Marsha on the Move: February 2023 Views

When Business Council of Westchester President Marsha Gordon is not advocating for businesses in the County, she can be found at the cinema or theater. Her “Marsha on the Move” column appears monthly in ArtsNews.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Netflix)

I must admit that I don’t truly remember the original Disney movie…and I did know that director Guillermo Del Toro’s version was much different anyway. However, I was not prepared for the incredible sadness of a man losing a child (which threw me into overwhelming agony), viewing the movie through a political and anti-fascist lens, or the theme of death and rebirth.  The rest is familiar: the nose, the lying, the wooden puppet trying to be a real boy… The animation is incredible, as is the creativity that went into taking a much-loved character and turning him into something “more meaningful.”

I guess all in all, for me, the simpler was more enjoyable.  So for this being a well-done, it was a thumbs up… but for a Sunday afternoon on which I was seeking to unwind, I’d have gone another direction.

The Swimmers (Netflix)

This could be seen as just a feel-good movie about two young women swimmers who escape from Syria and guide a “boat” of fellow refugees to safety and persevere through many challenges of every type…and that would be enough to make this an enjoyable view.  But the larger picture of the horrid conditions that the refugees in this world endure is the important part of this film. It endeavors to have us even begin to understand the horrific journeys that millions are willing to make in order to achieve freedom.

The Fabelmans (Currently in Theaters)

This is called a semi-autographical movie by Steven Spielberg, but in researching his life it appears to be very true to his experience.  For me, this was a period piece about growing up in a Jewish environment in the ‘60s. Much of the conversation, culture, and unfortunately even the anti-Semitism, felt familiar.

At a young age, Sammy (Gabriel LaBelle) had the ability to see and express things through film and change peoples’ perception of others and themselves.  At home, there are complicated family dynamics – dysfunctional, some would say – but also great love, devotion and encouragement. I especially loved the relationship between Sammy and his artist mother (played by Michelle Williams), who understood her son’s artistic talent and, despite the more “practical” leanings of his father (played by Paul Dano), was an advocate for his filmmaking.

There is sadness in this family, and also fierce love, all of which shaped Sammy’s views on life and gave us, through Spielberg, incredible movies that we all enjoy and which have become part of our culture.

While this movie may not rise to the top of that list, The Fabelmans sheds great light on the well-known director Spielberg… and the environment in which he developed and grew. This movie was a bit slow at times, but a worthwhile film experience.