Ampe: Leap Into The Sky, Black Girl

Ife Oluwamuyide and Claudia Owusu’s “Ampe: Leap Into The Sky, Black Girl” is a beautifully shot documentary short exploring freedom, play, and sisterhood. The story follows the traditional Ghanaian children’s game, Ampe, in which two people,  often times teams battle each other as they jump, clap, and land with their foot facing their opponent. Similar to a game of pool you state your side, instead of solids or stripes, you’re ostraighti or okonto.

While Ampe is in fact a fun children’s game, the film reminds us that it the game, in many ways, is still serious business. Who will be the mother ? How will you add your own style in the process? And of course how will you talk your shit? When playing Ampe, girls can be whatever they want and as “bush as they want”. For a moment in time, there are no expectations for what it means to be a girl and how you must present according to the world around you. 

Visually, Ampe has a dreamlike allure and beauty. Throughout the film, the intentional color palette is reflected both in dress and set design set a tone of ease, softness, and at times an ethereal space. The interviews —whether traditional confessional style or the casual home girl round table vibe — one can sense a space of vulnerability and intimacy between filmmaker and participants. You gain victory by either matching your opponents foot or being opposite depending on what side you claimed.

The women profiled in the film are captivating in their movement and creative expression while play. Equally, if not more captivating, are the intentional close up shots lingering in the faces of the girls and women in the film. These moments invite us to carefully and slowly bear witness to each woman.

The film being shot in Accra as well as Columbus, Ohio reminds about the reach and connectivity of black women and the diaspora at large. Ampe is rhythm . Ampe is community. Ampe is joy. Ampe is safety. Ampe is whatever it needs to be for the little black girls we once were and at times still are. 

Past Lives

In late June my friend Ana suggested I’d watch the new A24 movie, Past Lives. To this day, I’m still processing the emotions and thoughts the film evoked. Yesterday, I had dinner with a friend, Stephanie and the film came up again. We spoke of love, regret, connection, loss, and the pursuit to accept the cards one has been dealt and the cards yet to be revealed.

Past Lives follows the coming of age story of Nora (Greta Lee). The beginning of the film focuses on 12 year old aspiring writer Nora, then known as Na Young. Na Young lived a typical preteen life: worrying about school while doing life with your people. For Na Young her “people” was one person, her best friend and crush, Hae Sung (Teo Yoo). When Nora’s parents immigrated from Korea to the west the beautiful bond between Na Young and Hae Sung was severed, at least for some time.

As the film continues, we see Nora, now in her early twenties, working as a playwright in New York City. Unexpectedly, her old friend and childhood sweetheart, Hae Sung comes back into her orbit. They share inyeon — a concept that is better understood by watching the film rather than me re-presenting it hereThe bond between the two was never quite lost, just in some ways dormant. As they reconnect, we witness an intense unspoken longing: a longing for each other and for a simpler time. Nostalgia that is both sweet and gut wrenching.

It’s clear that the bond between the two was never quite lost, just in some ways dormant. As Nora and Hae Sung reconnect, we witness an intense unspoken longing: a longing for each other along and a longing for a time and space when things were simple. It’s nostalgia that is mostly sweet and occasionally gut wrenching. They share inyeon — a concept that is better understood by watching the film rather than me re-presenting it here.

One particularly uncomfortable scene, happened before Arthur(John Magaro),Nora's partner, would meet Hae Sung for the first time. He asks Nora to reflect on the live she lives now. Was her life in the states and her life with him all that she’d hope for? Nora’s response to this is unapologetically honest, brutal even.

This is the scene that has stayed with me for a few weeks. Is it better to accept what you have than to allow the breath of wonder to slip into your psyche? Is it wise to mourn what never was or what possibly could be? Should you cry even when nobody cares?

Past Lives film is a romantic drama that in some ways is your standard “right person, wrong time narrative”. Regardless of the familiarity of this kind of story, the powerful acting, the slow burn, the brutal honesty, and the existential themes explored makes this film a unique and worthwhile watch.

The Bear

As long as you keep going, you’ll never have to stop long enough to know that it’s real. That it really happened.

In The Bear, Master Chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, played by Jeremy Allen White, leaves one of the best restaurants in the world to return to his barely-functional family sandwich shop in Chicago. This was not a choice, but rather a hand dealt to him after the passing of his brother, Michael Berzatto.

Richie aka “cousin” played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach has been serving as the new manager of a “delicate ecosystem”. The tension between Carmy and Cousin as they navigate grief, brotherhood, and business alone, could have carried the show. Lucky for us, we have this and more. The “supporting characters” serve as an intriguing, refreshing, and necessary parts of the ecosystem. Everyone is needed for survival.

One of my favorite scenes is the one-on-one hang out between Sydney played by the consistently captivating and hilarious Ayo Edebiri and Marcus the gentle spirited and endearing pastry chef played by Lionel Boyce. In this seemingly small moment, I was struck by how authentic the dialogue was. I was no longer watching a show, but rather eavesdropping on a real conversation. Honestly, the actors and the writers in the show really ate. The level of sharpness the actors and writers conveyed in the show paralleled the expertise the chefs had within the world of the story. It’s so apparent that this show was handled with care and this scene — and many others — had me thinking, damnnnnnnn this show is good.

Another thing I loved about this series is the pacing; it’s more crockpot than air fryer. Almost as if combatting the instant gratification culture, we the audience are being told to wait to understand. Like grief, like life… time reveals.

After finishing season one, a lot was on my mind. Mostly about grief, pain, release and unexpectedly — work. Over the last year or so, I — like many others — have been reexamining work and unpacking the negative psychological, emotional, and spiritual effects of labor. The show presents work as having a somewhat positive use: a shield and arguably a savior from life things too big to stomach. In The Bear work is a distraction from the quiet moments. The quiet moments when you have the chance to communicate something you are too afraid to express. The quiet moments when you remember the grief. The quiet moments when you remember how harrowing and suffocating it feels to be alive.

Beef

Beef is a representation of the permeating and compounding nature of anger when not released. In this series two strangers get into road rage that last way beyond the streets . The series begins with stubborn and prideful reactions from our two main characters Amy Lau , played by Ali Wong and Danny Cho played by Steven Yeun.  As the show continues we slowly see what was once petty turn into a deeply disturbing vendetta fueled by deep anger, loss, and a desperation to finally be seen as the winner. 

While our main characters lead the show , the secondary characters have intriguing story arch of their own. We have Joseph Lee as an earnest, lovable and wildly naive Nepo baby, Naomi (Ashley Park) the nosy neighbor yearning to attach herself to power and influence as a means to feel worthy and seen , Paul (Young Mazino) the seemingly daft younger Cho brother , and many more noteworthy characters. I have some favorites but I can’t decide between Issac (David Choe) or Fumi (Patti Yasutake). All of these characters serve as tools to show just how complicated and messed up our anti heroes are. 

Beef is a great watch. It is a dark comedy with so much depth, nuance, and great grandeur - especially in the opening titles sequences. The show lends itself to plenty of discussion surrounding class, integrity, and one’s capacity to heal. This show makes you rethink and arguably dismantle the idea of a  “good” or “bad”person. We all are trying to hold onto  to the best versions of ourselves while life is violently tugging us in the other direction . The show explores — and we aught to as well — when and why do we decide to put up the fight just a little bit longer.