So Here's What Happened

Following its premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival fellow film critic Emily Tannenbaum, joined me for this episode of Carolyn Talks..., to discuss Mass, a film that asks and in a sense answers the question of how do you have the most difficult conversation of your life with the people who possibly hate you the most?Written and directed by Fran Kranz, Mass is an emotionally intense and at times heartrending film centered around four parents having the most difficult conversation of their life, as they grapple with the why and how of a devastating tragedy that strikes their families. Taking place over the course of one day, set in the conference room of a nondescript protestant in a small suburban American town where Linda (Ann Down), Gail (Martha Plimpton), and their husbands Jay (Jason Issacs) and Richard (Reed Birney) are brought together by a mediator for the couples to find some sort of understanding about the grief, anger and confusion they're each dealing with.With just each other to react to and the minimum of props to provide a distraction the cast give extremely impressive performances as their characters go through the ebb and flow of the intense emotions their characters experience in a conversation that seems to go no where. But it's in this apparent cycle that you realize that somethings have no rational explanation. That there will never be satisfactory answers when the lives of children are taken in an instant. That grief is a constant when tragedy is sudden and devastating. With his direction and script Kranz brilliantly shows that life is unpredictable and humanity is fragile, and in order to cherish the memories we have to have to learn how to let go, even when we don't want to.Mass was released in theatres on on October 8, 2021.

In this new episode of So Here's What Happened!, and the second discussion with members of the Nubia & The Amazons creative team, Carolyn and Neysha chat with author Vita Ayala, about the various avenues aspiring writers and artists can enter the comic industry, how Vita got on their own path into working with mega brand DC and Marvel as well as creating their own original work.They of course, got into the ways Vol. 2 of the Fight for Themyscira, Nubia shows that every good leader questions themselves and seeks the wise counsel of their peers, while being able to encourage those who look up to them. In this new issue writer Stephanie Williams, and her creative team show how nuanced and multi-faceted these women are in their speech, leadership and fight styles. But the threat to them grows ever closer as a specter from the past and beyond Doom's Doorway seeks revenge.Nubia & the Amazonsis a mini comic series written by Stephanie Williams and Vita Ayala, with art from artist Alitha Martinez. The creative team for the series also consists of BeccaCareywith lettering, Mark Morales with inks, and Emilio Lopez with coloring.Nubia & The Amazonstakes place after the thrilling events of Infinite Frontier, Nubia becomes queen of Themyscira, but the new title also brings challenges.Check out the links below to follow and learn more about about Vita and their work.Website: DefinitelyVita.comTwitter: @DefinitelyVitaNubia & The Amazonsisavailablewherever comics are sold.

In an almost chilling and unnerving serendipitous coincidence, Frimas the new short film by writer and director Marianne Farley was released for festival audiences, right at the time politicians in Texas passed a bill banning abortions past 6 weeks. Set in Montreal, Canada in the near future, Cara (Karine Gonthier-Hyndman) is a woman who has no choice but to make the extremely dangerous and heartbreaking choice of having an illegal abortion, after the medical procedure has been re-criminalized in the country. In the back of a meat truck, Cara's life forever changes as she comes face-to-face with the stark and grim reality of just how dangerous the abortion ban is. Surrounded by the hanging carcasses of pigs, she's left no choice but to put her trust in Dr. Hubert (Chantal Baril) a complete stranger, whose own fear of being caught and arrested causes friction during their interactions.Though set in Canada, the situation is one that too many women around the world are placed in daily as abortion is either still illegal, or allowed under very specific circumstances deemed appropriate by politicians who know nothing about the women's whose lives they want to control. In our discussion, Marianne and I spoke about the ways society continues to place pressure on women to conform to conservative and cruel ideals, the struggle for bodily autonomy, and women's reproductive rights all around the world.To learn more about FRIMAS, and Marianne's work visit MarianneFarley.comMarianne Farley is a director/screenwriter, producer, and actress from Montreal, Canada. Her second critically acclaimed short film MARGUERITE won over forty awards around the globe and earned an Academy Award® nomination for Best Live Action Short Film in 2019. Marianne is in the post production phase of her first feature film NORTH OF ALBANY (co-written with Claude Brie). Through her production company SLYKID & SKYKID she is also developing the feature films LA FAUCHE (written by Camille Trudel) and À DEMI- SOUPIR (co-written with Claude Brie).