“It’s a powerful vehicle for collective empathy,” says Barry Jenkins. We will have to see it
I admit that I didn’t like the “live-action” reboot (so to speak) of ‘The Lion King’. It seemed empty of life, without much grace, lacking charisma. Therefore, and despite the promise of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs and Barry Jenkins’ direction, I have not been excited by the promises of ‘Mufasa’, its prequel. And yet, there is something about her director’s passion in defending her that makes me endlessly curious.
My lion, my lioness
In https://twitter.com/BarryJenkins/status/1784960376502911136the user @midereres_k responded to Jenkins saying that “You are too good and talented for this soulless Iger machine.”, something to which the director of ‘Moonlight’ responded. And how.
There is nothing soulless about ‘The Lion King’. For decades children have sat in movie theaters around the world experiencing collective grief for the first time, entering Shakespeare for the first time, passing through the aisles in a myriad of languages. A powerful vehicle for collective empathy.
The fight continued when Q. Anthony Ali, a journalist, told him that he interviewed him at TIFF for ‘Moonlight’ and “That Barry Jenkins would never have said what you just said.”, stating that he was defending the film for cashing the check. And of course the director responded by saying “Dude, what kind of logic is that?” and sharing different things he did at the same time as the Oscar-winning film: short films he made with skate clubs about haunted houses, massive birthday parties and even wedding congratulations.
Children have featured prominently in every project from ‘Moonlight’ until now without exception. Like… DUDE. You can say what you want about the movie, but telling ME that something I’VE SAID about why it means something to me for kids is a LIE? No Uncle.
So much defense for ‘Mufasa’? At the very least, it has my curiosity. We’ll see if he fulfills it.
In Espinof
