At Seed&Spark there’s very little that interests us more than art which has something of relevance to say about the world we live in, and one of the great and hallowed venues through which to do that is satire. Satire, while so very potent, is a slippery realm to dwell in. A good example of satire that seems like it may very well be slipping about in all sorts of directions is 2008’s “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog.”
In the famous (and in some circles, infamous) hall of Joss Whedon’s “strong female protagonists” one stumbles upon a peculiar outlier: Penny. Passive, precious, pristine Penny. The immediate reaction to a character so lacking in agency is to dismiss her as a the product of a writer so focused on his male hero/villain/anti-hero/anti-villain/NPH-in-adorable-goggles that he never bothered to develop his lead female character into much more than an object for the protagonist to react to. This is a valid interpretation, but not necessarily the only valid interpretation.
Joss Whedon is a gifted deconstructionist, and nearly every facet of “Dr. Horrible” is thoroughly committed to the dismantling of superhero conventions. Penny’s bottomless well of empathy, all her saccharine perfection, it renders her functionally a caricature of the comic book love interest and idealized target of geeky “nice-guy” affection. One wonders though, is satire and meta-commentary a suitable justification for her lack of depth? Is this a clever way of exploring a certain male attitude towards women, or just rationalizations for problematic representation? Though “problematic representation” must be getting a wee bit tired now as far as phrases go, so let’s give the fellow a break: a certain male attitude towards women, or… wankery?
There is a noticeable trend when it comes to satire, in which the audience is liable to either proclaim it some unassailable force field against all potential criticism, to find it in places where it arguably does not exist, or to simply ignore it completely, taking the subject matter at face value. We’d love to facilitate a more nuanced discussion on the form. We’re curious as to what people think of the role, limitations, and possibilities of satire, and if anybody has any interesting points to raise, we’d gladly host their thoughts on our blog. So c’mon, let’s TALK AAAARRRRT!
NRITYAGRAM: For the Love of Dance by Nanette Melville
After seeing a guru performing Odissi Indian dance, Flamboyant Bombay socialite Protima Bedi gave up everything to became a dancer. In 1988, she built the groundbreaking Nrityagram Dance Village near Bangalore, a place where nothing exists, except dance.” These beautiful dancers are her legacy.
The Sound of Small Things by Peter McLarnan
Sam, a hobby musician and copywriter, and Cara, a survivor of a mysterious accident resulting in a loss of hearing, are navigating a fragile young marriage. A series of secrets and interlopers begin to blur the borders of truthful communication between them, upsetting the delicate balance.
WATCH THIS MOVIE ON SEED&SPARK
Stumptown by David Lawless
Surrounded by both life and decay, unsure of what is memory and what is reality a man travels through an unfamiliar city struggling to separate thought from confusion, a fog of recollection that overwhelms his assumptions about past and present.
WATCH THIS MOVIE ON SEED&SPARK
Percival’s Big Night by William Sullivan.
The idiot’s guide to getting your life back on track when the only tools at your disposal are a half-assed BA in Fine Arts, a part time job as a bartender, some really dank weed, a bow tie, and the love of your life who has never noticed you. Until now.
WATCH THIS MOVIE ON SEED&SPARK
Tick Tock Time Emporium by Morgan Faust.
Max’s mom never has enough time. In a strange pawn shop on the edge town, Max finds a man who buys and sells time of all varieties, but getting “enough time” will cost her more than she anticipated.
WATCH THIS MOVIE ON SEED&SPARK
True Colours by Barney Elliott.
Neil picks up his wife Sharon on the way to the supermarket. She can see he has a fat lip, and she’s not buying his story. Inside, Neil’s threshold is tested and Sharon finds him in yet another impossible situation - this time changing their family unit forever.
WATCH THIS MOVIE ON SEED&SPARK
The Black Balloon by Josh Safdie & Benny Safdie.
In a film intended to be for children that turned into a sci-fi urban fable, a stressed man accidentally loses a bouquet of a hundred balloons. In that bouquet, a lone black balloon scurries free from the rest. It dies and comes back to life, returning to the city, cruising for a companion.
Winner of Sundance’s Short Filmmaking Award; this movie can now be watched at SEED&SPARK
Mana’olana: Paddle For Hope by Eve M Cohen.
Join the Mana’olana Pink Paddlers of Maui as they undertake a journey to another Hawaiian Island in traditional outrigger canoes. These women have survived cancer and now their next challenge is to cross the ocean together.
Cafe Regular Cairo by Ritesh Batra.
A young couple find themselves speaking about things they have never spoken about before as they try to find their own place in a changing world.