jem on jém

[ENTRY 010]

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It’s late and I haven’t allotted myself much time for this week’s entry, but alas... “Fuck it, we ball,” and so forth.

It’s May 4th (or was) at the time of writing. It bears little significance to me, yet I care enough to mention it. It’s hard to be excited for tentpole franchise slop these days, and I’m quite averse to the sheer excess of Stuff at this point. I’m also just tired of taking the bait, being told it’s “quite good” or “yeah, it’s decent.”

Any semblance of distinctive, artistic intent, no matter how well-meaning it may have read on paper, seems to wash away in execution by the hand of a committee run by a mega entertainment conglomerate. To be a fly on the wall, as they dictate with pinpoint precision the optics for making the PNG of a person of colour smaller on official theatrical posters for foreign markets, or adorning an entire film’s grade with that signature de-saturated grey/brown/grey-brown adjustment layer they love so much.

All this to say: I'd never sing of love if it does not exist, but Andor, you are the only exception (x4).

I’ve never written a love letter because that’s gay, but this might come close. What a bold and inventive piece of fiction you are. A glowing reminder that emotionally resonant arcs and airtight characterisation are possible in this world (where a dark lord of the Sith can exist at the same time as a few poor choices of accent and racial stereotypes that ultimately define a bunch of aliens). A testament to immense innovation, born from a modest-to-shoestring budget spent wisely, and the little details that can flourish from affording extensive preparation to artists from all different departments that are given time.

I don’t possess the time right now to eloquently articulate why Andor isn't just good Star Wars, but a phenomenal show on its own merits, so writing good-enough-ly will have to suffice.

I’ll be a dickhead and say I have a grasp on the socio-political commentary going on. But the strength of my grip doesn’t extend beyond having a deep appreciation and recognition of the themes on display. For my life, I couldn’t express why jamming people into prisons, instead of attacking the roots of social issues that put them in there, is bad, without sounding way too general in my muddied spoken words. Systems that are well-oiled and rigged to ensure the most efficient amount of damage can be wrought upon whatever target is next on a given day’s agenda is fucking frightening. But all I can do is recognise the staggering emotional baggage, the enormity of an oppressive force, because the tie-fighter pilot drip is too strong, and the set design for the town of Ferrix feels so lived-in (because they built it for real).

To me, this can be the power of great storytelling. When you can hold a mirror or a window into our reality and convey an idea so purely that, even if everything isn’t explained with annotated notes, you can understand why something may feel wrong or right based on the vibe. "If you really love cinema, you can't help but make a great movie," or whatever the foot guy said. It means packaging fascism not into perfectly digestible bite-sized chunks, but a varied and hearty meal or stew or whatever that takes a while to chew on.1

Real issues are woven into the tapestry of an established, fully-realised world, and this is one of Andor’s best tricks. Unspeakable evil is paperwork, nothing more than cold and sterile rooms and bureaucracy to some just looking to climb the corporate ladder. Heroism is pleading with someone to allow a group of innocent rebels to die in a trap because it keeps the greater cause alive. The remnants of a dwindling populace native to a land are thinned out over time by the disease of an unyielding military presence, so very graciously affording what little space for them hasn’t been carved out for expansion to witness a rare and culturally significant event they have the gall to "share." And a big laser on a planet-sized space station is made possible thanks to the prison industrial complex.

I wish I could say more. The way the show is perfectly broken into 3-4-episode arcs, how every character is compelling because of their steadfast point of view, the variety and deliberate placement of leitmotifs from Nicholas Britell's phenomenal score... but it’s nearly 2 am.

An abrupt conclusion to say, I love that this show exists and is clearly about something and is also genuinely fantastic. The fiery passion in trying to get all these very real and important things about the world, that aren’t exclusively limited to dystopian spaces, into one of the most accessible franchises ever, is worth the reported millions it took to make. Bleed Disney dry for every cent they’ve got, because something like this will never come along ever again. A show so intelligent and thoughtful in its presentation of heroism that is far less glamorous than hitting some sticks that light up together.

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entry/footnotes

  1. Using a food analogy sounds so uncharacteristically American of me, like “Oh, fascism? So, imagine a burger…”↩