If you liked:
Birdman
"The Forty-Year-Old Version" is a 2020 black-and-white dramedy about the mid-life crisis and artistic struggles of an African-American playwrite, Rhada Blank. This is her actual name, she is the lead actress, director and scriptwriter; and the film is a dramatized version of her own experiences to achieve artistic fulfillment. The whole time as I am writing this I feel that I am not qualified or informed enough to do so; but it is a film I want to share, so go easy on me.
Rhada is approaching forty, it's been 10 years since she wrote anything that has been recognized (or paid her rent), and her mother passed about a month ago; all this goes on to fuel her insecurity and doubt about her life-accomplishments and her future. This crisis pushes her to explore new possibilities, as she decides to try herself out as a rapper, simultaneously signing a contract to write a "Hollywood-friendly" Harlem play.
Now, the plot sounds a bit boring and ridiculous, and it is ridiculous but not boring. First of all, it's a hilarious sarcastic comedy. It even seemed a little pretentious at the very beginning because of the amount of sarcasm, but you quickly pick up on it and laugh your booty out for the rest of the film. The amount of sarcasm is so overwhelming, it almost seems like a parody of a comedy if that makes sense, which gives the film it's very own style. The dramatic messages are also quite powerful; it's the first time I recognized the rude, raw, cruel self-reproach in somebody's rap lyrics which made sense; spitting harsh truths as you call it. Her play is being heavily edited, and she obviously doesn't like both this and herself, for allowing such a thing. She is torn between feeling like a complete artistic pushover without a real voice, and justifying it as simple "survival" during hard times. All that mixed emotion is mirrored in her music. This movie doesn't follow the usual narrative of suddenly experiencing great success against all odds. It is more interested in the little details and is all the better for it.
The message is clear: don't be conformist to what anyone thinks true or write. Say only what you know is true. One word of truth shall outweigh the whole world. Find your own vision. Fill your own void. Find your own voice.
I recommend this to anyone who has some kind of artistic aspiration, and to anyone that wants to broaden their film outlook.
