Drama, since it’s a reflection of life itself, can be straightforward and reassuring in its simplicity, or complex and discomforting.
For those who prefer the first option, The Golden Anniversaries, currently playing at the Arts Club Granville Island Stage, is a guaranteed success.
The play depicts the marriage of the Goldens over 50 years. Each year, they celebrate their anniversary at a small cottage—the place where they were forced to spend their honeymoon because of a clerical error. The play moves backwards and forwards in time as the couple reminisce about their lives together.
Of course, the idea of presenting a portrait of a marriage is hardly new. It dates back at least to 1950, with The Four Poster, which later formed the basis of the charming musical I Do! I Do!
The Golden Anniversaries offers no surprises as we learn of the challenges the couple have faced over the years—raising children, the temptation of infidelity, misunderstandings, and the realities of aging and illness. There are moments of humour, moments of drama, and moments of sadness.
Married couples will undoubtedly relate to much that is presented in a production which once again displays the high staging values we have come to expect from the Arts Club. Above all, there are winning performances by the two actors, Peter Andersen and Eileen Barrett, who bring a wide range of emotions to their roles and lend authenticity to a charming evening.
Nothing could provide a greater contrast to The Golden Anniversaries than the movie Sinners.
Set in Mississippi in 1932, the film tells the story of twin brothers (played by Michael B. Jordan) who return from Chicago to their birthplace. There, they set about establishing a nightclub devoted to the blues.
What follows is as wild a ride as one might predict, including the brothers’ efforts—Smoke and Stack—to round up staff, considerable violence, highly charged emotions, and even vampires. In short, the film takes viewers on a weirdly unexpected journey, driven throughout by a superb score paying homage to the blues. It is not an easy journey for the viewer.
I found this especially true as, after two viewings, I continued to discover more and more richness in a film that is masterfully directed and written by Ryan Coogler.
In a sense, my reaction surprised me, as I am by no means a fan of horror films. Here, however, I found that aspect an appropriate element in a work that is richly metaphoric in its storytelling. I must also confess to some difficulty in understanding the dialogue, couched as it is in the folk idiom of the Black South. Despite that, I found Sinners to be a film more than worthy of the 14 Oscar nominations it has received.
It is a film I intend to see again. Though I have yet to view several of the other nominated films, I suspect Sinners will receive top honours on Oscar night. Potential viewers should be warned, however: Sinners offers complex and demanding viewing.
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