Reviews: Winter 2020
The Sista Collective Podcast, BBC
reviewed by Amrita Heer and Simi Lakhani
The Sista Collective is an easy to listen to, comforting podcast that I have thoroughly been enjoying. This podcast has the perfect mix of light-hearted chit-chat and massively relevant and important conversations that aren’t usually talked about in mainstream media.
Most recently they have released an episode all about finding one’s roots and tracing ancestry. It features an open and honest experience of a fifty-year-old woman who went to Jamaica for the first time in her life to visit her roots, discovering stories of her family that she had never heard before. She spoke about her confusion of identity and feelings of neglect whilst tracing her roots, having never visited the country where her parents, aunties, uncles and friends were all from.
She questioned why she has always ignored such a major part of her life and if this was a result of her overpowered British influence, the negative picture her Dad had painted of Jamaica or just her personal mindset. She explained that she felt guilty for visiting places such as India and Europe, and even visiting Canada for a month before going to her parents’ home country.
This raw and emotional confession struck a chord with me; many of us who have roots outside the UK can resonate with the detachment we may have from our heritage as we become more and more influenced by British culture. The colourful and special stories she shares about her family and the country are inspiring. She explains how it is never too late to revisit your roots and truly embrace the beauty of who you are and where you are from. I think this is such an important concept to highlight; as we become more submerged into today’s modern culture this doesn’t take away the importance of your roots and heritage.
With so many more remarkable stories to offer, I could not recommend this podcast enough.
The Book of Collateral Damage, by Sinan Antoon
reviewed by Eva Phillips
The Book of Collateral Damage by Sian Antoon is a unique portrayal of the human cost of the Iraqi War (2003-2011).
The book centres around a double narrative between two characters. The first, Nameer, a professor who moved to America from Baghdad after the first Gulf War. He visits Iraq for the first time since leaving in 2003 working as a translator for an American documentary. On this trip, he meets Wadood, the second narrative character. Wadood is an eccentric bookseller on Al Mutanabbi Street, whose work centres around archiving everything destroyed in the war (from the loss of human life, to animals, to objects).
When they meet, Wadood has managed to catalogue everything lost in the first minute of the war. One can only imagine how immense the work documenting all that was lost during the length of the war would be.
As the novel unfolds, it becomes difficult to tell which aspects of Wadood’s manuscript are truly his own, and which have been altered by Nameer’s personal experiences. It ends up becoming a comingling of reality and unreality. I am to this day still unsure what to make of the last hundred or so pages, but I think that was Antoon’s aim. The way in which he writes transports the reader from Nameer’s current life to excerpts from Wadood’s manuscript, creating a turbulent chronology. This leaves a profound air of uncertainty, reflected both in Nameer’s personal and professional life, and in the turmoil in Iraq. In this sense, this book reflects war itself: brief moments of remembered serenity randomly dispersed within a tumultuous backdrop.
It is easy to forget the humanity that is lost during a war, and not simply see the destruction. The personal possessions, the friendships, the home comforts, the memories - all of these are permanently lost. Antoon forces the reader to remember this emotional and physical cost in a stark and honest way. It is a powerful depiction of the sheer destruction war brings, and the power of human memory in maintaining a semblance of humanity throughout.
Trial of the Chicago 7, Netflix
reviewed by Rebecca Walker
I was initially drawn to Trial of the Chicago 7 by the all-star cast, including big names Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Michael Keaton and Eddie Redmayne.
The premise of the film also intrigued me. Based on true events, the film follows eight men who are charged with conspiracy and more after the anti-Vietnam riot broke out during the National Democratic Convention in Chicago in 1968. Yes, you read that correctly- eight men. You would be right to question then why it is called ‘Trial of the Chicago 7’, but I wouldn’t want to divulge too many spoilers.
Overall, this film is not for light watching. Despite being set over 50 years ago, the themes of police brutality and racism are a poignant reflection of our world today. It was truly shocking to watch the extent to which Bobby Seale, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, was inhumanely treated in the courtroom. As the story unravels in the courtroom with flashbacks of the events leading up to and during the riot, you begin to question the morals and resilience of the men on trial. Did they really come to the National Democratic Convention peacefully? Or was there some ulterior motive for personal gain? As a viewer, this poses the moral question of what to do in the face of difficulty: do we hide or do we stand up and fight for our beliefs at the risk of causing polarising views?
However not all of the film is as intense. True to form, Sacha Baron Cohen offers light relief and some courtroom banter as a show of defiance against the judge - who is played by Frank Langella. On the downside, this contrast between intense philosophical discussions and light-hearted humour slightly removes the gravity of the film’s plot. However, in all honesty, I was grateful for the comic relief particularly knowing the historical accuracy of the plot, adding to the gravitas of the story.
It would be unjust of me as a reviewer to not mention the poignance of the release date of this film coinciding with the presidential election in the United States , in addition to the tragic events of this year surrounding Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. If you are interested in American history neatly tied with a Hollywood bow, Trial of the Chicago 7 may be of interest. From acting to production, it truly is a shame this film did not get its day in cinema.