Rotary Inclusion Team Movie Review

June 1, 2021

Ever since we have our daylight back, I find myself outside walking with Mark or friends, gardening or doing yard chores for hours a day. Well, to be honest, it is not hours at a time but easily hours through the course of a day. And yard chores, while not having the cachet of gardening, are still fun in my opinion. By evening I just want to relax. Mark loves to relax watching movies. The issue is generally we do not like the same movies. Movies with violence, crime, or sadness are not for me even if the "good guys" win, but Mark finds them entertaining. I am partial to the family-friendly genre!

Leave it to Mark to have found several movies we both liked! Surprisingly, these movies all have a positive message in the Diversity and Inclusion field. They are billed as entertainment, and that they are, but I found myself thinking about our Diversity and Inclusion task force discussions in the days after watching them. It occurred to me, which is my purpose in writing to share this with you, that we can open ourselves to issues within the diversity, inclusion, and equity arena and have a bit of fun while doing so. Learning about and understanding these important and increasingly relevant issues requires an open mind, curiosity, humility and introspection. But learning and appreciating is not the purview of lectures and weighty discussions alone. Maybe we relate and remember more by laughing a little.

If you are seeking some evening relaxation, try looking up one of these movies: Concrete Cowboy – did you know there remains a community of Black cowboys in the city of Philadelphia? This fictional story combines what once was a significant culture with modern day problems for underprivileged Black youth. Mark has several Philadelphia friends who remember these cowboys well. Hunt for the Wilder People – Here you have a misguided adventure/comedy about an overweight, troublesome foster child and his search for acceptance and family. There are good messages about teamwork, friendship, and letting go of judgements. I imagine any early teen or tween would enjoy this. Penguin Bloom – This is based on the true story of a wife and mother who becomes disabled in an accident. Against her will, she bonds with an orphaned magpie rescued by one of her sons who nurses it back to health. But as these stories go, who really rescues who? Watch this with children!

The Peanut Butter Falcon – The star of this movie is a young man with Down's Syndrome. Watching this you hardly think of this guy as disabled or deficient! His dream is to be a pro wrestler and falls in with a good hearted but troubled outlaw as they go on their Mark Twain-like adventure.

Troop Zero – If you like rooting for the underdog and laughing while you do it, check this out. Marginalized is not a White and Black, old or young, matter as you learn here. Community truly must be all-inclusive. We enjoyed this immensely and any family, especially with girls, should as well. Work, relax, and enjoy your Summer!

Author: Mary Rogers
Windmill