Domee Shi’s delightful and insightful ‘Turning Red ‘ (2022) is dedicated to our daughters, mothers, aunts and grandmas.
They are the women and girls who take centre stage in the effervescent new Pixar film which introduces Meilin Lee, a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian teen going through some peculiar adolescent changes.
Set in the vibrant city of Toronto where Meilin (Rosalie Chiang) and her overprotective mother Ming Lee (Sandro Oh) manage a temple honouring their ancestor Sun Yee, Meilin can be found doing what teens in the early 2000s do.
As she earns good grades at school, hangs with her girl gang and crushes on the boy band 4*Town, Mei is also careening towards a family legacy that will see her turning into a large red panda whenever she experiences intense emotions.
Though the link to a girl’s first period seems an obvious one, ‘Turning Red ‘ is actually about the weight and wonder of tradition, culture and heritage, the relationship between mothers, daughters and sisters and the awkward, scary, curious, sometimes boy-crazed beauty of teen girls ‘ friendships.
As Mei changes, initially trying to keep the red panda at bay, she is wrapped in all kinds of support.
Some of it domineering, cautious and restrictive. The rest, loving, celebratory and alighting on the fact that women and girls (and everyone) should be allowed to fully and even loudly, if they so wish, express the spectrum of their emotions and creativity.
In patriarchal society, where women are often shamed for expressing both intense positive and negative emotions, ‘Turning Red ‘ is a story about being the giant, red panda when you need and want to be because life is messy and confusing and glorious and yours to experience fully.
Painting these universal themes in the specificity of a Chinese-Canadian family and teen girlhood in the 200os, ‘Turning Red ‘ is something different but familiar, personal but filled with the kind of relatable nostalgia and humanity that will make you smile and maybe even explain who Nelly is.
Written by Shi and Julia Cho and produced by an all-women team, ‘Turning Red ‘ may be a particular treat for moms and their young teens but can truly charm anyone who is open, inquiring and tired of more of the same.
Want to win a movie ticket to see ‘Turning Red ‘ (2022) or a movie of your choice at Ster-Kinekor? Simply answer the following question: The film is set in which Canadian city? Send your full name, cell phone number and your answer to weekender@namibian.com.na. The winner for of the previous competition is Ndaki Haufiku.
– martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com
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