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Arts
Wednesday, January 3, 2018 — 5A

There’s a moment in “The

Last Jedi” when all the sound
drops out and complete silence
descends. For a few seconds,
there is nothing. No music, no
white noise, no dialogue. All
falls away, and for a franchise
that has always been easily
recognizable
for
its
iconic

sound design and legendary
score, it’s a strange moment,
yet an undeniably brilliant
one. “The Last Jedi” functions
in much the same way. Much
of
what
has
historically

characterized
“Star
Wars”

on
a
superficial
level
is

deconstructed and subverted
here even as director Rian
Johnson
(“Looper”)
takes

special care to celebrate the
most
important
things
—

namely the focus on battles
between good and evil and the
sense of hope in the face of
insurmountable odds. The film
he crafts is a bold, dark and
occasionally weird entry in
the “Star Wars” saga, one that

stands as the best and most
necessary chapter since “The
Empire Strikes Back.”

This isn’t to say that “The

Last Jedi” is perfect. While
several sequences serve to
further character arcs, they
often feel disconnected from
the central plot, and a certain
scene stands out as particularly

ill-advised, brought to life by
a special effect that — in an
otherwise visually gorgeous
film — is comparatively subpar.

But couched in a story

otherwise exceptionally told,
these flaws do little to detract
from the rest of the film.
The film picks up moments
after the end of J.J. Abrams’s
“The Force Awakens,” as the
Resistance, led by General
Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher,
“Catastrophe”), must flee their
base in the aftermath of their
victory at Starkiller Base in
the previous film. As the First
Order doggedly pursues them
through space, Rey (Daisy

Ridley, “Murder on the Orient
Express”) arrives at the site of
the first Jedi temple to receive
instruction from living legend
Luke Skywalker (a never-better
Mark Hamill, “Brigsby Bear”),
only to find that he is not the
man the galaxy remembers.

This base story, for what it

is, is fine if occasionally slow-
moving. What sets it apart is
the thematic work Johnson
does with both his script and
direction as he uses this plot to
explore ideas of acknowledging
the past and using it to grow
while still letting go of what is
not necessary for that growth.
In essence, “The Last Jedi”
is a story about the tricky
relationship between the past
and the future, history and
legacy. The meta-narrative for
a certain space opera entering
its fourth decade of existence
should be obvious.

Because in order to stay

relevant, in order to mean as
much to future generations as it
did to me and the innumerable
die-hards
who
have
come

before
me,
“Star
Wars”

needed to change. It would
have been easy to rehash the
same plotlines and archetypes
ad infinitum — “The Force
Awakens” did so and wound
up being a pretty great movie,
all things considered — but

eventually, it would grow stale.
Someone needed to break the
mold, and “The Last Jedi”
is Johnson doing so in bold
fashion.

It would be easy to leave it

at that, to act as if the boldness
is enough to qualify “The Last
Jedi” as a great movie, but it
isn’t. Boldness alone is novelty;
it must be grounded in the
characters and the story. This
is what makes “The Last Jedi”
something truly special. It isn’t
that it takes everything we
think “Star Wars” can do and
takes a hard left turn into new
territory. It’s the way Johnson
grounds
those
creative

decisions in the characters, old
and new, bringing them to more
interesting, thought-provoking
and
emotionally
intense

places with each scene. It’s
the way the actors bring those
characters to life in some of the
best performances in franchise
history and the characters, in
turn, embody the themes —
redemption, bravery and hope
above all — that have always
defined “Star Wars” and will
continue to define it even as it
enters this new chapter.

JEREMIAH VANDERHELM

Daily Arts Writer

The latest installment boldly revitalizes a canonical saga

‘Last Jedi’ is necessary,
brilliant new ‘Star Wars’

“The Last Jedi”

State Theatre,
Quality 16, Rave

Cinemas Ann Arbor

20+ IMAX

Walt Disney

Studios Motion

Pictures

The film he
crafts is a

bold, dark and
occasionally
weird entry in
the ‘Star Wars’

saga

Someone needed

to break the

mold, and “The

Last Jedi” is

Johnson doing so

in bold fashion

I don’t even know how to

begin writing about “Human
Flow”
by
Ai
Weiwei
(“Ai

Weiwei: Never Sorry”), because
it is a piece that is so much
bigger than us. It requires us
to recognize our privilege in
viewing such a crisis without it
being a part of our own human
experience. The documentary,
which was shot in 23 countries,
presents both a brutal, visceral
and
at
times
strikingly

gorgeous display of the current
global crisis in which 65 million
people have been displaced
from their homes.

Weiwei, known more for his

controversial reputation in the
art world, has participated in
documentary cinema before,
though never to this extent.
As a visual artist, he treats his
documentary like a canvas,
splattering it with color and
layers
of
impressive
drone

shots and handheld iPhone
footage. He allows us to feel
like we’re right there with the
migrants and refugees — one
or the individual body out of
thousands, huddled into masses

on a rugged terrain that has
no remorse for its occupants.
These migrants, tied down
to no land to anchor them,
are considered to be the most
pervasive status of citizenship,
as they are stripped of all the
rights and liberties that make
them human beings.

“Human Flow” reveals the

global crisis that plagues every
country, but mainly Europe
today — the crisis of people
fleeing their homes for asylum

and passing through or being
trapped in borders. The piece
criticizes borders in general,
as they are inherently arbitrary
in their nature. With the aid
of globalization, the world has
reaped many benefits, namely
the prospect of wealth and jobs,
but its consequences are severe.
Globalization
exacerbates

the global inequalities, and
through this process, the large,
connected
world
we
know

is beginning to shrink. This
means that different cultures
are going to have to learn to
coexist in order for humanity
to persist. Like the title, the
flow of bodies in search of

refuge and a new life are at risk
of hunger, disease, death and
above all, the loss of a chance
for a better life.

Weiwei’s visual approach is

guided by the natural landscape
across these countries; the way
the sky meets the unforgiving,
arid and sun-scorched Middle
Eastern deserts. The image
of Mexican children playing
on a beach with an iron fence
running through it with the
States on the other side is a
painful reminder of palpable
but still unattainable freedom.
The
sea
connects
these

countries as a visual motif, but
also as a juxtaposition of the
free-flowing, wide open waters
that touch country borders but
cannot be shared equally by all.
We see the sea that transports
Eritreans to southern Italy for
political asylum, the same sea
that a group of friends in Gaza
who turn to the Mediterranean
for
their
only
chance
at

tranquility in a war zone, the

same sea that runs up to Tel
Aviv just one hour north, the
same sea and sun that caress
their bronzed tourists is the
same sea that traps others just
down the coast.

If anything, the documentary

reminds those of us who are
fortunate enough to be citizens
in a country — to feel like we
belong somewhere and that
we are protected — about how
connected we truly are and
how we choose to neglect this
fact simply because we don’t
see malnourished children in
refugee camps daily, which
the news likes to conveniently
overlook,
too.
Europe
and

America were lands that were
thought to provide promise
and
solace
to
immigrants,

but Weiwei reminds us that
the current xenophobia and
segregation
between
these

groups is not something we
can ignore any longer. “Human
Flow” doesn’t let us forget
that, no matter what, we all
share the same sun and no
group deserves its warmth over
others. It doesn’t let us forget
that we need to stop forgetting
about this crisis before it’s too
late.

SOPHIA WHITE

Daily Arts Writer

New documentary from Chinese artist tackles global crisis

Weiwei’s ‘Human Flow’ is
stunning and harrowing

“Human Flow”

State Theatre

NFP Marketing &

Distribution

WALT DISNEY PICUTRES
NFP MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION

FILM REVIEW
FILM REVIEW

“Human Flow”
reveals the global
crisis that plagues

every country

If anything, the
documentary

reminds us who

are fortunate
enough to be
citizens in a

country – to feel

like we belong

somewhere

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