A Minecraft Movie (2025) came to theaters on April 4 and is likely the biggest blockbuster and most anticipated film this spring.
The plot of this movie follows four misfit characters, each struggling with their own personal problems, until they are suddenly transported into the world of Minecraft. In order for this band of misfits to get back home, they embark on a quest alongside the iconic Steve — the characterless protagonist of the original game, played by Jack Black.
You’ve probably heard the chatter about the theater experience — the crowd clapping, cheering and quoting those brain-rotted trailer lines like “chicken jockey,” “flint and steel,” or “I am Steve.” I can confirm, at least from my own experience, that it’s all true. For that reason alone, I’d recommend catching A Minecraft Movie in theaters while you still can.
Now, when it comes to critical analysis on whether this film is good or not, I’ll put it plainly. It’s terrible, ugly, corporate money-hungry and a disgrace to what I consider artistic film. However, I think critical analysis is unwarranted when discussing what makes A Minecraft Movie such an important part of our current social culture.
You see, a movie about Minecraft — a video game that has no story — was never going to be a theatrical masterpiece. However, I can recognize how important this movie is to so many people.
The memes are one thing — they’re a part of Gen Z’s culture, something that unifies us as we laugh together at the utter stupidity of it all. Then, there’s the topic of Minecraft itself; I didn’t realize how nostalgic I was for Minecraft until I was sitting in that theater watching the film.
I gasped when I recognized two Youtubers — DanTDM and LDShadowLady — who I hadn’t thought about in years, pop up on the screen. I used to watch their videos practically everyday in my tweens, so seeing them make a cameo in a blockbuster like this just warmed my heart.
Another note I wanted to mention is that, although I have some nostalgia for Minecraft, I am by no means the intended audience — A Minecraft Movie is for Minecraft fans.
Kevin Lobello was a 9-year-old kid, a third grade student at the Academy for Classical Education in Georgia, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Lobello was a huge fan of Minecraft, and his last wish was to see A Minecraft Movie before he passed away. He was able to accomplish his wish in early March before the movie officially hit theaters. Lobello passed away on March 12 of this year.
So ,who am I to say A Minecraft Movie sucks, when there are people out there like Lobello, who this movie means the world to?
What makes being alive so special is getting to enjoy the things you love. Life’s too short to deprive yourself of the things that make you happy — something that has always been a part of Minecraft’s message.
“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover,” as referenced in the End Poem that appears in the ending credits of the Minecraft game.
So, if you’re thinking about going to see A Minecraft Movie, but your so-called friends are shaming you for entertaining the idea, forget them and just fucking go!
I hope you’re feeling inspired reading this! Drop this paper, and march to one of Arcata’s theaters, buy yourself a ticket — and maybe a beer, if you’re legal — and watch A Minecraft Movie.
Julia is a journalism major at Cal Poly Humboldt. She loves film and is a regular on Letterboxd. To quote Robin Williams in her all-time favorite movie, Dead Poets Society, “The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?”
Union contractors speak out about alleged Sundt Construction wage theft and safety violations
By Barley Lewis-McCabe and Jess Carey
Bright yellow hazard jackets served as a neon beacon in the mist as the rain started to pour early Monday morning. Large red and black banners read, “Don’t let this project become a CRIME SCENE!” A giant caricature of the grim reaper, fashioned out of PVC, towered over the quad, complete with an accusatory pointed finger and imposing black robes.
Starting on April 7, four contractors from the NorCal Carpenters Union stood in the Student Activities Center quad in what they described as a public service, or free speech action. They stayed there late into the afternoon, handing out fliers that read, “TELL SUNDT CONSTRUCTION THAT WAGE THEFT IS A CRIME, AND A BAD BUSINESS MODEL.” The protestors explained that they’d be there spreading information all week.
Steve Harris, one of the demonstrating workers, said they want to bring awareness to the issues with Sundt Construction.
“We just want to let everyone know that there’s a labor dispute,” Harris said. “On some of their jobs back in the past, they [didn’t pay] prevailing wage, [there was] misclassification of workers, stuff like that.”
Sundt has subcontracted with three organizations that, along with Sundt, have been issued civil wage and penalty violations by the Department of Interior in the past over failure to pay prevailing wage. Monetz Glass in CSU East Bay was ordered to pay $232,964.05 in prevailing wage in April 2017. Green Growth industries at San Jose State was ordered to pay $2,182 in withheld training funds in March 2017, and Citadel Premium Design in UC Merced had to pay $5,612.71 in withheld prevailing wage, but there is no evidence of failure to pay prevailing wage on any Cal Poly Humboldt campus construction projects.
Sundt’s Role on Campus
Sundt Construction is an Arizona-based construction company with projects nationwide. They have worked with several other California State Universities on large projects, including a commons building for Sacramento State and dorms at Cal State, Fullerton. They are the general contractor managing the Hinarr Hu Moulik housing project in Arcata, as well as the Jenkins Hall Renovation project, the location of the new Ceramics and Sculpture labs. Sundt also won the contract for the new Housing Dining and Health Building, which is set to begin construction in 2027 in the footprint of the old Ceramics Building.
Sundt’s Local Legal Issues
On Feb. 18, a document was shared with University Contracts and Procurement Manager Addie Dunaway from the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America Local 751. It detailed why they feel Sundt isn’t capable of safely carrying out the contract. This document stated that Sundt has been cited by OSHA in 14 recorded violations of safety and health regulations nationwide, resulting in $48,777 in fines. A portion of these cases are from projects outside of California.
The local 751 document says that during a worksite inspection on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus, union representatives claim to have found unsafe working conditions.
“We found workers leaning A frame ladders up against the wall and working on them without them properly opening up like they are intended to work from. We found rebar exposed, nails sticking out of 2×4 where someone could step on it.”
Photo by Barley Lewis-McCabe | Local 751 construction worker Steve Harris (right) protests Sundt Constructions’ alleged labor law and safety violations.
An excerpt of the same letter, sent to Cal Poly Humboldt administration from local 751, further discussed this incident.
“When I tried talking to workers, they would walk away with the superintendent coming up yelling, telling us we can’t be on site,” the letter read. “As we were leaving the site, we found that the police were called and we stayed to talk to the officer. After sharing our interaction with the officer, she couldn’t find anything we had done wrong and let us go.”
In Aug. 2024, a charge was filed against Sundt with the National Labor Relations Bureau by Local Carpenters Union 751, alleging that Sundt engaged in coercive actions and denial of access to Jenkins Hall Renovation, which they argue violated the National Labor Relations Act section 7.
“Within the past six months, the [Sundt] has violated the [National Labor Relations] Act by discriminatorily and in retaliation for protected concerted activity, interfering with the exercise of protected rights by preventing and restricting Union representatives from accessing a jobsite at Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata California,” the charge read. “Clark Pacific was present, surveilling Union representatives, eavesdropping on conversations between Union representatives and their members, preventing union representatives from speaking to members and calling the police on Carpenter representatives seeking access to the jobsite. By these and other acts, the above-named employer interfered with, restrained and coerced employees in the exercise of their rights guaranteed by Section 7 of the Act.”
In regard to the charges, Mike Fisher wrote in an email, “The Union was denied access because they had no related business and didn’t arrange for permission to be there. When they refused to leave, UPD was called. The union’s second claim of ‘surveillance’ was due to UPD being dispatched.”
Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act outlines workers’ right to self-organize, communicate with union representatives and protects said workers from managerial interference, such as wrongful surveillance or unfair removal from job sites.
Lumberjack reporters reached out to the Sundt company for comments on the charge, but did not receive a response prior to publication.
Thoughts from the admin
The contract for #PLY102, Science A Renovations, will be awarded on May 6. The project consists of renovations to Science A’s laboratories and chemistry equipment, and the winner of the bid will have a role in designing and building the project. The CSU has a pre-qualification process for prospective bidders that Cal Poly Humboldt VP of Facilities Mike Fisher said is in place to ensure high standards.
“Contractors must adhere to a set of laws and policies before they can be considered for bid awards,” Fisher said.
These policies result in a shortlist of qualified companies being the only parties whose bids are considered for a project. For the Science A renovations, Sundt and Swinerton were companies included on the shortlist.
Fisher commented on the Sundt company and their role in campus projects.
“To date, there have been no claims or complaints from subcontractors, and both projects [Hinarr Hu Moulik and Jenkins Hall] have maintained an exceptional safety record. The references used by Local Union 751 against Sundt are for other projects outside of our area and across different states,” Fisher said. “Sundt has provided exceptional service and demonstrated outstanding safety practices on our projects at Cal Poly Humboldt.”
Thoughts from the union
Chris Palomo, a NorCal Carpenters Union organizer, commented on other companies up for bidding on the Science Renovations Project that the union would be more comfortable with ethically.
“In contrast to Sundt, Swinerton has agreements with local hiring halls, which provide work opportunities to local journeymen and apprentices, pays area standard wages and benefits and, to our knowledge, has no known history of labor violations,” Palomo said.
Barley Lewis-McCabe is a freshman reporter and Jess Carey is a senior reporter and science editor for The Lumberjack. They both like to cover unique stories that impact the local community.
Your 20s are the best time to spend all your money on traveling
By Jasmin Shirazian
I’m not sure if I’m just in an impulsive state of mind imposed by the crumbling state of our country, but I’ve recently stopped caring about how much it costs to get the fuck out of this country — even if it’s temporarily. To experience a new culture, to find that there is more to the world than the constant state of distress our elected officials place us in, it reignites hope in a person. At least, it did for me.
I’m not just traveling for myself, either. When I’m on my way to the Eiffel Tower in Paris or River Thames in London, I think about all the women who never got to travel — of all the young girls who dreamt of coming and never found the time when they got older. I think of my younger self, who I let live through me as a 23-year-old woman. I’m thinking of my future self, and how I’ll get to talk about all my adventures and show off my sexy pictures of when I was 20-something taking shots in Madrid. I carry all the versions of myself throughout the places I find myself in, and I want them to experience the world.
Money isn’t real, our things aren’t either — memories are what we get to keep, and even those we can’t take with us. Not to get existential, but if it all comes to an end anyway, why not live? And in this world, you unfortunately can’t live without spending money.
We are in a scary place in our world right now — mind you, I am not an economist nor am I here to spew any financial advice. I’m simply a girl with a spending habit and a newly found love for travel. And before you claim I’m using daddy’s credit card, I’ll be the first to tell you I don’t have a daddy — by blood or sugar. I fund my life almost completely by myself, including bills and rent. So, I’m not saying to liquidate your savings and go into debt, but I’m telling you it’s okay to spend money on yourself and on your experiences. You deserve good things — to fly, to cruise, to experience a hot, freaky, international fling.
I promise if you try, you can find a way to make it happen — and it’ll be so freakin’ worth it.
Jasmin Shirazian is the curly-haired head copyeditor and social media manager for The Lumberjack. She is a TV show enthusiast, cat lover and higher education reporter for CalMatters.
Photo by Jess Carey | A protestor holds up a sign at the Hands Off! protest in Eureka. The sign reads, “IKEA makes better cabinets.”
Thousands of people took to the streets of Eureka to participate in a nationwide demonstration of dissent for the policies of the Trump administration last Saturday, March 5. More than 1,300 “Hands Off!” rallies occurred in all 50 states over the weekend, with a nationwide turnout estimated in the millions.
The Humboldt crowd spread more than four blocks on the Redwood Highway near the Humboldt County Superior Court, sporting handmade signs, noisemakers, flags and even costumes. A person with a megaphone led the crowd in chants such as “No Trump! No KKK! No racist, fascist USA!” and “Love, not hate, makes America great!”
Photo by Jess Carey | A group of protestors stand in a walkway on the outside of the Humboldt County Superior Court.
Hundreds of voices echoed throughout town, mingled with enthusiastic honks of support from passing motorists. Some banged pots and pans together, some blew horns and some cheered. A brass band hosted a jam session and dance party around the flagpole. Bikers piloted a kinetic sculpture in laps around the procession.
It was a colorful cacophony of resistance — a Humboldt twist on a national movement. The scene was vibrant and determined, in line with the county’s long history of passionate political and social activism.
Jess Carey is a senior at Cal Poly Humboldt, majoring in biology and double minoring in botany and journalism, and the science editor for The Lumberjack. They are passionate about telling stories that are relevant to the community, branching their interests in science, music, and the arts.
Photo by Jess Carey | A crowd of protestors stand around the U.S. flag podium holding handmade signs in front of the Humboldt County Superior Court in Eureka.
It’s no mystery that Cal Poly Humboldt is known for its many stairs, considering its former alias as Hills and Stairs University. You likely encountered at least one set of stairs to get a copy of this newspaper. However, did you ever stop to wonder which campus staircases are best and which are worst? No? Well, I have.
Photo by Julia Kelm | Stairs above Depot.
I also think it’s important to pay attention to these things. Even though I’m an able-bodied individual, I find it blatantly obvious how non-accommodating this campus can be for disabled students.
Do I have you vaguely intrigued? Please continue reading to see my scores.
Stairs located right above the Depot, next to the student activity center
These stairs annoy me for two reasons. One: These stairs are practically pointless. Why does there need to be two stairs to go up a slight slope? Two: There’s literally a ramp right next to it! Like, why even bother putting stairs there in the first place? At what point are these no longer stairs and just a glorified tripping hazard? 1/10, just make the whole thing a ramp and give our ankles a break.
Photo by Julia Kelm | Founders Hall Stairs.
Founders Hall’s stairs
You know, I couldn’t rate the stairs around campus without mentioning Founders Hall. These are probably the most iconic stairs on campus. You likely know them well; they’re long and steep, yet wide for comfort when walking side-by-side with a stranger or friend. They feature a middle handrail in case you trip. By all means, these are pretty nice stairs by my standards. I could be biased since I’ve never used these stairs as part of my daily commute. Though, dare I say, I actually like these stairs? 9/10, points off for their height, but they’re just so iconic they deserve the highest score.
Cypress Hall’s stairs
I feel immense pity for the poor students who live at the bottom of Cypress Hall. If I had to climb Mt. Everest every day just to leave my dorm, I would surely lose my mind. 3/10, I’m so sorry.
Photo by Julia Kelm | Cypress Hall Stairs.
Stairs located near geology in Founders Hall
The moment you’ve been waiting for, the worst stairs on campus. These stairs are uneven from tree roots growing through them, cracking the pavement. The handrails, bent and falling over, whilst being reclaimed by nature. If you just sent me a picture of these stairs and told me it was a set piece for The Last of Us, I might’ve believed you. Yet, the cherry on top for these stairs is the janky piece of paper taped to the railing saying “caution.” Like no shit, there might be zombies down there! -1/10, someone relocate this stairway to hell.
For now, this concludes my ratings of stairs. I may return to this if I feel inclined; there are still several stairs I could complain about. In fact, there are many other facilities on campus I have weirdly strong opinions about — I’m looking at you, scary Gist Hall elevator.
Julia is a journalism major at Cal Poly Humboldt. She loves film and is a regular on Letterboxd. To quote Robin Williams in her all-time favorite movie, Dead Poets Society, “The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?”
Dressed to the nines, ready to wine, dine and spend some dimes in the name of student athletics; it was the 39th annual Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics Auction and the venue was packed to the brim. On April 5th, dozens of athletes greeted and welcomed donors as they made their way into the Sapphire Palace at Blue Lake Casino.
Alex Cappa, HSU football alum and NFL Superbowl champion, and Robin Meiggs, one of Cal Poly Humboldt’s most decorated coaches and National Rowing Hall of Fame recipient, were among some of the special guests honored at the event.
From wine-bottle bundles, to San Francisco Giants seats behind home plate, to a battery-powered kids’ Ford Raptor and autographed Alex Cappa NFL jerseys, there was something for everyone at the live and silent auctions. Proceeds from this event fully fund student athlete scholarships and assist in the overall success of the athletic program.
Photo by Kimberly Alexsandra Madrigal | Donors carefully look at each unqiue basket.
Mark and Teisha Gwerder, second time attendees, describe themselves as distant supporters of CPH athletics.
“We love the way the community is involved with the athletics program and the school,” Gwerder said. “Very community based and that’s appealing to us.”
Olivia Huynh, a second-year psychology student and coxswain on Cal Poly Humboldt’s women’s rowing team, shared how important it is as a student athlete to have the community back you up.
“It’s really important — I think Humboldt is a really small community, so having as many donors to support us is really helpful,” Huynh said. “There’s a lot of student athletes at Humboldt, which makes up a huge part of the student population, because there are not that many of us. So having many opportunities to have scholarships and improve our equipment as a smaller school brings a lot more people to the program.”
Kimberly Alexsandra Madrigal is a 3rd year journalism student from Fresno, CA. She enjoys hot girl walks, traveling, shopping, live music, casual insta’s and being a living legend.
Let me start this article off by saying if you’re in need of a new TV show to obsess over, Severance is your route. The sci-fi thriller just wrapped up its second season, and I can say confidently on the record — it’s an award-winning season. The stellar performances, excellent cinematography and amazing storytelling are just a part of what separates Severance from other shows out right now.
I consider myself lucky because I started Severance relatively recently, so I didn’t have to endure a 3-year wait for season two to drop like most. It was a show that always had a place in my watch list. It looked interesting, I just never had the incentive to watch or get Apple TV. All that changed when season two premiered and I started to see buzz surrounding the show everywhere. Now I’ve caught up, joined the subreddit, and became a fanatic spreading the good word.
There’s not a lot to do up here in Humboldt so when I encounter a series that makes me eager to go home and watch it, it adds that much spice into my life. And so, to give the finale some time to breathe and room for people to catch up, I’m going to talk about the things I love about Severance. Minor spoiler warning regarding the show in general, but I’ll try and keep things light.
Theme
I believe the theme of Severance is rooted in three key elements — mystery, philosophy and love. I don’t know if any of you were fans of Gravity Falls, but the mystery aspect of this show reminds me so much of that series. I can’t remember another time when the community behind a show invested so much time trying to decipher mysteries and formulate theories. I love when a show can bring a collection of people together like that.
The philosophical aspect of the show probably has to be my favorite. The premise of the show, more or less, is that people who choose to work for the “severed” floor of Lumon Industries have a chip implanted in their brain. This chip ensures that for the eight hours that they’re at work, their “innie” takes over with a completely different sense of self, doing whatever has been tasked upon them by Lumon with no recollection of the life of the “outie” and vice versa. Many ethical questions are raised within the show itself. Would you work for a company where you had no idea what kind of work you were doing if it provided a check? What defines a person? Is it the mind, or the body, or neither? How do you create meaning in your life?
But this is also where the love element comes into play, as I feel like it’s the strongest driving factor for each of our main characters in their department, Macrodata Refinement (MDR). There’s a plotline where a character named Dylan George’s innie self starts falling in love with his outie’s wife. There’s another plotline this season where the main character(s), Mark’s outie and innie both have a relationship with a different person. How do you handle a situation like that? These are just a few of the ideologies that make up the theme of Severance in my eyes.
The Little Things
I mentioned the cinematography and attention to detail earlier, and that’s because the show truly utilizes that skill set when crafting their shots. Season two opens up with what is nearly a two-minute-long running sequence in which we see Adam Scott, who portrays Mark, jetting up and down the intricate labyrinth that is the severed floor. The scene is spliced together to imitate one take, and utilizes techniques such as CGI, a bolt arm — a camera with very precise movements — and practical movements to create a scene that can’t be truly captured through an explanation in the paper.
Another aspect of the show I find phenomenal is the sound. I’m not just talking about the theme, which is absolutely insane, but more so the sound production overall. An example of the attention to detail when it comes to using sounds in the show is their use of elevator sounds as the MDR employees enter the severed floor. Without explicitly giving away any possible spoilers, just pay attention to the ding the elevator gives or doesn’t give as you progress through the show, and what that may mean.
The Acting
There are so many different aspects I could go deeper into. The directing by Ben Stiller, plot, set design — literally everything about Severance. But, as there’s only so much room in the paper, I think I need to talk about the performances.
Each character in this show does an outstanding job at acting. I love media where we get to see the same actor portraying multiple characters, and that’s essentially a lot of Severance. Each actor does this magnificently. For example, the watchers get to see Mark shift from a lowly, depressed, desperate individual yearning for an escape from his mind, to a more cheery, vibrant character. Even the characters who don’t have an innie stand out in their performances, such as Tramell Tillman who plays Mr. Milchick, a verbose frontman for the severed floor.
All in all, I believe that we’re truly going through a renaissance of television right now. With so many great shows coming out currently — Invincible, Daredevil, White Lotus, Paradise, etc. —- the time to jump into a new show is now. And if I may, I’d like to say with this new season, Severance has solidified its place in the all-time best T.V. series competition. No ifs, ands, or buts.
Kaylon Coleman is a junior journalism major with a concentration in news and a minor in Psychology and Communications. He is the Social Media Assistant Manager for LJ. He is also the president of the Black Student Union at CPH, social media coordinator for the Umoja Center, and a part-time radio DJ.
Long ago, before there were salmon, the people of the Pacific Northwest coast had only leaves and roots to eat. Finally, the first salmon swam up the river to spawn. Fighting her way through the rapids, she heard a voice call out.
“Finally, my relatives full of eggs have arrived to feed the people!”
Salmon was happy to be welcomed with gratitude.
“Who is it that calls?” Salmon asked.
“It is your uncle, the skunk cabbage,” the response echoed through the canyon.
Graphic by Jess Carey
The salmon climbed ashore to meet her uncle. As a reward for generously providing for the people, skunk cabbage received a club and an elk skin coat, and was given the nutrient-rich lowlands near the water. This legend traces back to the Kathlamet and Clackamas peoples, and was adapted here from Pojar and MacKinnon’s Plants of the Pacific Northwest. The story explains skunk cabbage’s strange appearance and affinity for swamps.
The leaves and roots of skunk cabbage — when boiled — are edible. Uncooked, they burn the mouth and skin, due to high concentrations of needle-like calcium oxalate crystals. Its waxy leaves are also used for food storage and cups. The whole plant exudes a distinctive musty odor that lends it its name. Leaves and sheathed club-like flowers emerge from dormant roots called rhizomes every spring. While the plant sheds its flowers and leaves in the winter, its rhizome can live some 20 years, safely protected from winter frost in the cozy soil. Skunk cabbage’s strange and vaguely phallic flowers are the characteristic blooms of the Araceae family. Similar flowers are seen in the common landscaping plant, calla lily.
Jess Carey is a senior at Cal Poly Humboldt, majoring in biology and double minoring in botany and journalism, and the science editor for The Lumberjack. They are passionate about telling stories that are relevant to the community, branching their interests in science, music, and the arts.
Look Back: follow your passions and watch animated films
By Julia Kelm
Look Back, by Tatsuki Fujimoto, is a 2024 animated film adapted from a web manga by the same name. The film is a coming-of-age story, observing Ayumu Fujino, a young, ambitious — and perhaps a tad vain — elementary school student.
I technically watched this film for the first time a while ago, a few weeks before the Oscars — which was totally snubbed in the best of animation and foreign film categories, by the way. It struck a chord with me then, and I felt compelled to write about it for a few reasons.
One reason is that the story of this film is an important and relatable one — not just to artists or writers, but to anyone who is devoted to achieving a goal and pursuing their passions. I thought, “Well, that sounds like a lot of college students I know — why not write about it for a school publication?”
The second reason is that I think animation is a medium looked down upon too often. Shining light on a film that a lot of people might have missed last year — a short, digestible one at that — would be a good place to start when it comes to the nay-sayers of anime and animation.
Keep in mind that this film is an anime, so you do have the choice of watching it subtitled or voice-dubbed in English. Some would say watching anime subbed is the only — and best — way to go because it’s usually considered that the original voice acting performance is better. However, I personally prefer dubbed performances because I just catch more — so I say, to each their own. Just don’t tell the anime purists.
The plot of the film follows Fujino, a talented manga artist who draws cartoons for her school paper. She is greatly praised by her classmates, friends and teachers who read her work. One day, her teacher asks if Fujino can give one of her strips to another student, Kyomoto.
Kyomoto has extreme anxiety and hardly ever shows up to school because of it. Fujino is reluctant to give her a spot, but eventually gives in.
To Fujino’s surprise, in the next issue of the school newspaper, she discovers that Kyomoto is an amazing artist — and a much better artist than herself at that.
In retaliation, Fujino throws herself into her work, forcing herself to improve her art, even if it means alienating her friends and family to get better.
Fujino tries relentlessly to get better, but eventually gives up altogether. It’s not until much later that she comes face-to-face with Kyomoto, the person who simultaneously is the reason Fujino worked harder than ever before, and why she gave up on her talent.
However, to her surprise, Kyomoto admits to Fujino that she’s her biggest fan and was the reason she started putting her drawings into the paper in the first place.
This film continues to show how these girls grow and adapt, turning into the people they want — and need — to be. Their lives intertwine like some sort of predetermined destiny.
Fujino and Kyomoto’s relationship is the heart of this film. As the story continues, you get the impression that they both have this drive to be the very best at what they do, though they can’t quite get there without one another.
Talent and passion can only get you so far in the world. If you don’t have someone encouraging you during the bad days, it’s a lot easier to give up.
While this movie does take a violent turn in the last half, which adds a sad layer to the film. I find that the twist drives home this idea of the girls’ connectedness and makes the viewer contemplate the choices they’ve made in order to be where they are today.
So, if you have a little extra free time this week, maybe between eating lunch in The Depot, walking to class or procrastinating on that assignment that was due yesterday, I highly recommend Look Back. It’s streaming on Amazon Prime and will only take an hour of your time.
Julia is a journalism major at Cal Poly Humboldt. She loves film and is a regular on Letterboxd. To quote Robin Williams in her all-time favorite movie, Dead Poets Society, “The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?”
Towering above me as I shrank into the carpet was a giant woman wearing a crown of gold
Her stare pierced my skin and her clothes were worn bearing the marks of her life both young and old
She forced a half-smile and knelt down to my level softly kissing the feathers that grew from my arms
Then her smile slowly faded and her kisses turned to tears as she turned her back to me Revealing her scars
Her expression grew angry and her voice turned stern She boomed “Never grow up,” like the crack of a whip
“For if you do grow up, I fear I must warn you, there may come a time when your wings get clipped.”
Mia Costales is a senior journalism major and the Life & Arts Editor for The Lumberjack. With a background in music performance, she hopes to combine her love of music and the arts with her passion for localized news and activism to bring thoughtful and informed stories to the public.
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