REVIEW - MOTHER OF GEORGE

A struggle between right and wrong is twisted and obscured into a struggle between custom and reform, between Africa and America, between woman and man. Common sense and justice may be matters of the head, but they impact upon the heart when they are bypassed. The same might be claimed of tradition and loyalty, and of respect for one's culture and one's history, but it is only the open, honest, liberal mind that can perceive the benefits in both, and perceive that they need not struggle against one another. Danai Gurira is so soft and subtle as Adenike, a woman caught in a silent conflict between her own thoughts and opinions and the deluge of external influences those around her so arrogantly feel the right to impose upon her. In her quiet, stoic openness, she presents Adenike not as a unique figure but as an emblem of millions of women in her exact situation, for not all of whom the outcome may be so fortunate. And still, she is generous to the character and respectful of her, so while she may outwardly depict Adenike's inwardness, she emerges not as a martyr nor a political tool on the writer's behalf, but as an individual. It is her compelling interior story and the precision with which dynamics between characters are drawn which make Mother of George worth a watch, for anyone interested in social politics, cinema or even a good story. And it is the artsiness of the crew's approach that threatens to diminish this story's effectiveness. Director Andrew Dosunmu and cinematographer Bradford Young have conspired to create a film that is often sensually rapturous, but equally often distancing. It is better not to notice the art at work in enhancing the experience than to continually be drawn back to noticing it first, and appreciating its narrative benefits second, should there even be any. And as Dosunmu brings us back out of Adenike's story time and again, he breaks the spell created by Gurira and her costars, and allows the film to become repetitive and to feel overlong. Darci Picoult's screenplay is smart and sensitive, though at its close falls afoul of the same pretentiousness that afflicted Dosunmu; she starts on the right foot, but ends on the wrong one.