Teodora's Blog

I hate forced diverse casts in films. It gets even more annoying when you introduce two or three black characters as the white protagonist’s sidekicks. It is believed that movies usually portray the reality, but what if we’ve been depicting it the wrong way? Who says black people can’t be under the spotlight as well? Who claims the fact that you’re instantly more successful if you are white? I’ve only started asking myself these questions when I noticed the increasing diversity in all sorts of movies. Even biracial couples have become a trend. Although I find the idea of mixed families adorable, the clichéd chemistry between black and white characters is rarely convincing. Neither friendships nor love stories unfold naturally. Everything seems to be insincere, you end questioning the authenticity of even the smallest details. Perhaps this is the very reason I fist-bumped the air when Marvel Studios announced the release of the movie “Black Panther” in 2018. A film rooted in black cul...

Don’t worry, you read the title right. Although you might feel lost in life when you read the emotional scenes featured in the book, you will eventually experience a new powerful lust for life, a huge desire to stand out and do your own part in the world you live in. This biographical novelization of Vincent van Gogh’s life could easily be classified as Irving Stone’s masterpiece. Based on the consistent letter correspondence between the famous Dutch painter and his younger brother, Theo, the book extends across Vincent’s last 10 years of life, from the moment he leaves home for missionary work until the day of his death. I should probably just cut to the chase: the novel is too well-written. Despite its biographical touches, it is by far better than a lot of fiction novels out there. At times, it also features a more dynamic environment than the film adaptation from 1956, starring Kirk Douglas. The element I’m most pleased with is Irving Stone’s ability to recreate such a credible ...