EL SEGUNDO HERALD January 20, 2022 Page 5
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Entertainment
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The Whispering Dead
by Darcy Coates
By Roz Templin,
El Segundo Public Library
There are a LOT of paranormal fiction books
out there: paranormal mysteries, thrillers …
even paranormal and extraterrestrial romances!
Here’s one that I truly enjoyed, that might
hook you (and, oh joy, it’s the first of a new
series!). The Whispering Dead introduces an
amnesiac heroine, who discovers she can see
and hear ghosts. Conveniently for her, after
landing in a little village called Blighty, after
being pursued by unknown assailants, she
winds up in a cottage beside a graveyard.
Keira can’t remember much but her name
when she turns up in an injured and muchbedraggled
state at the doorstep of Pastor
Adage. He takes her in, binds her wounds,
feeds her stew and becomes her support as
she tries to figure out her past.
While familiarizing herself with the town,
she makes new friends: Zoe, the conspiracy
theory “specialist” and Mason, the mysterious
medical student who casts a romantic glow in
Keira’s eyes. These three form an unlikely
trio of sleuths when Keira’s investigation
of a local murder takes a dangerous turn of
events for all.
Although it seems Keira’s memories have
been wiped clean, during her stay in Blighty
she discovers several things about herself:
She has keen self defense skills, a considerable
tolerance to pain and by exerting some
pressure on a “muscle” behind her eye, she
can see and hear the dead. A particular
spirit, Emma Carthage, makes an impression
on Keira and she decides she will pursue
every avenue to put her to rest. In addition
to Zoe and Mason, there’s a sweet stray cat
that befriends her and may turn out to be
somewhat supernatural as well.
This story is like a grown-up version of an
old Nancy Drew mystery, fun and a pretty
quick read. Not all of Keira’s questions are
answered here (although she does find out
that she prefers tea to coffee,) so it’s good
that this new series (“Gravekeeper”) will
return with the second installment next year.
Author Darcy Coates has been quite prolific
in horror fiction, and we have quite a
few of her other novels in stock - maybe
I’ll try another!
Visit the library for this and many more
choices in every reading genre you can
imagine. Our friendly staff members will
be happy to guide you to both classics and
up-to-the-minute releases. •
Roz Templin
The Whispering Dead by Darcy Coates.
CLASSIFIED ADS – ONLY $40
for twenty words or less.
Email class@heraldpublications.com or call 310-322-1831 for more information.
Film Review
If You Haven’t Seen Any of Asghar
Farhadi’s Films, Start With ‘A Hero’
By Ryan Rojas, Cinemacy
I’ll admit, I hadn’t seen a film by Iranian
director Asghar Farhadi before watching his
newest film, A Hero.
I guess the only positive thing that I can say
to that is, without having seen any of his other
movies to date, I was able to watch his newest
film with eyes anew (hey, we’re all here to
continuously discover new films, aren’t we?).
Although, it is particularly embarrassing that
I (a film critic) am just now seeing my first of
Farhad’s films, an accomplished director who
has won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language
Film twice, for A Separation (2011) and The
Salesman (2016). It’s a feat shared by only a
few directors worldwide.
His newest film, A Hero (which is also Iran’s
official submission to this year’s Academy
Awards), has been on a lot of 2021 year-end
lists and has received a ton of critical reception
to date. Last year, it won the Cannes Film Festival’s
Grand Prix (the second-most prestigious
prize of the festival after the Palme d’Or).
Knowing all of this, and very much wanting
to begin my journey into seeing the Oscarwinning
director’s work, I watched a digital
screener of the film at home in advance of
the film going up on Prime Video this Friday.
First off, A Hero is a film without an obvious
directorial style to it. It’s not visually flashy
and doesn’t use grandiose camerawork in its
storytelling. I don’t even think there was any
score, either. So, it’s not exactly a film that
rings as “cinematic,” in those senses.
However, forgoing style makes its substance
resonate so deeply. The people in this story,
who are brought to life by a fantastic ensemble
cast of actors, make the story feel even more
human and real. And for a film that is intent
on exploring the human condition, removing
these layers of cinema to let the performances
and story shine is exactly the right choice.
At 2 hours and 7 minutes, A Hero is about
Rahim (Amir Jadidi), a man imprisoned for
not being able to pay back a loan, and on
temporary leave for two short days. With only
a part of the money he needs to pay back
his debt, he asks his creditor to withdraw his
complaint against the payment of part of the
sum. When the creditor denies, Rahim enacts
a plan to attempt to settle his debt.
Fabricating a story of goodwill that is picked
up by the local media, Rahim instantly turns into
an overnight hero in his community. However,
just as soon as his fame has risen, cracks in his
charitable story start to emerge threatening his
reputation, and his plans of freedom.
What makes A Hero such a great film–which
it is–is that it’s not a movie that lets you easily
pass judgment or ascribe labels on people or their
motives. Rahim may sound like a calculating,
contemptuous figure, but what Farhad adds in
his excellently written script is to show that
Rahim, in fact, has purer motives underneath.
While he may not be telling the full truth
in his story, the larger truth is that Rahim
embellishes his story as a means to an end,
looking to use his new goodwill to land a job
to then pay back the creditor the rest of his
money. Farhad’s nuanced writing and shrewd
observation of such a complex and conflicted
character, as well as the larger human condition,
forces the audience to consider the entire
spectrum of ethics, as well as our own.
So, if you’re like me, and have been largely
unfamiliar with Asghar Farhadi’s films to date,
start with A Hero. You’ll not only find a wealth
of rich, thrilling drama that looks at the human
condition but even consider the ethics by which
you live your own life too.
2 hours 7 minutes. ‘A Hero’ is rated PG-13
for some thematic elements and language. •
Ryan Rojas
Amir Jadidi in Asghar Farhadi’s ‘A Hero.’ Photo credit: Amirhossein
Shojaei.