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Brown Girl Begins
I saw it! At the AGO, at a glamorous gala event for which I was rather underdressed and unprepared. :)
The backstory is that that Nalo Hopkinson is one of my favourite authors of all time and Brown Girl In the Ring is her second-best book (after The New Moon's Arms, which I'm convinced is the best mermaid story that anyone has told or will ever tell). I also was one of the many backers on IndieGoGo, so I come in with some biases.
This said, there was a lot to love about the film. Mostly, it felt like the world of the book, mysterious and beautiful, with hope peeking through cracks in a landscape of urban decay and despair. The filmmaker, Sharon Lewis, made the correct decision in creating a prequel inspired by the novel rather than attempting a straight-up adaptation, which I think is just too complicated and internal to work as a feature film. It looks gorgeous, from the cinematography to the costume design, it sounds gorgeous, and the casting is spectacular. The standout for me was Shakura S'Aida (who also performed at the reception, along with the brilliant Measha Brueggergosman) as Mami, who stole every scene she was in.
My criticisms are broadly of the reach-exceeding-grasp variety; I don't think they had the time they needed to film everything they needed, and so there are a lot of extreme close-ups, flashbacks, and flash-forwards that occasionally feel like they're filling space that wants to be filled with plot and worldbuilding. It skirts the edge of Hopkinson's vision of post-apocalyptic Toronto, but never quite shows us everything we want to see. I wanted at least about half an hour more of story, or, preferably, an HBO miniseries.
This said, it is ambitious and well-made and would entirely recommend. It's getting a short run at Yonge-Dundas if you missed the opening.
Also, I got to meet Nalo Hopkinson and gush at her in a nerdy fangirl way and she handled this with grace and tolerance. And mentioned that there will be An Announcement on March 1st, which I can only hope is a new book from her.