Turning Red


Yes, the big red panda is a metaphor for something, but that should not stop you from watching this delightful coming of age film. A lot of people feel that this movie would have been more commercially successful if it wasn't so localized in the environment of a Chinese girl growing up in Toronto in 2001. As a Canadian, I think that was a great decision. Tell me how many movies you have seen where the setting is in Canada. I bet you can't say very many of them. And that's because people have this idea that Americans can only relate to stories that happen in America or exotic locations, and Canada is neither America nor exotic.  I think movies are how a lot of people learn about the world, even if those movies are fictional. Canada deserves to be known like other parts of the world. Of course this is not a 100% realistic depiction of Toronto but seeing those red street cars made my Canadian soul feel great. 

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