Wonder Man

 It's your job as an 'actor' to experience life - trevor

For the past week I have been trying to compose my thoughts to do this justice but ironically, just how Yahya's character is about managing stimuli from his inner and outer world, I found myself in the same conundrum.

As of late authenticity has been on the rise. The more we delve into the mechanics and opportunities of social media. It is heavily integrated into our lives and AI will soon follow. With the pros and cons and the underlying tones, people are slowly requesting for more genuine voices. No gimmicks, special effects or algorithmic tactics. A strong example of this was about two years ago where successful youtubers were retiring their platforms to seclude themselves away from blue light screens. The reactions were mixed by long term subscribers but preserving their sanity led them to take the risk. I always laugh when it comes up as the number one job to be pursued by children but the appeal is that of playing out your life on screen. I mention this in my 'Purity' article https://scriptsermons.blogspot.com/2024/03/purity.html 

gathering an audience to tune into your highlights of life. The payoff is monumental but the downside is slowly rising to the surface. 

So Yahya pursuing his dream for so long against all odds, mainly his condition, was painted so poetically and authentic as possible. He deems himself as "not special" which on the contrary is tragic. As he runs around LA with optimism and cynicism, it creates this brilliant mix of confidence and self doubt. It is until he hears these words, he becomes the observer of his emotions and experiences as opposed to proving himself to them. A statement I heard a few years ago that assisted me in this scene of my life was 'don't be afraid of your feelings.' Funny enough shout out Ms Sullivan. As simple as it sounds we go through hell to avoid reliving some of the feelings we have experienced and thus build our personality around avoiding them.

Everything you are feeling is what true art is made of - kovak

Pushing through comical episodes and beautifully narrated plots, mid way through we get to the pain and shame of his condition and the role that his family & relationship plays in his life. It's magic seeing black heritage portrayed without all the extra antics. Seeing family secrets being dealt with on screen is tragic and vulnerable. Feeling closer to others, you can feel the weight of being unseen through Yahya's eyes. He just needed a break from this massive chip on his shoulders. Choosing a profession that requires so much of yourself into the role, he had to find out the hard way how much of himself he closed off to himself. let alone those around him. Being one with his feelings and the abilities itself paint a beautiful picture of how cosmic we are. People's mantras and way of life are heavily centred around the quantum mechanics of life, such as 'suh it go', 'thoughts turn (into) things' and 'let go, let flow'. Thoughts really become things because feelings literally have the power to make or break your day and life.

Being on the journey with him was worth the highs and lows of pursuing his dreams while feeling out of place, which resonates with so many despite how many times it's been told. Bringing grace and humility, Yahya is no stranger to playing the role of an intergalactic figure trying to understand the human condition. In this case it's simply the roles reversed. The impression this left on me is strong because at the centre of all his pain and lack of guidance, his co-host arrives and reminds him that he was always on the right path and he was sent to remind him of that fact. One of my favourite sayings is 'when the student is ready the master will appear'.

It is your job to experience life as the individual you are and in order to do that you have to become unconventional and open minded to concepts and ways of the world that have been spoon fed to you about not being fathomable. Otherwise how else would you be able to tap into who you are if all these rules have been woven into your personality.

You are the artist and your feelings are the colours that help you paint your canvas - strings

If you haven't seen Wonder Man yet, it's stories like this that keep these messages alive on the world's biggest stage and that stage is also your life. Share this with someone who you think needs a reminder and if this review reminded you, thank you for reading.