I’ve been loving a Netflix series called One Mississippi. You might not like it, but I do. I like it because it’s clever, and it’s true (written and acted by the woman whose story it portrays), and it strikes a chord with me because it’s about a creative person who was born and raised in south Mississippi (no more than an hour from where I grew up).
The author/heroine of the story never really fit into the community of her birth, but she didn’t fully understand why until she moved to the Big City to pursue a career in the arts, then later came back home to reconnect with her family and face her past. (How’s that for a great run-on sentence?) The series deals with issues of sexual child abuse, lesbianism, and cancer survivorship, so it’s not for everyone. But these specific experiences deal with larger issues that anyone can relate to, and it’s written in a dark-comedy style that I appreciate.
I’m also reading One of Us Is Dead, a title which is apparently derived from a song by The Earlies that is coincidentally quoted in the first episode of the One Mississippi series, which makes me wonder how these two things are connected?
How often do two things that are this entwined and relevant surface randomly into your consciousness within minutes of each other? I’ve heard that whenever you’re reminded of anything three times in quick succession, you should pay attention, because that’s the Universe tapping on your shoulder. (Just a little something to tuck into your pocket, then take out and ponder later.)
For me, that means that I should start paying attention to black comedy books and movies that delve into potentially uncomfortable subjects of a specific nature that nevertheless reveal universal themes we can all relate to. And that reminds me that my favorite movies of all time are black comedies:
- Raising Arizona
- Oh Brother Where Art Thou?
- Sordid Lives (a Black Comedy about White Trash)
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
I’m wondering whether my favorite movies are a clue to what I should be writing next?
I don’t know. But I’m eager to find out, and it gives me a great excuse to binge-watch TV and call it research.
