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A Wrinkle in Time tackles dark vs. light

By Elaine Hegwood Bowen, M.S.J., Chicago Crusader

From visionary director Ava DuVernay comes Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” an epic adventure based on Madeleine L’Engle’s timeless classic, which takes audiences across dimensions of time and space, examining the nature of darkness versus light and, ultimately, the triumph of love. Through one girl’s transformative journey led by three celestial guides, we discover that strength comes from embracing one’s individuality and that the best way to triumph over fear is to travel by one’s own light.

Meg Murry is a typical middle school student struggling with issues of self-worth who just wants to fit in. The daughter of two world-renowned physicists, she is intelligent and uniquely gifted, as is Meg’s younger brother, Charles Wallace, but she has yet to realize it for herself. Complicating matters is the mysterious disappearance of Mr. Murry, which has left Meg devastated and her mother broken-hearted. Charles Wallace introduces Meg and her fellow classmate Calvin to three celestial beings (Mrs. Which, Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Who) who have journeyed to Earth to help search for their father, and together they embark on their formidable quest.

Travelling via a wrinkling of time and space known as tessering, they are transported to worlds beyond their imagination where they must confront a powerful evil force. To make it back home to Earth, Meg must face the darkness within herself in order to harness the strength necessary to defeat the darkness rapidly enveloping the Universe.

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MINDY KALING is Mrs. Who, Levi Miller is Calvin O’Keefe, Oprah Winfrey is Mrs. Which, Zach Galifianakis is the Happy Medium, Storm Reid is Meg Murry, Deric McCabe is Charles Wallace Murry and Reese Witherspoon is Mrs. Whatsit in Disney’s “A Wrinkle In Time.”

“A Wrinkle in Time” is a good adventure film that shows Black girl magic to its fullest. The story is told through a bit of fantasy and super Disney magic. Meg is played by Storm Reid, who has been acting since she was 3 years old. Meg is having a hard time at life, since her father has been gone for so long, and she just can’t seem to get back to normal. When she’s not keeping to herself, she is acting out at school and even getting sassy with her mother, another scientist played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

This fantasy adventure literally takes flight, and Meg, Calvin and Charles Wallace decide to follow the three “Mrs.” literally to the ends of the world to help Meg find her father.

Meg and company are encouraged to concentrate on the light that signifies the good in the world and to fight as hard as they can against the dark—in A Wrinkle in Time’s case the dark would be the “The It” or the inhabitants of Camazotz.

The journey across the Universe is wrought with adventure but also gloom and sadness, as Charles Wallace is overcome by evil dished out by “It,” right as the group gets closer to finding Mr. Murry. There are meadows of talking flowers and luscious forests and a humanlike flying animal that can traverse the land with ease in the midst of chaos.

“A Wrinkle in Time” is a hard movie to explain, without giving away so much of the magic. But it is filled with Disney razzmatazz, and the adults in the film give great performances. I dare venture to say that the dark or the evil or the “It” in this film could be signified by the current administration and the folks across the nation who are so bent on turning the Civil Rights clock back a few decades.

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OPRAH WINFREY is Mrs. Which and Storm Reid is Meg Murry in Disney’s “A Wrinkle In Time.”

Belinda Silber, of Chicago’s North Side, didn’t care for the movie much, because she says it became a bit complicated.  “I was not familiar with the source material, but it is great to see young girls represented as scientists. The last two films that I have seen (“Black Panther” and “A Wrinkle in Time”) have shown how girls can be pretty and smart,” she said. “The message of love can conquer all (“The It”) is timeless and much needed in the world. I was glad that it showed everyday incidents as “evil” and told the children that these small incidents could lead to something catastrophic (slavery, the Holocaust).

I think that, while a hard subject, “A Wrinkle in Time” is a film for all ages, with families enjoying the message of love and commitment, and good over the forces of evil.

Chris Pine plays Mr. Murry; Oprah Winfrey plays Mrs. Which; Reese Witherspoon plays Mrs. Whatsit; Mindy Kaling plays Mrs. Who; Levi Miller plays Calvin; Deric McCabe plays Charles Wallace; and Andre Holland from “Moonlight” plays Principal Jenkins, among other characters. After earning small parts, Storm Reid landed a role in the Academy Award-winning film “12 Years a Slave” as Emily. Following her performance, she landed her next major film in  “Sleight” playing Tina.

“A Wrinkle in Time” is playing in theatres everywhere, and an added feature in the soundtrack is a song called “Flower of the Universe” from pop icon Sade, who hasn’t released a new song in seven years.

 

 

 

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