added to the music rather than took away from it, enhancing the fuzzy feeling that Slowdive’s music emulates. Live reverb continued this illusion, resulting in the live versions of the songs sounding just like the studio versions. This seamless blend of sound and spectacle hypnotized the audience, transporting them into Slowdive’s musical universe.
Slowdive’s enduring appeal — paired with the rise of young artists like Quannnic — highlights the genre’s ability to resonate across generations. With “Everything Is Alive” marking a high point in their career, Slowdive continues to captivate audiences, proving that shoegaze’s dreamlike allure is here to stay.
Amber Cherry
Senior Guide Editor
Orla Gartland gives us a peek into her mind’s garden, blooming with flowers that are anything but delicate. Instead, her floral headdress, seemingly hand-crocheted, provides a burst of color, bringing focus to the artist’s face as she opens with her intoxicating rock anthem “Kiss Ur Face Forever.”
The Dublin, Ireland, native released her debut album, “Woman on the Internet,” in 2021, which reached third on the Irish album chart, first on the United Kingdom indie chart and 10th on the United Kingdom album chart. In 2023, she formed the supergroup FIZZ with Dodie and Greta Isaac. Her sophomore album, “Everybody Needs a Hero,” was released in October, and her 2024 North American tour launched not a month after. However, both of Gartland’s albums had an equal presence in the setlist as it’s Gartland’s first time touring across the pond.
Much like the venue, Gartland’s fans were
small but mighty. The Atlantis boasts a stage the size of a Village C East room, and its balcony, barely wide enough for single-file standing, contributed to a sold-out show for the indie artist. The railings were lined Nov. 9 with fans sporting everything from classic dad wear to quirky patterns to recreations of Gartland’s most iconic looks — including a replica of her petal headdress.
Gartland fed off her fans’ enthusiasm, taking every opportunity to jump around the stage when she didn’t need to sing into the mic stand. Even though it was mostly Gartland alone singing, her dynamic vocals brought her song “Codependency” to life. Drummer Sara Shaw had no trouble executing the track’s fun, dynamic beat that abruptly changes pace throughout the song. These tempo shifts created beautiful moments of intensity when the cymbals crashed and then abruptly stopped mid-word during Gartland’s impressive vocals, letting her voice shine through.
While crammed, The Atlantis allowed for a host of intimate and odd moments. Fans were not afraid to yell at Gartland, hoping
for a moment of interaction with the artist.
It was also evident that there was a certain uneasy feeling among the crowd, as the show was three days after the presidential election. Gartland handled it gracefully and used her show to serve as an outlet for the audience’s pent-up anger and anxiety. Gartland encouraged us to use our feral energy as we screamed her louder songs.
“The Hit,” though not her biggest hit, brought the energy down to a softer, more comforting tone as Gartland chronicles a relationship where boundaries blur. Her lyrics describe an entangling in which it is indiscernible where one person ends and another begins, two souls so intertwined that “It’s like you get the punch / and I feel the hit.” This “voodoo doll shit,” as she puts it, resonated through the crowd.
However, it was the song “Why Am I Like This?” — featured in Netflix’s hit series “Heartstopper” — that launched Gartland to wider fame and exploded her fanbase. As the lights dimmed and Gartland began to sing, the audience hung onto every word. During the chorus, where the recorded ver-
AMBER CHERRY/THE HOYA
Orla Garland’s eccentric, electric and enthralling performance at The Atlantis drew a small but mighty crowd that used its enthusiasm to better her performance.
sion features layered vocals her small band couldn’t replicate live, the crowd instinctively sang the background harmonies and vocals, creating a magical moment.
Gartland even brought out a carnival wheel her team had constructed for the show, letting two lucky fans spin to determine her next song — and you bet the dedicated fan in the flower hat made their way on stage. In the intermediary before spinning, Gartland asked the fans to go all out and dance as she played the wacky intro tune for the wheel. Her unabashed quirkiness allowed for fans to be more comfortable to let out their inner weirdo.
Gartland’s relationship with her fans shone through the concert. Her range helped us all leave our wide range of emotions out on the floor of The Atlantis. The impressive vocals and distinct sound produced by this three-woman band kept us in the moment and did not let our attention stray, allowing for a reprieve from a tumultuous week. If you are feeling on edge or particularly feral, I would prescribe an Orla Gartland show.
Anandita Agarwal Columnist
Bollywood is India’s greatest invention and endeavor. Forget the number zero, forget sending us to the moon. Shah Rukh Khan is India’s biggest export and ambassador, trumping both the information technology industry and Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The two-billion dollar dynasty of mirch masala (excitement-inducing) films packed with romance, action, comedy and the nakhre (drama) inherent to any Indian household have cemented the legacy of India’s emerging soft power. In a globalized age of competing media complexes and culture wars, Bollywood is the vehicle that South Asians ride into the sunset.
However, in the 2020s, a striking dissatisfaction with the Hindi film industry has rapidly developed, both in the homeland and abroad. Bollywood films no longer resonate with audiences in the dynamic and revolutionary ways they did in the 1990s and 2000s. Caught up in patting itself on the back, Hindi cinema has forgotten that, in order to survive, we must evolve. It is hard to deny the beauty of Hindi cinema. The long-standing “masala film” industry has reigned over India since the 1920s
through an empire even stronger than the British. With its themes of coming-of-age, family, pyaar (love) and ishq (passion), the intense emotions Bollywood invokes functioned as a catharsis for an Indian audience hungry for art. In a post-independence India that was swiftly modernizing into a capitalistic superpower, Bollywood was integral to defining the identity of the Indian middle and upper classes who had the dime to spend on entertainment.
It is easy to see the appeal in the escapism of content from Yash Raj Films (YRF) or Dharma Productions, two major Indian film production and distribution companies, with their romantic cinematography and fantastical storylines. Through their blend of music, cinema and emphasis on the core tenets that have always driven Indian society, Bollywood has been the cultural figurehead of South Asia, garnering a love that spans generations. Nothing comes close to the jubilance of “Khabi Khushi Khabie Gham” or the cadence of Lata Mangeshkar’s croon in “Dil To Pagal Hai.” It’s why people still flock in the millions to see “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” screenings or regard “Sholay” with great nostalgia.
But however much Bollywood represents the best of India, it also underlines the worst. It is a stark reflection of Indian soci-
By Amber Cherry
ety — one we must take a long, hard look at. Bollywood has often come under criticism for its portrayal of women and other minorities. In its long-standing tradition of “item songs,” female characters — already a rare phenomenon — are sexualized and paraded for the pleasure of men. The songs include lyrics normalizing rape and derogatory attitudes toward women. Moreover, the sparse female characters often play into archetypes that Western cinema in the 2020s has long moved on from, such as the “nerd” who gets a makeover to become the “bombshell.” Even when Bollywood tries to bring in a message of female empowerment, such as in movies like “Sultan,” “Mission Mangal,” “English Vinglish,” “Raazi” or “Queen,” the message often lacks nuance and shorthands the burden of change onto the woman in a move reminiscent of pink-washing and fourth-wave feminism. Nothing underscores Bollywood’s treatment of women quite like one look at its recent box-office hit “Animal,” a story of male vengeance that romanticizes domestic violence like no other.
In an India undergoing political and economic upheaval, even movies attempting to capture the spirit of Indian youth or depict lower-class or LGBTQ+ struggle — such as “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani,” “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan,” “Luka Chuppi,” “Gully Boy” or “Badhaai Do” — come across as disillusioned in their idealism and in how fast and easy the
solution is. Everything is solved by the powers of friendship, love or family. Bollywood’s appeal, which had been its escapism, is starting to be its downfall. No longer can a Javed Akhtar song fill the holes in Bollywood’s social commentary, which just slaps across a happygo-lucky bandaid on India’s deeper problems and only pushes a message of consumerism and nepotism. This failing legacy is evident in how streaming platforms like Prime and Hotstar have become preferred among the Indian Generation Z, where longer-format media such as “Made In Heaven” strive to capture a more diverse and complicated India.
It is becoming increasingly obvious that Hindi cinema can no longer ride on upper-caste, middle-class men. Sure, the profits come raking in at the box office. But art and media are meant to inspire and change, not just entertain. Rather than encourage the patriarchal rape culture of India, Bollywood must reckon with the social movements that have taken the world, including India, by storm. Hindi cinema must put under a microscope the hierarchies that have governed Indian soil for generations, not glorify them. Bollywood must ask the big questions that will define the Indian cultural image in the coming decades rather than remain a leftover product of an age gone by. That is where the mirch masala comes from now.
1. A turkey is one
5. What one may say about one of president-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees: “ ___, _ _elieve, had a brain worm.”
7. Someone who waits to celebrate Christmas might say, “_ ____ myself into the holiday”
8. What you might call your grandma
9. With 6-Down, a classic Thanksgiving casserole
1. At Friendsgiving, everyone should _____ their favorite dish.
2. The Guide’s own Bethe Bogrette’s (SFS ’27) catchphrase; what you might say if you are feeling scared
3. Makers of ProCal protein powder
4. Minus a letter, film studio known for theme parks
6. With 9-Across, a classic Thanksgiving casserole
1. Theme of this issue
6. “Chapter Four” was the most ___ sive of the “John Wick” films to make
7. Site of a notable showdown in “The Matrix”
8. Reeves’ titular character in a time-travel adventure movie
9. Prefix meaning “electronic”
10. Reeves’ movie with Bullock and a bomb threat on a bus
1. “Ode on a Grecian Urn” author John
2. Reeves, for Kellogg’s corn flakes
3. Without legs, in French
4. Coder in “The Matrix”
5. Not provided with sustenance
5. A Russian refusal