Salt in Wound

3.5 stars out of 5

Sure, I like popcorn, who doesn’t? But sometimes when I’m about to see a “serious” movie — you know, a heavy one — I wonder, “Is it appropriate for me to be munching popcorn right now?” The thought again crossed my mind as I waited for Blindspotting to begin. Hey, it’s not like I had much of a choice; I’d earned a free regular-size popcorn on my StarPass loyalty card (director level).

Turns out I didn’t have too much to worry about. Oh, from the trailer I’d seen, I was totally expecting an intense film experience. This idea was confirmed a couple of weeks ago when I showed up at a theater that, in addition to what I was seeing, was also holding a special screening of Blindspotting, with people lined up around the block. So this was going to be something important.

Now, it’s a good movie, and I do recommend it, but… much of the film is surprisingly light. You know how a lot of really dramatic movies start off kind of fun and smiley until something BIG happens that alters the protagonist’s life FOREVER? I kept waiting for that transition in Blindspotting, and it really doesn’t come until very deep into the running time. What you’ve basically got here is a buddy comedy ripped from today’s troubled headlines.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Co-stars Daveed Diggs (who I don’t know from Hamilton but I do know from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and newcomer Rafael Casal have an easy rapport. They also wrote this movie, and their banter is a real highlight. I was reminded of early Spike Lee offerings. And Oakland-native Diggs brings a strong sense of place to the project. The movie does touch upon zeitgeist issues such as #blacklivesmatter, gentrification, guns, and the penal system/rehabilitation, as well as loyalty, being prejudged by strangers and by friends, and whether it’s possible to reinvent oneself.

Back on the Oakland front: When I saw the trailer, I hoped that Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station) had directed this. Instead, newcomer Carlos López Estrada does an acceptable job, yet I think a more experienced director could’ve massaged the script, filming around some of the too-obvious plot moments. For example, the big climax, while powerful, just didn’t ring true.

I do envision Diggs and Casal improving as storytellers and screenwriters, and I look forward to their future work — with or without popcorn.

4 stars out of 5

Donald Trump will likely not be seeing this documentary, because it was produced by CNN Films. (“Fake movies!”) But many of the rest of you will find this fascinating.

No big spoilers here. When I watched the trailer, I stopped it when a woman says, “That’s when things got really funky.” But the set-up is freaky enough. It’s 1980, a guy shows up at college, and everybody recognizes him though he’s never been there before. Turns out his identical brother, whom he had no idea existed, had attended the college the previous year. (Why was the current student first showing up as a sophomore? I don’t think the film answered this, and I found it distracting.)

The story gets news coverage. Somebody sees a photo in the newspaper and, hey, they look exactly like a buddy of theirs. So, three identical brothers separated at birth by adoption. Then there’s a media frenzy. Everybody loves the story and loves the boys and they love each other. They’re the toast of New York City, partying nonstop, appearing on every talk show, eventually opening a restaurant called Triplets.

This first half of the movie is so frothy and fun and funny. I was laughing and clapping my hands. They’re suburban New York Jews, so I felt like I knew these guys, and the wild enthusiasm of their reunion is positively infectious. Many clips and photos from the 1980s and early 1990s add to the goofy charm.

But then things really get funky. And pretty dark. So I’m not going to get into any of that, as it would ruin the movie for you. I will say that the film deals with some serious topics: nature vs. nurture, family dynamics, mental health, class differences, etc. The director skillfully parcels out details to build the mystery, using flashbacks (not real common in documentaries) as reinforcement. And we also see, not that we need another reminder, that solid, serious journalism is so very important to society. Of course, the one guy who needs that reminder probably isn’t going to watch the movie.