Watch + Play List | September 2024
we gettin' real multi-cultural up in here
Hello, darlings!
Anybody else got whiplash from September? I felt like I was oscillating between feeling like I was thriving and feeling like I was drowning every other week. Maybe it was eclipse season. Maybe it was the sudden shift from blue skies to overcast skies. Music really helped me get through this month, and I was re-energized after recently attending a workshop for women directors, which inspired me to get back into studying films instead of watching the usual comfort shows and trashy reality TV as background noise to disassociate from reality :)
Multicultural Coming-of-Age films
Green Days by The River (2017)
Set in 1950s Trinidad, Green Days by The River is a film adaptation of the novel of the same name written by Trinidadian writer Michael Anthony, that follows a teenage boy Shellie, as he grapples with caring for his ill father, trying to earn a living to support his family and a love triangle between a Black girl and a Dougla (half Black/half Indian) girl whose father takes him under his wing. This was an absolutely gorgeous film, the composition and lush greenery of Trinidad added a richness to this story that left me wanting to get my hands on this novel and rewatch the film after I read it, as I am wont to do.
Ayanda (2015)
Ayanda is an unconventional 21-year-old woman who creates upcycled furniture out of her deceased father’s mechanic shop in Johannesburg, South Africa. When her father’s shop faces financial difficulties and is at risk of closing down, Ayanda works with two mechanics in the shop to devise a plan to save the shop—but some revelations along the way make the push to honor her father’s legacy a challenge.
Yuni (2021)
Like Ayanda, Yuni follows a girl who defies stereotypes, but Yuni’s world could not be more different from Ayanda’s. Yuni is in her senior year at an Indonesian Islamic high school, where it is a normal thing to threaten girls with “virginity tests.” Yuni is unconcerned with these threats and instead focuses her attention on taking adventures away from her hometown, stealing anything that is the color purple, and exploring her budding sexuality. In a culture where marrying off girls before they become women is a norm, Yuni finds herself rejecting numerous marriage proposals in hopes of attending university and leaving the town where she feels stifled. Her sense of individuality and strength of character keep her from being overly concerned with the opinions of the people in her community who are more traditional, but not without difficulties.
Jinn (2018)
Another film about a Muslimah teenager but under slightly less repressive circumstances. Summer is a 17-year-old girl who lives in LA and loves dancing and flirting, but her carefree spirit is tested when her mother, a popular meteorologist, converts to Islam and expects Summer to do the same. A self-proclaimed “Halal Hottie,” Summer’s contradictions mirror that of a Jinn, a creature believed to be made of fire and air that lives among human beings and can cause harm. Most teens struggle to figure out their identity and go through periods where they can’t stand their moms, but doing this while also converting to a new religion makes this period even more complicated. Which brings me to…
A documentary you should put on your radar
Crows Are White (2022)
Clearly, Islam was a theme in my watching habits this month. Some of this was coincidental, but I also have been thinking a lot about how faith, ritual, and tradition are married to one another in this specific religion, which is subject to egregious hatred and bigotry. In Crows Are White, Muslim filmmaker Ahsen Nadeem seeks guidance in a Japanese monastery in hopes of finding answers that will help him reconcile his identity and desires with his religion and cultural background. The only problem is that the only monk who will help him is also grappling with some of these issues, leading to a genuine friendship between the two where they bond over ice cream, rock out to heavy metal, and confide in one another. This film asks many important questions about the parts of ourselves that our beliefs may require us to abandon. I think anyone who has followed a religion can relate to this story, regardless of their faith. I had the pleasure of watching this film at Nukhu Fest, where it won Best NuVee. The film is no longer on Nukhu, but keep it on your radar for a theatrical or streaming release soon.
A docuseries you can and should watch right now.
Stax: Soulsville U.S.A. (2024)
Aside from seeing this label on some of my vinyl records, I did not know much about the history of the independent R&B/soul record label Stax, and that may be by design. Founded in the 1950s in Memphis, Stax Records was a racially integrated label whose legendary roster included the likes of Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes. Everybody has heard of Motown, but few people know about Stax's influence on Motown and many of the artists from that era. It was interesting to learn about the racial dynamics of an integrated label in a segregated city, especially during the events leading up to Dr. King’s assassination at the Lorraine Motel which was a place of refuge for Stax Records artists and employees because it was one of the only establishments in Memphis that allowed Black and white people to commingle.
I also learned about Wattstax, a benefit concert held at a held at the Los Angeles Memorial coliseum to commemorate the seven year anniversary of the Watts riots. Wattstax has often been called “The Black Woodstock”, similar to 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, the subject of Summer of Soul (another excellent documentary). There is a film about Wattsax that was released in 1973 that I will watch at some point. The imagery from the documentary showed how powerful, loving, carefree and beautiful Black folks can be when we come together. Unfortunately, shortly after this festival, Stax Records slowly when into decline. After their Black Vice President Al Bell, bought founder Jim Stewart out of his share of the company, he went through some SHIT trying to keep the label together. It’s a shame how common these kind of stories are for Black businesses and artists but I’m glad many of the key players are still alive to tell their story.
Before we get into the playlist, we must discuss Alligator Bites Never Heal
I spent the first half of this month burning a hole throuh Doechii’s debut LP Alligator Bites Never Heal. If you haven’t listened yet, stop snoozing! Doechii is a wordsmith, a songtress, an entertainer, a rapper’s rapper, a phenom, she is the moment and the future. This album is an instant classic. There is an authenticity, swagger, and rawness in her approach to music walks in the tradition of hip-hop giants who paved the way for her. It’s refreshing to see young artists still care about the craft, whose expressiveness extends beyond catchy phrases, punchlines and tropes. I’m so excited for her! May she stay protected and connected to the source.
And now to the playlist….
If you’re new here (hiii new subs, thank you for being here!) my playlists are meant to be played without shuffle. I am an ex-DJ and musician who is very meticulous about how I sequence my playlists, I care a lot about the connective tissue between tracks. I don’t create playlists, I create experiences. We start a lil funky and soulful, then we bop to some tracks best played while tipsy at a pool party or on a rooftop. The bops glide into a groove of deep, house, progressive Cape Verdean house, and a Katryanada and Tame Impala track that sounds exactly how you think it does. After that we’re transported to futuristic disco-esque indie pop before taking a detour to alté with a splash of amapiano. We transition to doo wop influenced R&B and hip-hop and take a quick breath with a French indie track before getting into some sing-rap girlies and vibey R&B.
Enjoy!
If you liked this post, check out previous Watch + Play Lists
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With love,
LaChelle
You have some really good recommendations here. Thanks!
I’m excited to watch these. As an astrologer, I could see how bananas the last couple weeks of September would be (and wrote about it!), but as a human, there’s no amount of humanly sight I can have that would’ve prepared me for exactly how chaotic this time would be. I’m excited to get into these coming of age films you recommended so I can dive into their world for a bit.