The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Friday, April 1, 2016 — 5
‘Boy & the World’ is
attractive but flawed
By DANIEL HENSEL
Daily Arts Writer
“Boy & the World,” an ani-
mated Brazilian film directed by
Alê Abreu (“Garoto Cósmico”)
and
nomi-
nated
for
the Academy
Award
for
Best
Ani-
mated
Fea-
ture,
never
lets you go.
It’s one of
those
films
with
pac-
ing so perfect, it’s impossible
to look away. For an essentially
silent film (the only lines of dia-
logue are few and far between,
plus they’re reversed recorded
Portuguese),
that
pacing
is
critical to keeping the story pro-
gressing.
In “Boy & the World,” we fol-
low an unnamed protagonist,
a young stick figure boy from
the countryside whose father,
pressured to work harder, one
day boards a train to head for
the capital. The boy immedi-
ately becomes distressed, see-
ing visions of his father, who
then fades away, leaving the
boy alone. In his rural home,
the animation is simple, bare
and childlike. Small doodles in
wildly varying colors comprise
the grass, houses and clothes.
There, a five-tone folk melody
plays consistently, a recurring
musical cue for the untouched
naturalism of his home and
the melancholic memory of his
father — a well-remembered
and vacant part of his life.
Our protagonist summons
the will to search for his father.
Traveling far from his home,
across the rural landscape, the
boy traces his father’s path to
the grand metropolis. Along the
way, he gains a few companions
who provide him with hous-
ing. In the city, the boy walks
through the vice district, among
rush hour traffic and over-
whelming layers of advertising.
Houses are stacked upon each
other to form impractical, men-
acing towers.
In
this
futuristic
world,
where cities float in glass cap-
sules in the sky and flying sail-
boats are a safe and practical
method of transportation, any-
thing seems possible. But, alas,
it comes with a cost. This we
can determine by the anima-
tion. In the cities, everything
is processed, fake. Abreu uses
magazine cutouts for objects
instead of drawing them, like in
the countryside. Even the news
anchors and models have hair,
lips, eyes cut out from maga-
zines.
While the film’s visual effer-
vescence is quite attractive, the
story suffers from its format.
Dialogue-free,
hand-drawn
films are dangerous; many of
the characters look the same,
and without dialogue as a ref-
erence for characters, a num-
ber
of
scenes
immediately
become confusing, especially
when Abreu uses flashback and
visions to convey ideas. Is this
our protagonist as an older man
or is this his friend? Minor ques-
tions like this bogs down the
film.
Beyond
its
obvious
com-
ing of age message, “Boy & the
World” is primarily an environ-
mental parable. Environmental
destruction is far from subtle;
Abreu would prefer to animate
in broad strokes than leave
interpretation up to the viewer.
One particular scene, a truly
jarring and surprising sequence
of environmental destruction,
clearly demonstrates his inten-
tion. But that’s no hurdle for the
film. This is a serious problem,
especially for Abreu, a Brazilian
who is undoubtedly wary of his
nation’s destruction of the Ama-
zon.
Abreu wears his influences on
his animated shoulders. Chan-
neling the fast-paced, music-
focused animated shorts of Walt
Disney, the stunning large-scale
choreography of Busby Berke-
ley, and the dystopian met-
ropolitan cityscapes of Fritz
Lang, Abreu clearly has a wide
appreciation for 1930s film. And
it couldn’t be more relevant.
For a story so deeply concerned
about capitalist environmental
destruction, Abreu turns to the
1930s, a decade in which art-
ists had to confront economic
turmoil
through
their
art.
“Boy & the World” is as much
a pointed criticism of today’s
environmental woes as Chap-
lin’s “Modern Times” was of the
Depression. And, like Chaplin
before him, Abreu keeps you on
your toes, right until the very
end. It doesn’t hurt that there’s
a pretty view, too.
EVENT PREVIEW
A historic ‘Sleeping
Beauty’ production
By MERIN MCDIVITT
Daily Arts Writer
For the 25th anniversary of
the University Musical Soci-
ety’s lauded dance series, some-
thing special
was in order.
Fortunately
for
them,
and for local
audiences,
the
perfect
opportunity
presented
itself
when
American
Ballet Theatre
announced
it would be
going on tour
with
Tchai-
kovsky’s “Sleeping Beauty.”
There could hardly be a bet-
ter time for the performance.
American
Ballet
Theatre
appeared in the headlines last
year when they appointed the
legendary Misty Copeland as
a principal ballerina, the first
Black woman to ever win that
position in the United States.
The audiences on Friday and
Saturday will even get the
opportunity to see Copeland
dance in a minor role.
And during the end of March,
many on campus are craving
an escape from the drudgery
of work and studies. “Sleeping
Beauty” promises to be one of
the most lavish productions
the area has seen in recent
years, featuring an exquisite
set, period costumes and an
enormous number of perform-
ers. Bringing a huge, luxurious
production here was far from
easy, as Jim Leija, UMS’s direc-
tor of education and community
engagement, can attest.
“It’s also a really big col-
laboration between UMS and
the Michigan Opera Theatre in
Detroit,” Leija said. “We don’t
really have a stage or venue
that’s big enough to do this kind
of classical production in Ann
Arbor.”
The collaboration, which will
continue in future productions,
worked out beautifully for both
partners, resulting in stellar
production values that stay true
to the show’s original produc-
tion in New York City.
“It’s a really beautiful pro-
duction. It’s quite lavish,” Leija
said. “There are something like
200 people in the performance,
and about half of them are from
the local community.”
In the weeks leading up to
the production, American Bal-
let Theater has participated
in
community
workshops
and other engagement events
with UMS. Dancers led mas-
ter classes at the University of
Michigan as well as at Wayne
State University and Oakland
University, and Detroit high
schoolers even had the oppor-
tunity to “meet the artists,”
Leija said. They also visited the
Ann Arbor YMCA to lead a “You
Can Dance” collaboration with
adults of all ages interested in
movement, dance and expres-
sion.
The
dazzling
show
runs
through Sunday, the culmina-
tion of years of planning and
months
of
preparation
for
UMS, Michigan Opera Theatre
and American Ballet Theatre.
Then the ballet will hit the
road, bringing their fantasy of
slumbering royals and magi-
cal kisses across the country.
But the promising partnership
between UMS and Michigan
Opera Theatre, beginning with
this impressive high note, will
continue in the coming years.
ESPAÇO FILMES
>Tfw your face is an electrical outlet
FILM REVIEW
B
Boy & the
World
Espaço Filmes
Michigan Theater
American
Ballet
Theatre’s
“Sleeping
Beauty”
Mar. 31-Apr. 3
Detroit Opera
House
Sold Out
ALBUM REVIEW
Domo Genesis goes
beyond Odd Future
By ANAY KATYAL
Daily Arts Writer
During Odd Future’s peak,
critics of the collective liked to
parrot the notion that the group
was
nothing
but a loosely
tied
collec-
tion of crass,
offensive, teen-
age hooligans.
They
skate-
boarded, their
music
pushed
the limits of
what was defined as “explicit”
and their live shows were often
likened to the bombastic and
reckless punk concerts of the
genre’s
heyday.
Oftentimes,
these critics had considerable
fuel for their argument, espe-
cially when dissecting some
of the solo projects from OF’s
frontman Tyler, The Creator,
or Earl Sweatshirt’s breakout
single “EARL.” It’s an argument
the general public generally
accepted if they had not been
exposed to much of the group’s
work beforehand, but for those
who actually took the deep dive
into the crew’s music without
having the conservative predis-
positions of a suburban soccer
mom, the group’s diversity of tal-
ent and the mischaracterization
of those beliefs becomes fairly
clear. Frank Ocean became the
neo-soul enigma the music-lov-
ing public has become infatuat-
ed with. Matt Martians and Syd
Tha Kyd started successfully
making smooth and sensual soul
arrangements under the moni-
ker “The Internet.” Earl Sweat-
shirt, with his dark, brooding,
sonically
distinct
bodies
of
work, can be accurately likened
to a younger MF Doom. With
Genesis, Domo Genesis joins the
ranks of OF alumni that illus-
trate the overlooked level of tal-
ent that permeated the group
during its height.
When profiling each mem-
ber of Odd Future, Domo Gen-
esis is often touted as being “the
most underrated” or “the most
slept on.” Often times, people
who said that wanted someone
to validate their pretentious
love for his debut mixtape Roll-
ing Papers, but there was some
truth to the idea. No one dared
call Domo the best of the group;
after all, he isn’t as technically
gifted as Earl, nor is he the kind
of bombastic character that
Tyler is. Despite that, he quietly
pushed out three mixtapes, each
increasing in skill and mastery,
slowly exchanging the teenage
immaturity Domo was suscep-
tible to for more technically
astute, complex lyrics and beats.
Having been in the works
since early 2013, Genesis’s elu-
sive release almost became as
similarly storied as the video
game “Duke Nukem Forev-
er” and its 15 year protracted
release date. In those three
years, Odd Future has essen-
tially disbanded, leaving Domo
without the free hype he was
afforded earlier. As disappoint-
ing as it is, Domo still manages
to drop one of Odd Future’s
strongest solo projects. Smooth,
jazzy production and consis-
tently clever lyricism had me
rewinding plenty of Genesis’s
songs (namely “Wanderer” and
“My Own”). Domo used to be a
rapper who crafted fairly gener-
ic bars about weed and life, but
Genesis shows a rapper with an
impressive level of self-aware-
ness and maturity. As much as
he can talk about getting fucked
up with his squad, Domo can
also lament life regrets, and rap
about the motivators behind his
musical career.
Genesis’s focal point, “One
Below,” opens with an emotion-
al spiel from Domo’s mother,
before he raps about feeling lost
as a teenager, and how music
helped him find fulfillment.
Throughout the album, his lyr-
ics often deal with the influence
music has had on his develop-
ment. Considering that, Genesis
is an apt name for Domo’s debut
LP, symbolizing the advent of
Domo finding purpose, some-
thing he largely owes to his
musical career.
Though Genesis is a testa-
ment to how much Domo has
grown as a rapper, collaborators
on the project also play a signifi-
cant part in making the album
the enjoyable listening experi-
ence that it is. “Go (Gas),” an
eclectic combination of Juicy J,
Wiz Khalifa and Tyler, The Cre-
ator, contains an entertaining
level of goofiness and liveliness.
On “Coming Back,” Mac Miller’s
sing-songy hook is integral in
maintaining the song’s intended
vibe. Anderson .Paak’s smooth,
hybrid R&B and rap perfor-
mance on “Dapper” will have
anyone dancing in their seat.
Genesis
has
the
makings
of being an overlooked work,
largely thanks to Odd Future’s
general nonexistence and the
maligned reputation some of its
members are unfairly slapped
with. But considering that Gene-
sis is one of hip hop’s most cohe-
sive bodies of work so far this
year, it might deservedly lend
fame and credibility to Domo
once and for all. Domo’s career
timeline has been a long-winded
journey toward Domo finding
his musical identity, and with
Genesis he finally does that.
A-
Genesis
Domo Genesis
Odd Future
EVENT COVER
Narayanan talks
progressive retail
At Ross’s “India
Marching Ahead”
conference, Myntra
CEO stands out
By ANAY KATYAL
Daily Arts Writer
Last
weekend,
the
Ross
School of Business hosted the
seventh iteration of the India
Business
Conference,
with
the theme of “India March-
ing Ahead.” A variety of Indian
business leaders and former
bureaucrats sat down to talk
about strides being made in
the realm of business in India,
and how the business relation-
ship between the United States
and India has been changing
for the better. Among the list
of panelists, which included
esteemed guests such as Yum!
Brands India President Niren
Chaudhary and former Minister
of Finance for India Yashwant
Sinha, Myntra CEO Ananth
Narayanan and his talk about
changing waves in the Indian
retail industry through his
retail app stood out.
Narayanan has a colorful his-
tory within Indian enterprise.
Previously serving on McKin-
sey & Company’s product devel-
opment and automotive practice
teams in South Asia, Naray-
anan’s background isn’t imme-
diately indicative of someone
with fashion expertise. But he
emphasized that heading Myn-
tra requires more than rudi-
mentary style knowledge.
“[Myntra]
works
hard
in
understanding the quirks of the
Indian consumer base,” Naray-
anan said during his talk.
And this is important con-
sidering the rapidly develop-
ing economy India has right
now. Myntra’s parent company,
Flipkart, has only recently ush-
ered in the advent of online,
Amazon-style shopping in the
country. According to Price-
waterhouseCoopers,
India’s
e-commerce
market
itself
has grown around $9 billion
between 2009 and 2013. In
2014, Amazon made an effort
to cash in on this trend with a
$2 billion investment in their
Indian business. The industry
for online purchases in India is
much like the Wild West in its
open landscape; with Myntra,
Narayanan is among some of the
individuals trying to capitalize
on the opportunity, creating a
new generation of fashion-con-
scious Indians in the process.
Myntra was acquired by Indi-
an e-commerce giant Flipkart
(Amazon’s biggest competitor in
the region) in early 2014. While
Flipkart mainly functions as a
“one stop shop” online desti-
nation for Indian consumers,
Myntra was a strategic buy for
Flipkart in their efforts to target
India’s new, trendy and finan-
cially empowered youth popu-
lation. Flush with Flipkart’s
cash and boasting an impressive
inventory of the latest in fash-
ion and athletic wear, Myntra
utilizes a variety of mobile and
online channels to reach their
targeted demographics, often-
times pushing an app-centric
shopping experience in a coun-
try whose mobile phone adop-
tion has grown to over 1 billion
subscribers according to Forbes.
Not only has Myntra been
engaging Indian consumers in
innovative ways, but they’re
also among a select few Indian
companies
engaging
India’s
millennial populace on issues
relating to gender and identity
in Indian society. Their recent
“All About You” advertising
campaign employs Bollywood
superstar Deepika Padukone to
challenge longstanding myths
about the kind of colors and
clothes Indian women should
wear; in a joint campaign with
Indian fashion label Anouk,
Myntra broadcasts a commer-
cial depicting a lesbian couple
and
their
anxieties
around
meeting each other’s conser-
vative Indian parents for the
first time. Evidently, Myntra is
a remarkably progressive com-
pany in a country that has been
blighted with issues of misogy-
ny and homophobia, marking a
change in India’s social direc-
tion from the country’s youth,
and companies like Myntra
helping to empower them.
Time will tell if India’s con-
sumers will bite when it comes
to Myntra’s advances, but the
company is making laudable
strides in increasing fashion
accessibility to Indians. By giv-
ing young Indians a platform to
both more easily express them-
selves through their styles, and
affirm their beliefs and values,
Myntra is a refreshing addi-
tion to India’s corporate land-
scape. With India on track to
be the world’s youngest country
by 2020 (according to the New
York Times), Myntra’s efforts
in targeting India’s emerging
millennial middle class and the
newfound disposable incomes
they possess are paving way for
an
empowered,
independent
and socially conscious Indian
populace.
One of hip hop’s
most cohesive
works so far
this year