Bridegroom

Film and television can harness the power of the human emotion like no other medium can. And that is why documentaries like Bridegroom are so effective in highlighting societal challenges such as homophobia and bigotry. Through various first-person narratives and archival footage, Director Linda Bloodworth-Thomason weaves together a chronological account of Shane Bitney Crone and Tom Bridegroom’s heartfelt story of love, acceptance, hope and despair as a gay couple living in the United States of America.

Photo credit: Webpronews.com

Crone had met Bridegroom through mutual friends in 2005 and by all accounts, had quickly fallen in love with him. Six years later, with marriage on the horizon, tragedy strikes and Bridegroom is killed in a freak accident. Still reeling from the sudden loss of his life partner, Crone is banned from attending Bridegroom’s funeral by his partner’s family and is forced to hold a celebration of life thousands of kilometres away in California.

Photo credit: Oprah.com

The title of the documentary is both on point and tongue-in-cheek given the fact that homosexuality and the definition of marriage are both polarizing topics in the United States. While I commend Bloodworth-Thomason for bringing to the forefront the ramifications of hate and bigotry within our society, I found myself asking if that was the only purpose to this documentary?  Or, was it Bloodworth-Thomason’s objective to draw a connection between Crone’s story and the issue of marriage equality in the United States? If so, additional voices were needed to help connect the dots for there were moments when I felt that the documentary was simply an extended version of a same-sex anniversary reel.

While intended or not, Bridegroom is a potent reminder that regardless of one’s sexual orientation, love is steadfastly democratic: how much you receive is directly proportional to how much you give. And thanks to the support from both family and friends, both Crone and Bridegroom grew-up open to loving and were able to forge an intimate and nurturing relationship with one another that many of us can only dream of.

Watch Bridegroom on Netflix.

Click HERE to visit the official site.

Metrotown

Photo credit: 604now.com

I went to a shopping mall today called Metrotown.

Actually, its official name is Metropolis at Metrotown and it boasts over 450 shops and services and bills itself as the largest mall in British Columbia.

While I don’t consider a trip to a shopping mall all that exciting, it’s what I felt during my visit that made me want to tickle the old keyboard.

When I had enrolled at BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology) as a full-time student, I had rented an apartment across the street from Metrotown.

Photo credit: vancouversun.com

At the time, the mall played a pivotal role in my life not just because of its proximity to my home, transit and school, but because of poignant memories that I can still derive from walking-by certain merchants that I had patronized all those years ago (some of whom are still there to this day).

While I’m sure the folks at Kwik Images & Metrotown Postal don’t know me from Adam, I will never forget using their services to send out my demo reels to prospective employers, hoping that one of them would say, “Yes”. And indeed, one of them did! After casting my net time and time again through Kwik Images & Metrotown Postal, I finally caught my catch in the form of a facsimile offering me a new job and a chance to start a new adventure in a different part of Canada.

But that adventure was made possible thanks in part to my employment at Rogers Wireless (who have been a tenant at the mall for over a decade).

Photo credit: wikimedia.org

With their logo affixed on top of one of the looming office towers, its sight brings me back to a time when my productivity (and value) as a proletariat were measured and assessed by metrics such as the duration of my service calls and the number of sales I could acquire per shift.

Photo credit: moddb.com

I am also reminded of a time when I sought comfort and camaraderie amongst my team-mates as we battled the hordes of “zombies” that would invade our phone lines every shift. And while I was fortunate enough to move on to a different career path after my stint with the “Walking Dead”, some of my former colleagues chose to stay on and a chance encounter in the food court nearly a decade later proved to me that some folks make better "zombie slayers" than others.

Gawd Bless Em’!

If there is one thing that I have learned thus far, it is that nostalgia isn’t limited to just photographs and keepsakes. A whiff of cologne or even a visit to a shopping mall can unleash a flurry of memories that may have been buried like an ancient artefact – only to be unearthed by a sensory synapse.

Like item #12 at Kim Bo Ting!

Still cooking up my favourite dish after all these years, you will find Kim Bo Ting in the food court next to Tim Hortons. As a frequent customer back in my college days, the staff at the time knew my order from memory and would always greet me with a warm smile. Even though they have all since moved on, item # 12 can still be found on the menu and the recipe hasn't changed at all. So if you're ever in the neighbourhood, stop by Kim Bo Ting in the food court and you may find me there as well:

Photo credit: urbanspoon.com

Eating my Korean Udon noodles and reminiscing of a time long since past. 

In a Better World ("Hævnen")

The title of this film is truly befitting to the reason for its allure. For I think in all of us, lies a child yearning for that simpler and kinder time, when the innocence of youth made it possible for both friendship and forgiveness to prevail over the tragedies of the human experience.

After his mother’s death, Christian (played by William Jøhnk Nielsen) moves back home from London with his newly widowed father and ends up befriending the school outcast Elias (played by Markus Rygaard). But it doesn’t take long before the effects of his mother’s death overshadows their friendship and Elias is soon forced to make a fateful decision that will test his morality and send both their families hurtling towards a collision course.

“In a Better World” can attribute its success to both its writers (Susanne Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen) and to its dynamic cast for their tandem efforts in creating a visceral mosaic of emotions within the audience that resonates long after the credits have ended. It can be said that the famous proverb, “To err is human; to forgive divine” is the underlying message within this movie; however, viewers may also recognize another well know adage at play here:

“Do as I say, not as I do”.

Director Susanne Bier deserves high marks for her patience and guidance in working with such gifted and young talent. Like a conductor, she is charged with the delicate task of orchestrating a symphony comprised of high stakes and highly-charged emotions while maintaining that oh-so important beat of authenticity.

Credit: dailytrojan.com

One notable actor that stood-out among the cast is William Jøhnk Nielsen who played the role of Christian. Despite his adolescence, the subtlety to which he brought his choices to life is the hallmark of an actor many more years his senior. Through his sombre and stoic choices, Nielsen exuded a persona that effectively contributed to the foreboding lead-up to the climatic event while at the same time, conveying an honest portrayal of a young boy struggling with the pain and anguish of the death of his mother.

Credit: www.videodromomty.com

Simply put, “In a Better World” is an impactful movie because it reaches that part of us (some more deeply buried than others) that still holds faith in the magnanimous nature of the human race. 

Watch a preview of "In a Better World" ("Hævnen")

The Alcoholic

THE ALCOHOLIC

I see him on my way to work from time to time

The alcoholic.

Clutching his umbrella, staring out the window

The unmistakable stench of fermented dreams wafting from his body

His being.

I don’t know his name nor his story

All I know is his scent

It is the smell of decay - of sorrow - of neglect - of emotions suppressed

Gangrene of the heart.

It is the repugnant aftershave of a man on skid row

The scarlet letter of those who just can’t get it together.

As he’s about to leave, our eyes meet

I feel a stirring within me.

A sensation that I cannot articulate with words, only with synapses.

Of a familiar stranger

The alcoholic.

JAMES RHA 

Social Stratification

A cruise ship is the perfect example of social stratification.

According to sociologists, social stratification is defined as a system by which society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy. And depending upon the source of the inequality and the degree to which it exists, social stratification may vary from society to society (Society : the basics / Macionis, Jansson, and Benoit - 4th Cdn. ed.).

But when it comes to life on-board a cruise ship, the inequality that exists spans both prestige as well as power and wealth.

Photo credit: wordtravelsblog.blogspot.com

And just so we’re clear, I am referring to the crew – not the passengers.

Anyone who has ever been on a cruise ship will be able to differentiate between a fellow passenger and a crew member by the unmistakable presence of a uniform. But in addition to serving a practical role, these uniforms also segregate the crew according to the positions they hold on the ship.

Photo credit: Maritime-Connector.com

At the top of the hierarchy are the officers. These men and women can be seen wearing white uniforms with epaulettes (stripes) that denote not only their rank, but their power and prestige amongst the crew.

Photo credit: cruiseshipjob.com

The officers generally hold managerial positions within the administrative and operational departments, or front line positions such as Pursers and Cruise Staff.

Photo credit: princess.com

Since many of these positions require formal training and previous experience (especially for those who work on the bridge), the expectation is that we give these crew members more respect and thus, consider their work more important than that of a waiter or a cabin steward.

Photo credit: rexthesurfdog.com

This ideology is reinforced through the issuance of special officer-only privileges such as access to passenger amenities, separate dining areas stocked with a greater variety of food and beverages (healthier?) and larger cabins.

Photo credit: YouTube User - papanikolau182

At the bottom of the hierarchy are the crew members who perform duties that can generally be done by anyone: working in the galley, cleaning, serving passengers, etc. These positions are generally filled by visible-minorities from low to middle-income countries and these crew members typically work the longest hours with little to no privileges.

Video credit: YouTube User - papanikolau182

Despite the alienation that some of these crew members experience, their income provides them (and their families) with more purchasing power than the officers and staff; therefore, some of them do experience upward social mobility both intragenerationally (within a person’s lifetime) and intergenerationally (in relation to their parents).

Photo credit: YouTube User - papanikolau182

But like a house of cards, this upward social mobility is both fragile and precarious. Minor fluctuations in forex coupled with the risk of work-related injuries and lack of educational opportunities means that these crew members are forever at risk of losing their purchasing power, jobs and even to some extent, their lives.

Photo credit: YouTube User - papanikolau182

Despite all this, proponents of Karl Marx would be pleased to know that there is one place on the cruise ship where all crew are considered equals and that is:

WARNING: Adjust your volume BEFORE viewing!

Video credit: YouTube User - ladystorme

The crew bar.