The Forty-Year-Old Version
<PERSON> passion project is a film clearly from the heart. It details a chapter in the life of a playwright/teacher who, nearing her fortieth birthday, feels she's spinning her wheels in silence. Her newest play - a story of a young Harlemite couple bracing against a tide of gentrification - is carved up and whitewashed by a well-connected producer. And, as the essence of herself is scrubbed clean from the play, she finds an outlet in rap and inspiration in the people closest to her.
But, any boiling down of the film's details is reductive. The film despite being very much about gentrification (both of neighborhoods and of Black voices), fresh voices in hip-hop, finding your own voice, and not compromising on your vision, is very much not just about those things. 80
It's a film about a very particular experience; <PERSON>'s experience. It is a story of a person first and foremost and coming to know her - her sarcastic humor, her passion for expression through writing, her anxieties and regrets, her frustrations and needs - is the greatest joy that The Forty-Year-Old Version has to offer.
In this respect, it is great. It is deeply empathetic and wonderfully charming. And, it is easily one of the best films I've seen all year. It's currently on Netflix. So, if you, like me, have stalled on giving this a shot, don't hesitate any longer, it's really worth your time. 583