The Invite

 

Did you grow up watching parents wander through each day, miserable with their lives but unwilling to change it? The Invite may or may not be for you, depending on if you care about seeing their possible perspective. This film was a slightly uncomfortable watch full of secondhand embarrassment. 

The main couple, Angela and Joe, are stuck in a loveless marriage but trying to keep it together otherwise they'll have to change. 

Angela is in short, a perfectionist. She has a degree that's gathering dust. She's a stay-at-home mom to a child that doesn't need a stay-at-home mom anymore. The only thing holding her together is the apartment. She has complete control over the whole home. She's renovated it from top to bottom, picked out the wall paint, found the perfect accent pieces. The home is her new baby. She wants it to be absolutely perfect. The whole apartment looks like it's trying to sell you something. She won't let it feel lived in because then it won't be picture perfect. 

Joe's biggest crime is that he is far too passive. It's clear he doesn't contribute to the home, even failing to form an opinion on paint when Angela truly asks for it. He just passes through the days; he lets his passion for music flitter out. Joe isn't even involved in the finances despite being the only one with a job at their one income home. He lets Angela handle it all but at least has enough sense to try and ask about expensive pieces that appear in their home simply because company is coming. He doesn't actively listen to Angela and her interests, but he doesn't bother engaging in his own interests either. 

Together they form a loveless marriage that is held together by their kid. One thing I'm grateful for is that their kid, Maggie, never makes an appearance. She is referred to by name but never shown on screen. They script is well written enough to still have her be an impactful character without physically being present. 

Pina and Hawk, the foil characters, are the polar opposite of Joe and Angela. They are deeply in love with each other and open to change. They don't care for perfectionism, instead just focusing on being happy. They pull each other into their world while still being able to have an identity outside of one another. They have an active social life and try to encourage others to have one as well. They actively listen to both each other plus Joe and Angela. They don't hide their thoughts or emotions behind a wall to try to maintain peace. They share it in order to help overcome the issues. Honesty is something they both deeply value. Hawk even makes a point to express how much he appreciates Joe for not hiding his feelings very well because he enjoys the honesty. Pina and Hawk care about having a positive impact on the people around them, but they also put in the work to do that without trying to be something they aren't.

This tiny cast makes an impactful film. Complete with incredible performances, a killer script, and wonderful music composition, this film is a must watch if you're a fan of drama. The ending leaves something to be desired, but it's impossible to change your whole life in one night so it is certainly a realistic ending that forces you to determine your own future for the characters. 

If you're stuck in a marriage with someone you don't love, my advice. Don't stay together for the kid(s). They know, and they hate it. 

-Lucy

Supergirl

 

Supergirl feels like a movie I've seen before. It's a film about a 23-year-old woman that is traumatized and alone trying to avoid finding her roots for fear that she'll lose them again. She has her dog, Krypto, and that's all she needs it doesn't matter if she still feels alone. 

The film changes Kara's backstory to better fit the story being told. I don't think the changes are terrible, I actually think they better fit the modern age than her comic origin story. The new origin also helps answer questions viewers had after Superman (2025). The new origin displays Kara as an immigrant that came to Earth in order to survive radiation poisoning. Her father was a scientist that wanted to help people, he saved part of Krypton, Argon, but was unaware of the future radiation poisoning. He saved Kara so she could help carry on Krypton's legacy with peace and hopefully help Kal-el be on the right path despite what his parents had wanted.

"We have to believe there's a future here"

Argon was a small piece of Krypton that was saved from planet's implosion by Kara's father. It's origins in the comics are a tad bit different, but all things must change to fit new mediums. We only got to explore Argon through Kara's eyes. There is much I wish we had gotten the chance to explore. How did they grow food? How did they stabilize the economy after Krypton's implosion? Where did they keep the animals prior to implosion? I mean they all went into the middle of a city when the shields went up, where were the animals hidden? How did they protect themselves from outside threats? Did anyone know that they were there? Did they have trade routes established? Likely not to that last point, otherwise Kara wouldn't be the last true Kryptonian.

After living on Argon in wealth Kara learned what it was to suffer. She watched her neighbors and family die from radiation poisoning; she got to experience what remained of Krypton and its culture until its dying breath. All that remains as a reminder of her home is Krypto and her memory. That's more than enough to traumatize anyone. She vaguely attempts to hide it behind a party girl persona, but it's not fooling anyone. 

I love how they used Ruthie as a foil character to Kara. She's suffered similar to Kara, but Kara ultimately chooses to help preserve Ruthie's 'purity.' Kara lived in her anger and suffering; she didn't want Ruthie to do that to. She wanted Ruthie to be able to continue seeing the good in the world around her because Kara can't.

The soundtrack was a character all its own. The movie opens with "This Summer" by Sleigh Bells, showing Kara off as carefree with Krypto. Each song helps complete the scene that it appears in, while giving further insight to Kara. The music is a reflection of whatever she's feeling in the moment throughout the whole movie. We hear anger and rage during her fights. We hear sorrow and pain when she worries about Krypto and remembers Argon. The movie would not be the same without the soundtrack, unfortunately I feel that it carries a huge part of the movie on its back. 

At the end of the day, the movie helps answer a simple question. How far are you willing to go to save the only thing you have left? Kara was willing to go pretty damn far, and honestly, I wouldn't have done anything different if I was in her position. 

As a viewer I have lingering questions. Why was Lobo so heavily featured in the marketing? Where was Ruthie in the marketing? Will Kara try to fit in on Earth, following Clark's rules, or will she find her home off planet? I can't wait to see what happens with her character as time goes on.

This piece could have been so much longer, but I'm really trying to avoid just summarizing the whole movie. I will leave you with this one last thought though. The apartment shown at the end of the movie didn't have a couch and I think that's weird as hell.

-Lucy