Beba (2021)

Beba (2021). Beba: Directed by Rebeca Huntt. With Rebeca Huntt. A stunning self-portrait, tough, raw, stubborn, and powerful "Beba" stares down the curses of her ancestry, probing the psychic wounds she has inherited, while simultaneously embracing the vastness of her multitudes.

“u0026quot;Bebau0026quot;u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026#39;I carry an ancient pain that I struggle to understandu0026#39;. So begins the confessional narration that opens u0026quot;Bebau0026quot;. The documentary undertakes an unflinching exploration of Rebeca Hunttu0026#39;s own identity. Seeking to gain a more concrete understanding of her identity as a young Afro-Latina woman and an up-and-coming filmmaker, the film reflects on her childhood and adolescence in New York City as the daughter of a Dominican father and Venezuelan mother. After graduating from Bard College, she returns to the rent-controlled one-bedroom apartment on Central Park West where she and her two siblings were raised. The film investigates the historical, societal, and generational trauma sheu0026#39;s inherited and ponders how those ancient wounds have shaped her, while simultaneously considering the universal truths that connect us all as humans.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThroughout u0026quot;Bebau0026quot;, the film searches for a way to forge creative path amid a landscape of intense racial and political unrest. Itu0026#39;s about the historical, societal, and generational trauma sheu0026#39;s inherited and ponder how those centuries-old wounds have shaped her. Weaving together music, poetry, and interview footage, the film traces her lifeu0026#39;s journey from her family home to the mountains of South America, where she spent youthful summers, and then onto the campus where she formed pivotal friendships and began to discover her authentic voice. As she strikes out into adulthood, intense racial and political unrest mounts, leaving her eagerly searching for a way to forge her own creative path and to find her place in the world. u0026quot;Bebau0026quot;is a self-portrait of an Afro-Latina artist hungry for knowledge and yearning for connection.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe documentary gives the audience the opportunity of watching a young woman of color live her life honestly, it isnu0026#39;t always pretty, indeed itu0026#39;s often pretty dark, but itu0026#39;s unrelentingly real. In so doing, she challenges audiences to do the same, to look deeply within and ask: u0026#39;What is the legacy I am leaving, can I fight for something betteru0026#39;? Itu0026#39;s a symphony that keeps our minds working every step of the way. The film provides a mirror for many whou0026#39;ve never seen themselves reflected before on screen. As such, weu0026#39;ve to create our own roadmap, consistently charting new territory.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ePut all your friends in it, everybody you loved, so one day they will find you and know that youu0026#39;re all here together. Youu0026#39;ve to find this quote to embody a level of self-acceptance and love for humanity thatu0026#39;s scarce in, and yet fundamental to art. Amid the murders of Treyvon Martin and Michael Brown the streets trembled and the tension is palpable. We either srive and become useful, or we disappear into the chaos. The film wants to explore effects of this moment on an existential level, we might move people. Every major plot point in u0026quot;Bebau0026quot; reflects an existential set back, or a quantum leap often only identified by the person experiencing them. The film uses 16mm, shot handheld, for itu0026#39;s ability to capture a limited yet pulsating aesthetic intrinsic to intimacy. Thereu0026#39;s something about 16mm thatu0026#39;s innately intimate. The film is full of sentimental references, like the voice of Audre Lorde, and some less obvious ones, reinterpretations of scenes from the works of Djibril Diop Mambety and Chris Marker.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFilm in general has this beautiful, pulsating aesthetic. Every single thing it captures on screen feels pulsating like itu0026#39;s alive. The colors are just also arresting. Every human being goes through some sort of an existential crisis in their early twenties. Is this what life is We exist within this framework of chaos, and itu0026#39;s constant. But whatu0026#39;s so much bigger than out shyness is our yearning to connect with people. Ww think weu0026#39;re innately correlated, and everything would look different if we were more honest with ourselves and honest with others. To create a space where we can all talk a little bit more honestly about what itu0026#39;s like to exist. Talk about some of the dynamics in our relationships, which have so much to do with these instincts that we inherit and these systems that we live under. So maybe we can begin a deeper dialogue around whatu0026#39;s already true, our innate correlation. (5,5)u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWritten by Gregory Mann.”