It’s just the two of us here, so the Chief Penguin and I have time to binge watch a TV series, go to the movies, and spend time reading, be it a novel or the latest political news. And in a slightly unusual twist for me, all the activities here focused on or were written by men.
TV VIEWING: DOUBLE LIFE
Mr. Loverman (BritBox)
Mr. Loverman is a British series about a middle-class Black family set in London’s Caribbean community. It’s based on a novel of the same name by noted author Bernadine Evaristo. The parents, Barry and Carmela Walker, are from Antigua, and they have two grown daughters and several grandchildren. The marriage is a contentious one. Carmela never feels he is supportive enough and their daughters usually take her side. Hidden, under the veneer of lively family life, Barry and his good friend, Morris (aka “Uncle Morris” to his kids) have been closeted lovers for years. When Morris demands more of him, Barry is torn between Morris and his loyalty to his family.
The opening scenes are noisy with family dramatics on full display. I wondered how it would all proceed but quickly became engaged. Carmela’s father in Antigua dies, she goes back to attend, and Barry must face the challenge and the opportunity in his life. The entire series is riveting, especially the episode when teenage grandson Donny stays with his grandfather.
The acting is very good, and Barry is exceptional. Episodes are short (about 30 minutes each) and there are eight total. Highly recommended for mature viewers!
ON THE SCREEN: A PROFESSOR HOLDS FORTH
Last Class (in some theaters)
The Chief Penguin and I both get Robert Reich’s daily e-newsletter about politics and the state of the country. Reich is probably best known as former secretary of labor under President Clinton, advisor to other presidents, and TV commentator. What you may not know is that he has been an economics professor for more than 40 years, and for the past 17 years at UC Berkeley.
Last Class is a documentary about Reich’s last semester teaching his undergraduate course, Wealth and Poverty, before he retires. You might expect that the film will be just him delivering his lecture before a massive hall of students. Instead, it’s a marvelous back and forth of scenes of Reich addressing the class and then him talking to the camera about his philosophy of teaching, why he loves his students, and what he hopes they will take away from the class. At 79, Robert Reich is sad about his decision to retire, but feels it is time. For those of us who admire him and respect his views, his daily missive is a way to stay connected.
The film is in limited release and is selling out in many cities. We traveled an hour north to see it in the Strand, a small theater in Rockland, and the only place in Maine it is being shown. I left feeling hopeful about Reich’s students’ futures and glad that he was a spur encouraging them to think.
SUMMER READING: COMPLEX STRANDS
Twist by Colum McCann
Colum McCann may be familiar to many as the author of National Book Award winning novel, Let the Great World Spin, set in 1974 in New York City. His new book, Twist, is equally adventurous and tangled. Anthony, a novelist and playwright, seldom called by name here, signs on to write about the business of repairing underwater cables. He will be cruising with John Conway on a special boat equipped with the necessary tools and a crew trained to repair cable breaks. These cables handle data transmitted over the internet, and the first break is a long way off the coast of Africa.
As much as it is about the twists and turns involved in dealing with physical cables and ephemeral data, the novel is about the delicate strands of connection between individuals, of love and loyalty and vulnerability. It is Conway’s story as Anthony interprets it. Anthony is at loose ends, out of touch with his son, still too drawn to the bottle, and both puzzled and captivated by Conway.
A man of few words, driven in his work, Conway is elusive and unto himself. His partner, Zanele, and their two children, return to London, she to appear in a new play. Their relationship, which Anthony saw as initially warm, appears later to be splintered.
Colum’s writing is wonderful. In the opening chapter, it loops around and about, doubling back on itself as Anthony tries to explain why he is telling this story.
“Maybe I tell this story to get rid of it, or to open up the silence, or to salve my own conscience, or perhaps I tell it because I am scared of what I too have become, steeped in regret and saudade. I often lie awake wondering what might have been if I had done things just a little differently. The past is retrievable, yes, but it most certainly cannot be changed.”
And with that, some straightforward narration follows. Anthony boards the repair vessel, the Georges Lecointe, in Cape Town, and begins his intriguing adventure of cables, connections, rupture, repair, and regret. Simply excellent! (~JWFarrington)
Note: Header photo of day lilies against a stone wall ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)
