I saw two movies yesterday that made me cry. The first one was really bad. Said movie based on a hit play of the same name is titled: Diary of An Angry Black Woman. The movie is about a black woman who is trying to find her way in the world after being dumped unceremoniously by her husband for another woman after 18 years of marriage. The story is a good one, but I got annoyed with the antics of the grandmother character – really caricature. Her advice and actions were totally over the top and played into previously depicted stereotypes of an overweight and loudmouth elderly black woman. Looking past this major flaw -- really distraction, the movie still managed to tug at my heart and brought the tears flowing because it made me think about the complex relationships in my own family. I also cried because it made me thing about everything that had gone both wrong and right in my relationship with Racquetball Guy.
The second movie titled: Hotel Rwanda provides a glimpse of what happened during the Spring of 1994 when a civil war between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority broke out in Rwanda which resulted in close to one million people being murdered. The story focuses of Paul Rusesabagina the Hutu manager of the four-star Hotel Des Milles Collines who manages to save the lives of about 1200 Tusti people from being murdered when he welcomes them into the hotel as guests after the white westerners have been safely evacuated leaving them behind without protection. This movie brilliantly executed and for which Don Cheadle should have won an Oscar, kept the tears flowing. It also once again confirmed for me that while I've had to deal with a number of difficult situations during the course of my life, there are others out there who have it a lot harder. Thus, I should be thankful for all my blessing. Also, that even though governments say “never again” when it comes to human rights atrocities on this grand scale (think slavery, holocaust, etc.), those in power who can possibly help (think first world nations like US, Great Britain, etc.), usually turn their back and that is a very sad thing.
Do you have any familiarity with the Madea character at all? She's SUPPOSED to be over the top, as portrayed by Tyler Perry! It's a COMEDIC caricature! If Black People can't laugh at themselves, then what a sad state we are in indeed.
Veli: I realize that the Madea character is suppose to be a comedic caricature. My point is that it takes away from the movie. It's a total distraction. Furthermore, I do know a lot of older black woman and in a situation of this kind, I don't think any of them would give the kind of advice she gave.