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The Crickets Dance
USA 2020
produced by Christiana Cross, Veronica Robledo, Alex Hernandez (executive), Buck Meeks (executive) for V Awaken Production
directed by Veronica Robledo
starring Kristen Renton, Maurice Johnson, KateLynn E. Newberry, Jamie Butler, Bill Oberst jr, William Mark McCullough, Sandra Ellis Lafferty, Bobbie Eakes, Ashley Robillard, Darius L. Francis, Randall Franks, Virgil Moore, Anthony Paderewski, Elizabeth Noelle Japhet, Todd Maynor, John J. O'Neill jr, Megan Ashley Whited, Kevin Mikal Curry, Marquies Wilson, Evans Colin jr
screenplay by Veronica Robledo, based on the novel by Deborah Robillard, music by Tasos Eliopoulos
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned) |
Always make sure of DVD-compatibility!!!
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Somewhere in Georgia, USA: Rather unexpectedly, lawyer Angie (Kristen
Renton) inherits the mansion of an old lady (Sandra Ellis Lafferty) she
has helped taking care of, and exploring the house finds a diary that
might tell the story of the ancestors of her colleague Andrew (Maurice
Johnson) she has only recently found herself forced to share an office
with.
The diary, dating back to the 1800s, before the Civil War, tells the
story of slave Ophelia (Jamie Butler), who has become best friends with
her mistress Emmaline (KareLynn E. Newberry), who's not a slave holder by
nature, she's just been married off into this culture, and is almost as
oppressed by her husband Jackson (William Mark McCullough) as his slaves
are. So when Ophelia gets pregnant, Emmaline, knowing her husband will
probably kill the offspring, lets him impregnate her, just to force him to
use Ophelia as wet nurse. That plan works out, but Jackson never forgives
Emmaline for giving birth to a daughter rather than a son. And when the
son she bears him eventually shows signs he might not be his but one of
his slave's, he has his brutal foreman David (Bill Oberst jr) kill him on
the spot.
Ophelia's son Isaiah (Marquies Wilson) and Emmaline's daughter Annabeth
(Ashley Robillard) grow up as best friends, as if the then ubiquitous
racial divide didn't exist, and thus it's only natural that they got
intimate with a certain age, and eventually Annabeth gets pregnant, and
Emmaline does the best to hide her away from her husband - but to no
avail, he stumbles in at childbirth - and tragedy ensues ...
Now back in the heare and now, Andrew has saved Angie's life at one
occasion, but what really draws the two towards each other is the story
the diary chronicles, so much so that they start to do some (actual)
digging together to fill in the blanks ...
Now I will say that much, have some tissues ready for this one, as it's
a bit of a tearjerker - not totally throughout, but there are spots you
get through better with shedding a tear. That's not to say this is just
some sappy feelgood story that tries to solve everything regarding racism
with a bit of romance. Quite the contrary, the film's at time quite
hard-hitting and cruel, and doesn't show over-simplified solutions to
complex problems, but it's nuanced in its storytelling, and its two
narrative levels give it some extra depth, while the script still puts
story over message. And add to that a rather strong cast, and you've got
yourself a pretty good film, really.
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