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FILM REVIEW: The Roads Not Taken

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The main problem for this well-intentioned project, by writer director Sally Potter (Orlando), is that it focuses on a writer who second guesses the choices he has made in life. Many of them selfish. He stopped to form a family, but there is no indication that he appreciates what he has. It’s easy to sympathize with the disease. Not so much with the self-involved man. A touch more empathy might be placed with his daughter, but in ways her ineptness tests your patience too. A responsible person, when taking a man with cognitive deficits into a store, would watch him like a hawk. She flubs that.

Published

5 years ago

March 13, 2020

Oakland Post

Javier Bardem and Elle Manning in The Roads Not Taken

By Dwight Brown, NNPA Newswire Film Critic

It’s a character study. One that marks the spaces in between conversations. The silences, moans and groans. It’s about someone living in a parallel world of dreams and a patchwork of memories.

Leo (Javier Bardem), a writer, is suffering from dementia. Barely able to live on his own. Tended to by a caregiver. His life is managed by his twentysomething daughter Molly (Elle Fanning), a journalist, who is torn between her career and his day-to-day needs. She is bewildered by his lapses. Molly: “Where have you been all day dad?”

Javier Bardem and Selma Hayek in The Roads Not Taken

Exasperation comes with the territory. Leo is oblivious to the amount of attention he needs and the time she gives him. He’s floating in and out of reality—more and more. And on this day, his determined offspring is taking him to the dentist and other appointments. Their story is told over a 24-hour period.

The main problem for this well-intentioned project, by writer director Sally Potter (Orlando), is that it focuses on a writer who second guesses the choices he has made in life. Many of them selfish. He stopped to form a family, but there is no indication that he appreciates what he has. It’s easy to sympathize with the disease. Not so much with the self-involved man. A touch more empathy might be placed with his daughter, but in ways her ineptness tests your patience too. A responsible person, when taking a man with cognitive deficits into a store, would watch him like a hawk. She flubs that.

Javier Bardem stars as “Leo” in director Sally Potter’s THE ROADS NOT TAKEN, a Bleecker Street release. Credit : Manolo Pavon / Bleecker Street

Plausibility isn’t a major concern in Potter’s underdeveloped script. Sympathetic characters also are not high on that list. She guides the actors like a drama coach working with students, rather than an astute director helping Oscar-caliber professionals find the core of their characters. Her process of taking this well-intentioned premise from story to script to screen seems like it skipped a couple of steps.

Bardem’s interpretation of what’s on the page is as well formed as it can be. He searches for depth that doesn’t exist in this fairly shallow role. In the film The Sea Inside, Bardem played a quadriplegic with even less control of his body and could only use his head to communicate. He was far more expressive in that movie largely because its screenplay and direction gave him the tools he needed to do a stellar job.

Fanning seems to grasp at straws. Laura Linney plays her mother like she is doing an off- Broadway play. It’s a very studied performance that never finds the emotional core of the estranged wife. Selma Hayek, as Leo’s old girlfriend, is wasting her talent.

Elle Fanning stars as “Molly” in director Sally Potter’s THE ROADS NOT TAKEN, a Bleecker Street release. Credit : Jeong Park / Bleecker Street

The artistry that surrounds this family portrait is impeccable. Subtle string music cries and sings a constant dirge (composer Sally Potter). The colors (salmon and lime colored walls) are so beautiful that they almost steal your eyes away from the story (art directors Bárbara Perez-Solero and Linda Wilson). Leo’s New York apartment, his old house in Mexico, a waterside bar in Greece, a seedy NYC garage—they all represent his surroundings and backlight his tale in the most atmospheric ways (production designer Carlos Conti, The Mustang; set decorators Deila Picirilli and Linda Wilson).

The lighting, which is equally exquisite, flatters the deep crevices of Bardem’s aging face. The composition of each shot is pure art, from hallways, to bedrooms, to kitchens (cinematographer Robbie Ryan, The Favourite)

Maybe if Leo was so evil in his last life, his current purgatory would be karmic and more compelling to watch. Maybe if he had been a saintly man previously, the tragedy of his current situation would be absolutely heartbreaking. Neither is the case.

As is, audiences may find it a struggle to like Leo. A struggle to like the film. That’s unfortunate, since so many adults are becoming caregivers to parents with dementia. This could have been a road map for many. Instead it ends at a fork in the road.

Visit NNPA News Wire Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com and BlackPressUSA.com.

Oakland Post

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Black Feminist Movement Mobilizes in Response to National Threats

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States.

Published

7 days ago

May 30, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States. The event, led by the organization Black Feminist Future, is headlined by activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis. Paris Hatcher, executive director of Black Feminist Future, joined Black Press USA’s Let It Be Known to outline the mission and urgency behind the gathering, titled “Get Free.” “This is not just a conference to dress up and have a good time,” Hatcher said. “We’re building power to address the conditions that are putting our lives at risk—whether that’s policing, reproductive injustice, or economic inequality.” Hatcher pointed to issues such as rising evictions among Black families, the rollback of bodily autonomy laws, and the high cost of living as key drivers of the event’s agenda. “Our communities are facing premature death,” she said.

Workshops and plenaries will focus on direct action, policy advocacy, and practical organizing skills. Attendees will participate in training sessions that include how to resist evictions, organize around immigration enforcement, and disrupt systemic policies contributing to poverty and incarceration. “This is about fighting back,” Hatcher said. “We’re not conceding anything.” Hatcher addressed the persistent misconceptions about Black feminism, including the idea that it is a movement against men or families. “Black feminism is not a rejection of men,” she said. “It’s a rejection of patriarchy. Black men must be part of this struggle because patriarchy harms them too.” She also responded to claims that organizing around Black women’s issues weakens broader coalitions. “We don’t live single-issue lives,” Hatcher said. “Our blueprint is one that lifts all Black people.”

The conference will not be streamed virtually, but recaps and updates will be posted daily on Black Feminist Future’s YouTube channel and Instagram account. The event includes performances by Tank and the Bangas and honors longtime activists including Billy Avery, Erica Huggins, and Alexis Pauline Gumbs. When asked how Black feminism helps families, Hatcher said the real threat to family stability is systemic oppression. “If we want to talk about strong Black families, we have to talk about mass incarceration, the income gap, and the systems that tear our families apart,” Hatcher said. “Black feminism gives us the tools to build and sustain healthy families—not just survive but thrive.”

Stacy M. Brown

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Hoover’s Commutation Divides Chicago as State Sentence Remains

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Hoover was convicted of murder and running a criminal enterprise. Although some supporters describe him as a political prisoner, the legal and public safety concerns associated with his name remain substantial.

Published

1 week ago

May 29, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

The federal sentence for Gangster Disciples founder Larry Hoover has been commuted, but he remains incarcerated under a 200-year state sentence in Illinois. The decision by Donald Trump to reduce Hoover’s federal time has reignited longstanding debates over his legacy and whether rehabilitation or continued punishment is warranted. The commutation drew immediate public attention after music executive Jay Prince and artist Chance the Rapper publicly praised Trump’s decision. “I’m glad that Larry Hoover is home,” said Chance the Rapper. “He was a political prisoner set up by the federal government. He created Chicago Votes, mobilized our people, and was targeted for that.”

But Hoover, the founder of the Gangster Disciples, is not home—not yet. Now in federal custody at the Florence Supermax in Colorado, Hoover was convicted of murder and running a criminal enterprise. Although some supporters describe him as a political prisoner, the legal and public safety concerns associated with his name remain substantial. “There is a divide in the Black community here,” said Chicago journalist Jason Palmer during an appearance on the Let It Be Known morning program. “Some view Hoover as someone who brought structure and leadership. Others remember the violence that came with his organization.” Palmer explained that while Hoover’s gang originally formed for protection, it grew into a criminal network responsible for extensive harm in Chicago. He also noted that Hoover continued to run his organization from state prison using coded messages passed through visitors, prompting his transfer to federal custody.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who is widely considered a potential 2028 presidential contender, has not issued a statement. Palmer suggested that silence is strategic. “Releasing Hoover would create enormous political consequences,” Palmer said. “The governor’s in a difficult spot—he either resists pressure from supporters or risks national backlash if he acts.” According to Palmer, Hoover’s federal commutation does not make him a free man. “The federal sentence may be commuted, but he still has a 200-year state sentence,” he said. “And Illinois officials have already made it clear they don’t want to house him in state facilities again. They prefer he remains in federal custody, just somewhere outside of Colorado.”

Palmer also raised concerns about what Hoover’s case could signal for others. “When R. Kelly was convicted federally, state prosecutors in Illinois and Minnesota dropped their charges. If a president can commute federal sentences based on public pressure or celebrity support, others like R. Kelly or Sean Combs could be next,” Palmer said. “Meanwhile, there are thousands of incarcerated people without fame or access to public platforms who will never get that consideration.” “There are people who are not here today because of the violence connected to these organizations,” Palmer said. “That has to be part of this conversation.”

Stacy M. Brown

Posts by Stacy M. Brown

#NNPA BlackPress

WATCH: Five Years After George Floyd: Full Panel Discussion | Tracey’s Keepin’ It Real | Live Podcast Event

Join us as we return to the city where it happened and speak with a voice from the heart of the community – Tracey Williams-Dillard, CEO/Publisher of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

Published

1 week ago

May 28, 2025

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=OsNLWTz6jU0&feature=oembed

May 25, 2020. The world stopped and watched as a life was taken.

But what has happened since?

Join us as we return to the city where it happened and speak with a voice from the heart of the community – Tracey Williams-Dillard, CEO/Publisher of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

She shares reflections, insights, and the story of a community forever changed. What has a year truly meant, and where do we go from here?

This is more than just a date; it’s a moment in history. See what one leader in the Black press has to say about it.

Recorded live at UROC in Minneapolis, this powerful discussion features:

Panelists: