Mars Blue

*This review includes light spoiler regarding the plot* As a non-western fan, the style, cinematography, dialogue seemed all well-put together—not to mention the acting involved (all of them stellar). A clear effort not to denigrate women into simple, submissive side characters were apparent & appreciated, though not completely successful; at the end of the day, both Trudy and Mary are loyal to the men in their lives, around whom their decisions and life paths revolve. Another point on gender that the filmmaker seemed to be trying to make without quite knowing what to say was when the gender nonconforming character of Cuffee, who runs with Love’s gang, is forced to wear a skirt. Cuffee vehemently refuses, and Love gently and firmly insists, saying that it’s ‘for Mary’, who’s (presumably) a cis-woman being held hostage by Buck's gang (who bids Love to do the robbery). Perhaps the filmmaker was trying to demonstrate Cuffee’s gender nonconforming identity by making them take off their bottoms in front of everyone (in particular Jim’s reaction showing the audience that Cuffee’s ‘not a fella’ when it comes to their anatomy), but if that was the intent then the scene falls short in respecting actual TGNC people whose bodies and identities are too often objectified and leered at. Another reviewer made a point about the characters being plucked from various points in history without being given any proper background to what makes them human and extraordinary. I have to agree—I didn’t quite understand why they were given the names of these real-life ‘outlaws’ if we didn’t get to see much of what made them who they were, outside of the quite 2-dimentional narrative shown in the film itself. The disclaimer at the beginning of the film might draw some attention to the real-life counterparts of these fictional characters, but nothing the characters do in the movie inspires a great urge to learn more about them in any significant depth. When it comes to physical violence, film seems to exert some self-control, at least at first blush; but it still has its moments of relishing in a little gratuity & that could be a turn-off for some people—especially those who are tired of seeing BIPOC bodies being brutalized, even at the hands of their own people. All in all, from a purely technical point of view, a very nicely put together film—especially considering that it is the director’s debut piece. I would recommend it to anyone who doesn’t care for nuance, and wants to see a different take on an old genre full of predictable tropes. If you want really good story-telling over suave style and a few well-intentioned but misguided attempts at progress, I’d give it a pass.