Trust, truth and tech
Wir stellen einen Film über die Sklaverei-gegnerin Harriet Tubman vor, einen weiteren über einen Industrieskandal und einen Podcast, der Technologie erklärt. Die Starttermine der Filme können sich aufgrund der Corona-pandemie verschieben. Von EVE LUCAS
FILM PREVIEW | BIOGRAPHY
Harriet Tubman is a name familiar to many Americans. Tubman was a black American who escaped slavery from a Maryland plantation in 1849 and travelled on foot to Philadelphia to start a new life in freedom. Brave enough to risk her own good luck, Tubman then worked on the network of secret routes known as the Underground Railroad and helped more than 70 other slaves to find freedom.
If Tubman is not known to Europeans, the film Harriet is sure to change this, especially as award-winning director Kasi Lemmons does not tell her story as a simple narrative. As a black American artist, Lemmons has the confidence to include scenes from Tubman’s spiritual life and the dreamlike visions she experienced. The result is a film that concentrates less on scenes of slavery (as 12 Years a Slave did), preferring instead to emphasize the strength that comes from faith: the very special, deeply felt faith that once united slave communities. As Harriet, Cynthia Erivo lost to Renée Zellweger’s best-actress portrayal of Judy Garland at this year’s Oscars. This is, though, perhaps the more relevant story, whose heroine lights up the screen with a combination of physical and emotional courage. Starts 16 April.
FILM PREVIEW | DRAMA
In 2015, actor-activist Mark Ruffalo starred in Spotlight, a film about the abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. In his new film, the focus is on an environmental scandal in West Virginia, where the production of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) by the US chemicals giant Dupont seems linked to several deaths. Ruffalo plays Rob Bilott, the real-life corporate defence lawyer who finds out that Dupont long knew of the dangers of PFOA. As he challenges Dupont, Bilott realizes that his job, his safety and the safety of his family are on the line. But doing the right thing, and making films about it, is a great American tradition. Dark Waters attests to this. Starts 16 April.
PODCAST | TECHNOLOGY
Tech Tent is a podcast by the BBC World Service. It provides information on how technology is changing our lives. The podcasts usually have one main topic plus a round-up of tech news. Recent subjects have been the use of facial recognition and the agreement reached between the UK and the Chinese tech giant Huawei on the (limited) introduction of 5G wireless technology. Each podcast is about 25 minutes long, and explains complex topics quickly and simply, giving listeners easy access to subjects that are not headline news — but should be. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01plr2p