EL SEGUNDO HERALD June 17, 2021 Page 5
Entertainment
‘Censor’ is Vintage Horror Fun
For the VHS Era
By Ryan Rojas, Cinemacy
Before going into the fun new horror film
Censor, you should know what a “video
nasty” is. A colloquial term coined in the
United Kingdom in the 1980s “video nasties”
were films distributed on video cassettes that
were criticized for their violent content by the
press and various religious organizations. In
her directorial debut, Prano Bailey-Bond puts
these graphic films at the center of the story
about a film censor (Niamh Algar) who, after
viewing a strangely familiar video nasty, sets
out to solve the past mystery of her sister’s
disappearance and embarks on a quest that
dissolves the line between fiction and reality.
While operating within the familiarities
of the horror genre that fans will hope for,
Prano Bailey-Bond also flexes her deeper
knowledge and appreciation of the genre
with the plot’s central connection to video
nasties. The fun that Bailey-Bond brings to
the screen with the video nasties’ campy
kills, titles, and even videocassette jackets
are going to be some of the film’s most
memorable moments. And on a more personal
level, it’s clear that Bailey-Bond is
expressing her voice through the central
character Enid (Niamh Algar), a young and
beautiful woman who is more interested in
losing herself in her career of grisly fantasy
than following a more traditional life path.
Censor has a strong and empowering female
perspective about being a woman both in the
workplace and in danger, which Algar is as
equally game for the whole time.
For a film that is so knowledgable about
video nasties and the fun that’s had in staging
violence in film, though, Censor‘s disturbances
are aimed at the more heady paranoia of mental
instability rather than blood-spurting horror
sequences. There are only one or two jump
scares and a few moments of grisly slasher
fun, all handled rather mildly. I wonder if
Censor had allowed itself to indulge in the
genre’s more bloody mayhem what further
fun could have been had within this set-up.
Censor actually ends up hitting on the softer
side in terms of an all-out gorefest. However,
the deeper human truth that Bailey-Bond
expresses here is even more terrifying in its
relatability. It’s telling that after her sister
goes missing during childhood, Enid grows
up to become a film censor, choosing to submerge
herself in such gruesome and violent
content, striving to single-handedly extricate
the most horrific moments from the public’s
(and specifically children’s) consumption. But
when a particular video nasty becomes the
center of a national headline for an inspired
real-life murder, Enid is left shaken, and the
trauma of her horrific past haunts her again.
Bailey-Bond shows the unconscious ways
that we try to stave off events that are too
hard to make sense of in a disturbing moment
and what worlds we then create for
ourselves to cope. In asking the audience
what fears are we running from, and what
actions we take in an attempt to push those
unendurable memories out of our minds,
Censor is a film that will stick around and
stir inside our minds.
At 84 minutes, Censor is perfect for casual
mature audiences looking for a fun time
with a horror movie, as well as for the more
seasoned horror fans looking to indulge their
appetites with the throwback to “video nasties.”
If you were wondering what a video
store clerk’s re-imagining of Midsommar and
Mandy might look like, you might want to
queue up Censor quickly.
84 minutes. Not rated. ‘Censor’ is now
playing at The Landmark Westwood, Alamo
Drafthouse and the Laemmle Glendale. •
Dear Neighborhood Therapist,
I have just graduated from college and now
I’m expected to embark on a “career.” I did
some internships, and I did well, but I cannot
seem to muster that passion for the business
I was in that some of my colleagues do. It’s
not that I mind paying my dues or working
hard. It’s that I look at the people who are
mid-career and I think, “I don’t want to do
that.” I don’t want to spend the next 15 years
of my life dedicated to this work just so that
I can get to where they are, which is a place
I don’t want to be. It doesn’t seem worth it
to me, and it’s incredibly depressing.
– Frustrated Recent Grad
Dear Frustrated Recent Grad,
I’m sure there is a school of thought that
would say, “Hey, it’s rough out there. Life
isn’t easy. Toughen up and get used to it.” The
thinking behind this is most likely something
like, “Sure, it stinks, but it stinks for all of
us, so don’t think you are better than anyone
else, or special.”
I don’t think that’s a very helpful sentiment.
It’s like saying that because kids get too
much vacation, adults should be happy they
don’t get enough. Of course you’re not better
than anyone else, but you don’t have to
like our system, which is roughly like this:
In school, we see continual progress. All you
have to do is pass and you are “promoted”
to the next grade. The grade levels keep going
up, and then you have a big celebration.
(And we should celebrate. School is hard.
It’s a big achievement to get through it.) But
while everyone who passes gets to graduate,
not everyone who does their job well
gets to constantly move up and eventually
be CEO. Of course not everyone is going
to get promoted, so competition heats up.
There just isn’t room for everyone at the
top of any organization, and so many people
compete for it.
Why we protect our kids from the “real
world” until we toss them head first into it is
a topic for another time, but there is no question
that the transition from the academic to
the working world can cause real whiplash.
Especially if you think you may have been
condemned to years of misery in a profession
you can’t stand, it does truly feel like losing
a lot of freedom. So how do you avoid this
fate if you don’t even know what you “want”
yet out of your working life?
First, give yourself some more time. Just
because you haven’t seen a job that appeals
to you doesn’t mean a good life doesn’t exist.
You may not have been exposed to people who
share your concerns, so how could you expect
to have figured it out yet all on your own?
In the meantime, do something - anything -
that helps provide a service that people need
or enjoy.. Maybe it’s picking up trash. Maybe
it’s selling warm bread in the morning, or
driving a bus, or teaching.
Also, don’t be the bad guy. Don’t market
cigarettes to teens. Don’t convince people who
are struggling to take on more debt. Don’t
be a patent troll. Don’t help billionaires hide
their money.
Your frustration that you have not seen
better options or possibilities for life sounds
very reasonable. If you don’t want to be part
of a rat race, finding those other options and
possibilities means that you have some extra
work cut out for you. This isn’t a bad thing.
It is just a harder path, but perhaps one with
better views along the way.
Please write to tom@tomandrecounseling.
com or text to 310.776.5299 with questions
about handling what is affecting your life, your
family, the community or the world. Tom Andre
is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
(LMFT119254). The information in this column
is for educational purposes only and nothing
herein should be construed as professional advice
or the formation of a therapeutic relationship. •
Film Review
Censor, courtesy Magnet Releasing.
Ryan Rojas
“Dads are most ordinary men turned
by love into heroes, adventurers,
storytellers, and singers of song.”
– Unknown
Your Neighborhood Therapist
Police Reports
Monday, June 7th
One male adult was arrested at 2249
hours from the 200 block of Penn Street
for possession of a controlled substance and
misappropriation of lost property.
Tuesday, June 8th
An online identity theft report was taken
at 0818 hours from the 700 block of Sierra
Street. Unknown suspect(s) opened fraudulent
accounts.
A stolen vehicle report was taken at 1007
hours from the 1900 block of East Maple
Avenue. Taken was a 2021 Trailer.
One female adult was arrested at 1200
hours from Sycamore Avenue and Pacific
Coast Highway for sleeping in a doorway
without the owners consent
A petty theft report was taken at 1512 hours
from the 2500 block of East El Segundo
Boulevard. The suspect stole items from the
store without paying for them.
Wednesday, June 9th
A burglary (vehicle) report was taken at
1000 hours from the 1900 block of East
Mariposa Avenue. Tools were taken from
the victim’s vehicle.
A burglary (commercial) report was taken
at 1241 hours from the 1400 block of East
Imperial Avenue. Miscellaneous items were
taken.
A stolen vehicle report was taken at 1823
hours from the 800 block of Pine Avenue.
Taken was a 1998 Honda Civic.
One male adult was arrested at 0323 hours
from the 1400 block of East Imperial Avenue
for one San Bernadino County Sheriff’s
misdemeanor warrant.
Thursday, June 10th
A traffic accident (with injuries) occurred
at 0857 hours on East Grand Avenue and
Standard Street, vehicle versus vehicle.
See Police Reports, page 12
Douglass
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