gettin' grown
Dear Prof. Greer:I loved both Color Blind and Gettin' Grown! Thank you so much for bringing your work to Alabama A&M University and for spending so much time discussing your ideas and experience.
OK, why did I like Gettin' Grown? Very sensitive character portrayal. That is, even for the characters who appeared on the screen for a short period of time (the gangly kid who says he can't go to the drugstore with Eric, the neighbor who asks Eric to fill her prescription -- which ended up being birth control pills? a diaphragm?, the male owner of the drugstore), I had an instantaneous sense of who they were. I'm not articulating this well. That is, each character seemed full, even when we only saw him/her for a short bit, and even if s/he presented a short part of the narrative.
The main characters were only more so deeply and complexly portrayed. The sick grandmother who fights for control overtly (contradicting daughter's methods of childraising) and covertly (getting Eric to buy her candy); the mom who wants to help her boy grow up and protect him at the same time; the father who wakes his son in the middle of the night and then commiserates over the conniving uncle.
I love this later scene with the father, who is so dedicated to his kid that he takes him in the middle of the night to Walgreen's so the son can successfully complete his task -- both parents teach Eric about consequences and accountability with a huge amount of love. I loved the ending, too, when Eric's mom says, "Now make a big wish and blow out the candles," and Eric does just that. I'm left with a sense of expectancy, wondering what Eric has wished for and knowing somehow that his future challenges may be equally difficult, equally dangerous, but also fully supported through his family. I want to know Eric when he gets older, want to know how he turns out.
And that's one reason I'm happy about your revision and eager to see what you've done with the addition of a present frame for the current film, which becomes a flashback. I'm also curious about the choice of snow for the frame of the revision. I'm already seeing a huge visual contrast between frame/present and flashback. And I wondered about Eric's name, too. He chooses to give up the remote-contolled car and claims the 76ers jersey with his name, "Snow," written on the back. His uncle mentions something about "snow" as Eric approaches him outside the bar.
I also loved the portrayal of extended loving family in Eric's home. That kitchen was a powerful place.
Sincerely,
Sandra Shattuck
posted by Sandra @ 5:23 AM
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