EL SEGUNDO HERALD January 27, 2022 Page 3
Entertainment
Check It Out
Be Not Far From Me
by Mindy McGinnis
By Cathie Hinkle, Library Assistant
El Segundo Public Library
“If you’re quiet in the woods long enough,
you’ll hear something die.”
After reading this line, I was hooked.
The book opens with our main character,
Ashley, hiking in a State Forest with two of
her friends where they will ultimately meet up
with a group of boys and celebrate the beginning
Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis
of summer with beers and other forms
of, shall we say, recreation.
Ashley is an outdoorsy girl, loves to be alone
in the woods and knows how to take care of
herself in them. But, on this night, after drinking
way too many beers, she witnesses her
boyfriend in the arms of another and sets off in
a blind run where she trips, falls and succumbs
to unconsciousness. When she wakes up, it is
morning, she has lost her bearings and she is
all alone. Her friends are gone, and she realizes
that in her drunkenness she made a poor
choice and is now terribly injured, alone trying
to survive in a dangerous place far from home.
The reader follows Ashley as she sets off,
trying slowly find her way back home, mentally
and physically. Parts of the book will possibly
make you squirm due to the grit and pain Ashley
suffers as well as the themes that are covered.
After picking up this book, it was not far
from me all weekend long, I had to keep
coming back to read more. If you are, like
me, intrigued by adventure and survival at
all cost’s themes, give McGinnis’ novel a try.
For more survival fiction for all ages, check
out our library catalog at www.elsegundolibrary.
org. For eBook titles you can check out for
free with your El Segundo Public Library card,
download the Libby or Overdrive app on your
phone or mobile device. •
Cathie Hinkle
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Sundance 2022: 3 Films
We Saw From This Year’s Fest
By Morgan and Ryan Rojas, Cinemacy
Despite the initial disappointment felt when
this year’s Sundance Film Festival announced
that it would be moving its in-person component
to run entirely online (due to the ongoing
pandemic), that didn’t stop us from discovering
amazing and standout independent films that
transcended computer screens everywhere.
Below are a few of our favorite films that
you should definitely keep an eye out for in
2022. For all of our festival reviews, check
out cinemacy.com.
When You Finish Saving the World
(Dir. Jesse Eisenberg, 88 min.)
In his first feature film, Jesse Eisenberg
adapts the story that he originally wrote, an
Audible spoken-word story of the same name
centered around the same idea of the discord
between commercialism and activism. Here,
he creates a story in which two characters – a
very waspy, humorously self-centered mother
and son – pursue their passions while also
being preoccupied with their own narcissism
– enough to fail to see that they’re unable to
connect with the outside world, and each other.
Finn Wolfhard and Julianne Moore star as
headstrong mother and son, each separated
by generational gaps and naturally narcissistic
tendencies. Ziggy (Wolfhard) is a popular livestreamer,
playing his original bedroom guitar
jams for his devoted internet fanbase (20,000
of them, which he proudly shares to all who
will listen). Once mother and son both slow
down and listen to each other, Eisenberg’s film
reveals the simple answer of how one can truly
“save the world.”
Fire of Love (Dir. Sara Dosa, 93 min.)
Making its World Premiere in the U.S.
Documentary competition is Fire of Love,
the incredible true story of French scientists
Katia and Maurice Krafft who sacrificed their
lives to advance the public understanding of
the mineral world. In an effort to show the
strength and beauty of volcanoes, the Kraffts
routinely put themselves in the path of danger.
One day, they inadvertently found themselves
caught in the middle of an unexpected
volcanic eruption. Although their love story
ended too soon and their contribution to the
scientific community feels incomplete, what
they did leave behind is hundreds of hours
of in-depth and deep archival footage, which
director Sara Dosa weaves together fervently
to create a sweeping portrait of two people
passionately in love with science, nature, and
each other. Fire of Love was recently acquired
by National Geographic Documentaries, release
date forthcoming.
After Yang (Dir. Kogonada, 96 min.)
With his gifted eye for aesthetics, Kogonada’s
films are among the most arresting in movies
today. His ability to compose beautifully
designed, richly crafted shots of environments
and the people who inhabit them, makes his
films visually and singularly special.
Adapted from a short story by Alexander
Weinstein (“Saying Goodbye to Yang”), After
Yang tells the story of Jake (Colin Farrell) and
Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith), who are parents to
an adopted Chinese daughter, Mika (Malea
Emma Tjandrawidjaja). Their other “child”
is the artificially intelligent android, Yang
(Justin H. Min), who supports the family and
especially Mika.
The performances throughout the film are
all emotionally felt. Each of the actors’ scenes,
including Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith,
Justin H. Min, and Haley Lu Richardson, all
resonate deeply in their tender honesty. They
convey a tranquil serenity to Kogonada’s gorgeously
created world, while also expressing
such deeply felt feelings like grief, loss, and
the fear of life’s finiteness.
While you’ll have to slow yourself down to
its patient, slow-burning pace, it left my heart
swelling, eyes tearing, and soul transcending.
After Yang is a deeply beautiful, profound, and
amazing achievement from Kogonada that will
make you look at your world and life with a
little more wonder after. •
Film Review
From L-R: When You Finish Saving the World, Fire of Love, After Yang. Photos courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Morgan Rojas Ryan Rojas
Monday, Jan 17th
A recovered stolen vehicle report was
taken at 1257 hours from Franklin Avenue
and Oregon Street. A 2021 Ford Transit was
recovered.
A stolen vehicle report was taken at 1348
hours from the 300 block of East Grand Avenue.
Stolen was a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox.
A traffic accident (with injuries) report
was taken at 1429 hours from Village Drive
and Rosecrans Avenue. The traffic collision
involved three vehicles.
A petty theft report was taken at 1442 hours
from the 400 block of Whiting Street. Taken
was a wallet from an unlocked vehicle.
A vandalism report was taken at 1509 hours
from Holly Avenue and Kansas Street. Graffiti
was sprayed at a kid’s park.
One female adult was arrested at 1526 hours
from the 1900 block of East Mariposa Avenue
for public intoxication and for possession of
a controlled substance.
A false report of an emergency was taken
at 1554 hours from the 1200 block of East
Walnut Avenue.
A vehicle burglary report was taken at
1619 hours from the 300 block of West Palm
Avenue. Unknown suspect(s) broke into the
victim’s vehicle.
A petty theft report was taken at 0307
hours from the 600 block of North Pacific
Coast Highway. Taken was a cell phone by a
known suspect.
See Police Reports, page 8