A Wrinkle in Time is a beloved children’s chapter book written by Madeleine L’engle. It follows the story of Meg Murry (portrayed by Storm Reid in the film), who goes on an adventure in search of her father who has suddenly disappeared. She has to navigate not only the universe but also her own self-worth.
The book was very recently adapted into a film, directed by Ava DuVernay, that just hit theaters on March 9. I went to see the film immediately, and though I’ve seen that critics haven’t been too kind to the film, I found it to be both stunning and revolutionary. And it’s currently doing quite well in sales.
Pete's Dragon earned $21.5 million opening weekend, Alice Through The Looking Glass earned $26.8 million opening weekend, The BFG earned $18.7 million opening weekend & Hugo earned $11.3 million opening weekend
So even if #WrinkleInTime opens with $33 million…a limp it is not. https://t.co/EDpSSN47oS
— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) March 10, 2018
The first thing that drew me to this film was not only it’s portrayal of strong women, but of strong women of color. The hero of the story was a young black girl, who overcame her insecurities to save the day. Along with that, women like Oprah, Mindy Kahling, and Reese Witherspoon were featured as powerful and strong figures. Women are far too often just inserted into movies as props, so it was extremely refreshing this time around to see so many strong women leading the story.
Feminism and diversity can come across as performative and disingenuous (as companies capitalize on movements to make money). The beautiful thing about this film is that the themes of empowerment are so clearly real and authentic. It showcases women supporting each other in a way the Hollywood rarely portrays.
The film is being criticized for it being too “childish,” (ironic because it’s based off of a children’s book), but I really think that’s actually the beauty of it. A child watching this film is going to see a young black girl surrounded by powerful women as the hero. That’s something that is very rarely seen in mainstream media. This film breaks stereotypes (especially for sci-fi films).
Aramide A. Tinubu described the film perfectly as “Ava DuVernay’s love letter to black girls”.
Despite the harsh criticism, it’s important that we go out and support this film that sheds a different light on both women and people of color. Ava DuVernay has once again created a stunning piece of art that will play a large role in the culture of generations to come.
Ava DuVernay is the first African-American woman to head a live-action feature film with a budget over $100 million. pic.twitter.com/Zer6r4ihtA
— Affinity Magazine (@TheAffinityMag) March 4, 2018
