美国国家公共电台 NPR In Fantasy Short 'Forever Tree,' A Black Heroine Learns To Stop Playing Small

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

For a third year, an Arkansas town is host to a Hollywood-style film festival started by Gina Davis, the Oscar-winning actress. The Bentonville Film Festival aims to headline creative works by women and filmmakers of color. Opening the festival this year - a black historical fantasy film, "The Forever Tree."

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE FOREVER TREE")

WENDELL PIERCE: (As Dr. Willow¹) I'm Madame Walker's physician.

OLIVIA WASHINGTON: (As Tawny² Bennett) Madame CJ Walker?

PIERCE: (As Dr. Willow) Yes. And you are?

WASHINGTON: (As Tawny Bennett) I'm Ms. Meyers' assistant.

PIERCE: (As Dr. Willow) Did she ever mention a forever tree?

SIMON: It's a short film but with some big names - Wendell Pierce and his co-star, the young and accomplished³ Olivia Washington. We're joined now from Bentonville, Ark., by Chrishaunda Lee Perez who is the co-writer and producer of the film, and Olivia Washington, whom we just heard.

CHRISHAUNDA LEE PEREZ: Thank you, Scott.

WASHINGTON: Thank you for having us.

SIMON: Where does this idea of "The Forever Tree" come from?

PEREZ: This is Chrishaunda. A dear friend of mine, Steven Hintz, called me about seven years ago, so this is a longtime coming. He brought a story to me and said, hey, let's collaborate⁴ on an idea that has a black girl at the center of the narrative⁵ that mixes fantasy and reality with history. We both have daughters, and we wanted to create an opportunity for them to see themselves in other people, to see black women in areas that are not commonly seen in film.

SIMON: So Olivia Washington, you played Tawny. She is an art authenticator⁶ who works for an art dealer⁷, but she's still - I guess the phrase is playing small, isn't she?

WASHINGTON: I guess she is in the beginning.

SIMON: Help us understand that phrase. I hadn't heard it before this film.

WASHINGTON: Playing small?

SIMON: Yeah.

WASHINGTON: I mean, I think it's something that I worked through as a young child, you know. As a young female, you want to make sure you're polite and you do what you're told, but when you start growing up, you have to realize that you have to live to your fullest potential. And I think when you play small, when you kind of hide behind others and - you're selling yourself short.

SIMON: In many ways, Tawny is in a kind of servitude, isn't she?

PEREZ: I think I can speak a little bit to that, Scott. We're looking at the Harlem Renaissance⁸. The film is actually 1919, and so, yes, Tawny seemingly is a space of servitude, but it's more that she is an apprentice⁹, if you will, but because she is black and because of the time frame she doesn't have the open window to really be herself. And so she really has been told in so many ways - many people of that time frame were told - be happy that you have this experience and don't ask for more and don't expect any more. And I think Tawny falls into that space. You know, she realizes later on that she doesn't have to stay in this in this bubble that's been created by her - for her. And she has this sort of accidental encounter with two people who give her sage¹⁰ advice - don't play small. Come with us. There's an opportunity to not only embark¹¹ upon something that you've never seen before, but you will discover who you really are as well.

SIMON: I do have a favorite line in this film. It's when Dr. Willow is impressed by Tawny's knowledge, and he says that the woman for whom she works must have taught her well. And Tawny says - Olivia Washington...

WASHINGTON: My father taught me well.

SIMON: Yeah. The lesson I got from it was that even Dr. Willow would kind of suggest that she must have learned what she knew from a white woman, and Tawny was was very eager to let him know, no, I learned it from my father.

PEREZ: You're on to something, Scott, because we wanted to betray Tawny as a complex character who there's a big part of her that is playing small obviously, as you would see in the film, but then there's an underlying¹² piece of her that's very prideful and that feels proud of her heritage. And so you have these little sort of nuance¹³ moments where you know that it's there because when she says something as strong as - and interrupts Dr. Willow and says my father taught me well, you realize then that, OK, this girl isn't as small as she is portraying¹⁴ herself to be. There's something very big inside of her, and it's just a matter of time before that comes out.

SIMON: Chrishaunda Lee Perez and Olivia Washington, it sounds like you're determined¹⁵ to turn 18 minute - what we call a short - into a feature film at some point.

PEREZ: We first wrote this as a feature and couldn't get it made. We pitched this for two years - three years and, you know, many filmmakers can attest¹⁶ to these journeys of not getting anybody to pay attention. So we raised a shoestring¹⁷ budget - a shoestring budget - oh, my goodness - and made something very special and very big out of almost nothing, and we absolutely have the intention of doing a feature length film for this because, you know, this is America and we've got lots of different kinds of people here. Black people are integral to our history. Black people are integral to the building of this nation and the Bentonville Film Festivals - part of their mission is inclusion and we're just happy to be included, so...

SIMON: Olivia Washington, are you - would you like to tell the rest of Tawny's story?

WASHINGTON: Oh, of course. I mean, I instantly, after watching it, was like, oh, I want to know what happens next and this is - this - it is exciting. It's like an adventure really is beginning. So I love the idea of seeing where it goes.

PEREZ: If she would have us, we would be so grateful.

SIMON: Chrishaunda Lee Perez and Olivia Washington - their short film, "The Forever Tree" this weekend at the Bentonville Film Festival. Thanks so much for being with us.

PEREZ: Thank you.

WASHINGTON: Thank you so much.

SIMON: And you can see - forgive me - you can see "The Forever Tree" all weekend long. There's a link on our website, npr.org.

1 willow   

n.柳树

参考例句：

• The river was sparsely lined with willow trees.河边疏疏落落有几棵柳树。
• The willow's shadow falls on the lake.垂柳的影子倒映在湖面上。

2 tawny   

adj.茶色的，黄褐色的；n.黄褐色

参考例句：

• Her black hair springs in fine strands across her tawny,ruddy cheek.她的一头乌发分披在健康红润的脸颊旁。
• None of them noticed a large,tawny owl flutter past the window.他们谁也没注意到一只大的、褐色的猫头鹰飞过了窗户。

3 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

4 collaborate   

vi.协作，合作；协调

参考例句：

• The work gets done more quickly when we collaborate.我们一旦合作，工作做起来就更快了。
• I would ask you to collaborate with us in this work.我们愿意请你们在这项工作中和我们合作。

5 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

6 authenticator   

认证器

参考例句：

• The authenticator contains your name and your workstation's address.验证器包含了你的名字和你工作站的地址。

7 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

8 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

9 apprentice   

n.学徒，徒弟

参考例句：

• My son is an apprentice in a furniture maker's workshop.我的儿子在一家家具厂做学徒。
• The apprentice is not yet out of his time.这徒工还没有出徒。

10 sage   

n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的

参考例句：

• I was grateful for the old man's sage advice.我很感激那位老人贤明的忠告。
• The sage is the instructor of a hundred ages.这位哲人是百代之师。

11 embark   

vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机

参考例句：

• He is about to embark on a new business venture.他就要开始新的商业冒险活动。
• Many people embark for Europe at New York harbor.许多人在纽约港乘船去欧洲。

12 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

13 nuance   

n.(意义、意见、颜色)细微差别

参考例句：

• These users will easily learn each nuance of the applications they use.这些用户会很快了解他们所使用程序的每一细微差别。
• I wish I hadn't become so conscious of every little nuance.我希望我不要变得这样去思索一切琐碎之事。

14 portraying   

v.画像( portray的现在分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The artist has succeeded in portraying my father to the life. 那位画家把我的父亲画得惟妙惟肖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ding Ling was good at portraying figures through careful and refined description of human psychology. 《莎菲女士的日记》是丁玲的成名作，曾引起强烈的社会反响。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

15 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

16 attest   

vt.证明，证实；表明

参考例句：

• I can attest to the absolute truth of his statement. 我可以证实他的话是千真万确的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place. 这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。

17 shoestring   

n.小额资本；adj.小本经营的

参考例句：

• In the early years,the business was run on a shoestring.早年，这家店铺曾是小本经营。
• How can I take the best possible digital pictures on a shoestring budget?怎样用很小投资拍摄最好的数码照片？