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I’m not sure that anything could have prepared me for Life is Strange 2. Not the first game, not it’s prelude chapter (The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit), nor anybody I knew who playing the game. Nothing. I am emotionally broken and it’s a much different feeling from playing the first Life is Strange, because this time it felt personal. So much so, that it completely caught me off guard, making every chapter harder than the last.
A Tale of Two Brothers
Life is Strange 2 borrows a lot from its predecessor, including the excellent writing of its characters and the dramatic weight of its narrative. In an effort to make the story even more intense, it deviates from the small-town drama of Arcadia Bay and focuses on xenophobia spread throughout America. Players take the role of Sean Diaz, who through an unfortunate incident discovers his younger brother, Daniel, has powers and the two of them are forced to run away from the police.
These opening moments of Life is Strange 2 perfectly illustrates today’s America. A place where racism is hidden under the guise of patriotism. Where immigrants aren’t given the benefit of the doubt because it’s automatically assumed they are dangerous. Where a cop sees a situation, pulls out his gun on unarmed civilians and someone ends up getting shot. It’s unfortunately timely, all too familiar, and very, very real. And for many people of color, we see stories like this every day and every day we are forced to ask ourselves…“Will this be me?”
Here’s the thing about the game. It’s not just the relevance of illegal immigration and rampant racism in America that hits the hardest. It’s the tale of these two Mexican-American brothers just trying to survive in a world that actively hates them. I am the oldest of two younger brothers and two younger sisters – all of us Black. Being born first, I can tell you that there are certain frustrations and responsibilities that come with that role. You’re asked to be patient with your siblings, set an example, teach them, and most of all, protect them in the absence of your parents.
There’s so much about this game that felt real, that felt familiar. The relationship between Sean and Daniel mimics so much of my own with my brothers and sisters. Honestly, I didn’t expect to be playing Life is Strange 2 and have it take a deep dive into some of my greatest fears as an older brother, which is failing to keep them safe. Watching these boys go through the nightmarish hell that the game presents is something I never want to truly experience, but the truth of the matter is that it’s all entirely possible.
Playing as Sean, I stepped right into that time where I actively looked after my siblings as they were growing up. I remember getting into arguments with my mother because it always felt like my younger siblings were given more slack than I ever was. I remember walking my brothers to school every morning, making sure they got there safely. I remember always having to be an extension of my parent’s lessons, reminding them what’s right and wrong, especially when they wouldn’t listen.
The scariest part of playing Life is Strange 2 is that I have thought about a world where my parents just weren’t there anymore. In a world where immigrants and Black people are being murdered in the streets by ignorant people and even the very systems that are meant to protect us, the harsh reality that my mother, father, or stepfather just might not be there one day was all too possible. Sean’s new reality is my worst fear and as the game goes on, his mission to protect Daniel became harder and harder.
As the player, Life is Strange 2 ask you to make Sean’s mission your mission, which was something I couldn’t help but approach from my own experience as an older brother. I empathized with Sean not being able to reconcile his own feelings with his father’s death. The need to hold it together and take care of Daniel was too great. There is also that delicate balance between trying to keep Daniel in check and giving him the freedom he needs to grow. It’s a frustrating experience because growing up with a younger sibling means that while they look up to you, they rebel against you at the same time. This is especially true when you are trying to teach them.
Even when you’re presented with the choice of having Daniel use or hide his powers, it’s hard to know what kind of person to teach him to be. You want to hold the moral high ground and make Daniel a better person. That’s a mission that, even though my sister is 25 with a kid and my brother just turned 20, I try to strive to achieve. Being the right example for all of them. However, there is so much that gets in the way of doing right by your siblings.
I think a lot about Sean running away after Daniel’s powers manifest and every decision he makes after that. It’s an impossible situation, and I can’t blame him for running away with Daniel. I can’t even blame other players for the choices throughout the game that I didn’t even make. I scoffed towards the end of the last episode where Sean is asked why he didn’t just stay and tell the police they were innocent. There is nothing he could’ve done differently where the system would have given him the benefit of the doubt or let him and his brother stay together.
I have to commend the team at Dontnod for mirroring the ugliest parts of American society and making a game that I could connect to in a way I never thought possible. There is a lot they get right about that responsibility of being an older brother. A lot of games create drama to engage the player. Life is Strange 2 felt like it was meant as a reflection of many people’s experiences, especially many in the Latinx community facing discrimination because of today’s political climate. Life is Strange 2 struck me deep and made me a mess. It felt personal and reminded me of how much I care for my family. I just hope that I did my part in helping them learn, survive, and be good people in a cruel world.
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The post ‘Life is Strange 2’ Struck a Deep, Personal Chord That I Didn’t Expect appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
I’m not sure that anything could have prepared me for Life is Strange 2. Not the first game, not it’s prelude chapter (The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit), nor anybody I knew who playing the game. Nothing. I am emotionally broken and it’s a much different feeling from playing the first Life is Strange, because this time it felt personal. So much so, that it completely caught me off guard, making every chapter harder than the last.
A Tale of Two Brothers
Life is Strange 2 borrows a lot from its predecessor, including the excellent writing of its characters and the dramatic weight of its narrative. In an effort to make the story even more intense, it deviates from the small-town drama of Arcadia Bay and focuses on xenophobia spread throughout America. Players take the role of Sean Diaz, who through an unfortunate incident discovers his younger brother, Daniel, has powers and the two of them are forced to run away from the police.
These opening moments of Life is Strange 2 perfectly illustrates today’s America. A place where racism is hidden under the guise of patriotism. Where immigrants aren’t given the benefit of the doubt because it’s automatically assumed they are dangerous. Where a cop sees a situation, pulls out his gun on unarmed civilians and someone ends up getting shot. It’s unfortunately timely, all too familiar, and very, very real. And for many people of color, we see stories like this every day and every day we are forced to ask ourselves…“Will this be me?”
Here’s the thing about the game. It’s not just the relevance of illegal immigration and rampant racism in America that hits the hardest. It’s the tale of these two Mexican-American brothers just trying to survive in a world that actively hates them. I am the oldest of two younger brothers and two younger sisters – all of us Black. Being born first, I can tell you that there are certain frustrations and responsibilities that come with that role. You’re asked to be patient with your siblings, set an example, teach them, and most of all, protect them in the absence of your parents.
There’s so much about this game that felt real, that felt familiar. The relationship between Sean and Daniel mimics so much of my own with my brothers and sisters. Honestly, I didn’t expect to be playing Life is Strange 2 and have it take a deep dive into some of my greatest fears as an older brother, which is failing to keep them safe. Watching these boys go through the nightmarish hell that the game presents is something I never want to truly experience, but the truth of the matter is that it’s all entirely possible.
Playing as Sean, I stepped right into that time where I actively looked after my siblings as they were growing up. I remember getting into arguments with my mother because it always felt like my younger siblings were given more slack than I ever was. I remember walking my brothers to school every morning, making sure they got there safely. I remember always having to be an extension of my parent’s lessons, reminding them what’s right and wrong, especially when they wouldn’t listen.
The scariest part of playing Life is Strange 2 is that I have thought about a world where my parents just weren’t there anymore. In a world where immigrants and Black people are being murdered in the streets by ignorant people and even the very systems that are meant to protect us, the harsh reality that my mother, father, or stepfather just might not be there one day was all too possible. Sean’s new reality is my worst fear and as the game goes on, his mission to protect Daniel became harder and harder.
As the player, Life is Strange 2 ask you to make Sean’s mission your mission, which was something I couldn’t help but approach from my own experience as an older brother. I empathized with Sean not being able to reconcile his own feelings with his father’s death. The need to hold it together and take care of Daniel was too great. There is also that delicate balance between trying to keep Daniel in check and giving him the freedom he needs to grow. It’s a frustrating experience because growing up with a younger sibling means that while they look up to you, they rebel against you at the same time. This is especially true when you are trying to teach them.
Even when you’re presented with the choice of having Daniel use or hide his powers, it’s hard to know what kind of person to teach him to be. You want to hold the moral high ground and make Daniel a better person. That’s a mission that, even though my sister is 25 with a kid and my brother just turned 20, I try to strive to achieve. Being the right example for all of them. However, there is so much that gets in the way of doing right by your siblings.
I think a lot about Sean running away after Daniel’s powers manifest and every decision he makes after that. It’s an impossible situation, and I can’t blame him for running away with Daniel. I can’t even blame other players for the choices throughout the game that I didn’t even make. I scoffed towards the end of the last episode where Sean is asked why he didn’t just stay and tell the police they were innocent. There is nothing he could’ve done differently where the system would have given him the benefit of the doubt or let him and his brother stay together.
I have to commend the team at Dontnod for mirroring the ugliest parts of American society and making a game that I could connect to in a way I never thought possible. There is a lot they get right about that responsibility of being an older brother. A lot of games create drama to engage the player. Life is Strange 2 felt like it was meant as a reflection of many people’s experiences, especially many in the Latinx community facing discrimination because of today’s political climate. Life is Strange 2 struck me deep and made me a mess. It felt personal and reminded me of how much I care for my family. I just hope that I did my part in helping them learn, survive, and be good people in a cruel world.
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The post ‘Life is Strange 2’ Struck a Deep, Personal Chord That I Didn’t Expect appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
For many of us, movies are more than just entertainment. They’re an escape, a way to see experiences different from our own, and prompts for thinking differently. They’ve been all the more important in these last few months, and will continue to be important in the months and year ahead. And while we can’t currently go to the cinema to watch our movies, home media has been proving an invaluable resource. GKIDS and Shout! Factory are continuing in that vein with a Blu-ray release of one of the most life-affirming, but certainly not sugar-coated, movies I’ve ever seen. Satoshi Kon’s 2003 anime, Tokyo Godfathers.
Satoshi Kon had a heartbreakingly brief life and an even briefer career. He passed away in 2010 at the age of only 46 after directing only four features and a series. But what titles those are! His films take an unflinching look at some of the darker and sadder parts of life, but always tended toward hopefulness in the end. His 1997 feature debut Perfect Blue is one of the most unsettling films in any medium. Kon followed with 2001’s Millennium Actress; both movies look at stardom—specifically the stardom of young women in Japan—from the angles of menace and elegy, respectively.
GKIDS
For his third feature, Tokyo Godfathers, moved in a lighter direction mixing comedy-adventure in with harrowing personal drama. A loose adaptation of Peter B. Kyne‘s novel Three Godfathers, Kon’s film introduces us to three homeless people at Christmastime and their self-imposed quest to find the parents of a newborn baby, evidently abandoned in a dumpster. The three characters form a kind of surrogate family unit and are each living their own lie to hide from shame. As they traverse the snowy streets of Tokyo, the audience learn about how they ended up in their current spot, and they each learn about each other in the process.
First we have Gin, a gruff and grizzled former cycling champ who claims to have lost it all to debtors when his young daughter died. Hana is a trans woman and retired cabaret performer who became homeless and despondent after the death of her boyfriend. And young Miyuki is a teenage girl who ran away from home following a violent argument with her father. All three have chosen to hide from their past and would have remained hidden were it not for the discovery of a baby they name Kiyoko in a dumpster on Christmas Eve.
GKIDS
As with Kon’s other movies, Tokyo Godfathers uses the medium of animation and the inherent un-reality thereof to deal with some weighty and at times heartbreaking topics. Though this movie is certainly a comedy, and a quite broad one at times, it nevertheless discusses family abandonment; postpartum depression, abuse, homophobia, revenge, and even gangland violence. However, to Kon’s credit, he never lets the heaviness of the subject matter get in the way of the comedy; conversely, the zaniness of the situations never demean the gravity of the topics. It’s a brilliant and difficult line to walk.
The story works because the characters—if you’ll excuse the unintentional pun—are so well drawn. Each one is incredibly rounded, flawed, and tragic. Hana is the most outwardly upbeat of the trio, taking it upon herself to not only act as mother to the group but to the baby. It’s Hana who gives Kiyoko her name. At the start of the movie, she’s also the most exaggerated and clowning, but we learn as the movie goes along that she’s not delusional, she’s just hurting and trying to make the best of what she has now.
GKIDS
Gin is a grump who seems to merely tolerate Hana and Miyuki. He wants to get the baby quickly to the authorities and wash his hands of her. But we learn as Tokyo Godfathers goes along that he resents himself for running away from his wife and daughter many years before. In a strange way, Hana and Miyuki fill those roles. We also learn that his actual daughter is named Kiyoko which forces him to relive his past. During one of the story’s strange offshoots, the trio end up in a fancy party for the yakuza and Gin very nearly murders the loan shark “responsible” for his losing everything.
Miyuki in many ways is the typical teenage girl, and the one that least wants to keep the baby. We think she’s unreasonable, but we learn through her encounters that she has trauma from her own parents. Gin and Hana remind her of her parents, and that leads her to run away yet again. But flashbacks tell us her problems with her parents, specifically her father, give us insight into her own shame.
GKIDS
And believe me, this is merely the tip of the iceberg in Tokyo Godfathers. It’s only 92 minutes, and it flies. It’s never at the expense of profound moments, though, and by time we reach the end, which takes a turn toward the dangerous, we have really gone somewhere. Our characters have grown and changed, and the deep revelations go all the way up to the final moments.
Tokyo Godfathers is a beautiful, hilarious movie and one that cemented Satoshi Kon as a visionary and narrative master. His final feature, Paprika, would return to more overt sci-fi, dreamlike visuals; his series Paranoia Agent got to the heart of human fear. But with Tokyo Godfathers, he gave us the down and dirty reality of love and how hard it is to do so. And that’s maybe his most impressive feat of all.
Tokyo Godfathers is available on Blu-ray now from GKIDS and Shout! Factory.
Featured Image: GKIDS
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!
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Munroe Bergdorf, a British model, and transgender activist, who was ousted from a L’Oréal campaign in 2017 for speaking out against systemic racism, announced today that she has a new role with the beauty group as a consultant on its U.K. Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Board.
The news comes days after Munroe called out L’Oréal for gaslighting. The French company shared a social media post that called for solidarity in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement, and Munroe responded by saying “its not ok.”
“Where was my support when I spoke out? Where was my apology?” she wrote in an Instagram post. “This is gaslighting,” said Munroe who noted it would only be a matter of time before “racist brands” saw a window of PR opportunity.
Today Munroe provided an update on her fragmented relationship with the brand, and she says she’s “looking forward to new beginnings.”
“This week, I spoke with L’Oréal Paris new president, Delphine Viguier, who reached out to me directly. We had an open and constructive conversation, she listened to what I had to say and expressed her regret for how the situation was handled three years ago,” Munroe wrote in a statement she shared to Twitter.
I have spoken with @loreal, please swipe for full statement.Thank you everyone for having my back with this matter over the past three years, it hasn't been easy. Looking forward to new beginnings and a new positive relationship with the L'Oreal team.Munroe x pic.twitter.com/DxltLF8Z7j
— Black Lives Matter
(@MunroeBergdorf) June 9, 2020 “As an activist, part of my work is to encourage big businesses to understand their responsibility with regards to diversity and inclusion. It’s imperative that in all industries, a wide range of people from different backgrounds and experiences are in the room at all levels and decision making roles, to reduce oversight and to create a product that is built with all people in mind,” Munroe added.
The change-maker says the consultancy role is the perfect opportunity to practice what she preaches, and she’s hopeful that the opportunity will give her a chance to champion for trans and queer voices in the beauty industry.
The post Munroe Bergdorf Rehired By L’Oréal Paris After Being Fired For Speaking Out On Racism appeared first on Essence.