EL SEGUNDO HERALD December 16, 2021 Page 5
Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy.
Entertainment
her childhood. As a girl and young woman,
she faced tremendous loss, desires that she
chose to tamper down and disillusionment.
She also witnessed firsthand the hatred and
brutality of mankind which, in my opinion,
is handled well. Marilla also experienced
deep physical pain; sometimes daily.
As a young girl when I read Anne of Green
Gables, I always wondered what had made
Marilla Cuthbert so cantankerous. Why was
she so reserved with her feelings? I feel that
this book has answered my questions and
has done so in a way that honors the Anne
of Green Gables series.
You will find many familiar characters
in this book including Matthew Cuthbert,
Rachel, Thomas and other characters that
are developed well. You will see Marilla’s
giving spirit developed and just like the
warmth of her famous raspberry cordial,
you will be left with warm feelings of home,
family and hope.
To check out this and other hopeful titles
this holiday season, please stop by the El
Segundo Public Library. You can also find
us online at www.elsegundolibrary.org. •
Douglass from
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Wishing You A Happy And Safe Holiday Season
Love Thy Neighbor
Dear El Segundoans,
We love the profiles we’ve done, and we’ve learned so
much about El Segundo’s residents. We want to do more,
so please keep the suggestions coming. With over 16,000
residents, we’re sure there are some gems we may have
overlooked or not been aware of them. Do you have a
unique and interesting friend, neighbor, co-worker, colleague
or student? All you have to do is ask their permission and
send us their contact information. Of
course, if you find yourself fascinating,
you are welcome to send us your
information too.
– Best to you all. HM.
Send your suggestions in
to letters@heraldpublications.com
Please have your nominee’s approval before you submit them as a nominee.
Check It Out
Marilla of Green Gables
Written by Sarah McCoy
By Cathie Hinkle, Library Assistant -
El Segundo Public Library
When the dinner plate sized fall leaves
start littering Library Park, and the squirrels
give chase up the sun warmed tree trunks,
my mind drifts towards books that resonate
with themes of family and hope.
Marilla of Green Gables, written by Sarah
McCoy, satisfied this need for a cozy book.
This novel is the prequel to the, beloved by
many, Anne of Green Gables written by L.M.
Montgomery. Upon opening the novel, the
reader finds a prologue that introduces the
reader to the year 1876, when Marilla and
Matthew are discussing possibly bringing
on a young boy to help Matthew around
the farm. We get a glimpse into why Anne
became part of the Cuthbert family. Then
the reader turns the page and is quickly
transported back in time to 1837 when
Marilla Cuthbert is but a thirteen-year-old
girl. In McCoy’s writing we can see how
Marilla’s stoic character was formed during
Cathie Hinkle
Film Review
Flee is a Breathtaking
Recount of Survival
By Morgan Rojas for Cinemacy
Remarkably moving in both its story and
delivery, Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated
feature Flee is a must-watch. Expanding our
idea of what a documentary can be, Flee’s
depiction of an Afghan refugee’s decades-long
plight for survival and, most importantly, selfacceptance,
is a deep well of emotional fragility.
Executive produced by Riz Ahmed and Nikolaj
Coster-Waldau, Flee begins with a title
card informing us that what we are about to
watch is based on a true story, but some names
and locations have been changed to protect
identities and avoid persecution. For the next
hour and a half, we become wrapped up in
the life story of Amin Nawabi (a pseudonym)
as he tells his harrowing journey of life as
a young gay man who was always on the
run from the police, the government, and his
own feelings.
In a very poised, yet hesitant way, much
like he is talking to a new therapist, Amin
describes his earliest childhood memories as
a three-year-old in Kabul, Afghanistan in the
1980s. A-ha’s ‘Take on Me’ plays under b-roll
of live-action footage– a jarring reminder that
despite the film’s mostly animated look, this
is not make-believe. After his father mysteriously
disappears and Amin and his brother
risk getting drafted into the military – which
might as well be a death sentence – the family
flees Afghanistan with hopes and prayers as
their only way forward.
What follows is horrifying abuse and multiple
life or death situations while constantly
crossing borders to cover their tracks. Forever
in flux, it is hard to plan for the future when
you’re forced to live a day at a time. Especially
as a gay man, Amin’s fight for survival was
his only goal.
Set against a haunting score by composer
Uno Helmersson (The Painter and the Thief)
and powerful uses of the tracks ‘Breathe In’
and ‘Help Me’ by the American-Icelandic artist
Low Roar, Flee will put you through your
own emotional journey. Mesmerizing visuals
span throughout Amin’s life; from childhood
to the present day, living in Stockholm with
his partner, and even though it’s drawn in 2-D
animation, we feel his pain. We see the tears
well up in his eyes and sense the tension and
anxiety he has carried around his entire life.
And that last shot… just brilliant.
Flee is a remarkable feat for the entire filmmaking
team and one of the most profound
films I’ve seen in a long time. Now playing
in theaters. •
Flee, courtesy of NEON.
Morgan Rojas
“Winter is the time for comfort,
for good food and warmth,
for the touch of a friendly hand
and for a talk beside the fire:
it is the time for home.”
– Edith Sitwell