Grief is not the same for everyone, and director Zaenob Aremu-Bashir‘s short film ‘Ramyun and Tangerines’ beautifully explores this reality.
The layers of loss can almost be compared to the composition of a tangerine. First, you must get through the tough exterior. Underneath that surface, more work awaits. You can pick a tangerine apart into individual wedges. Each piece is unique and independent, but they all remain intimately connected. This film exposes that multilayered emotional process. It is a heavy journey that will touch all of us at some point in our lives.
Photo Courtesy: Black Public Media
We meet Alyson. She is a young woman desperately searching for her missing younger brother, Joshua. Her daily routine consists of recruiting help and staying close to her phone. She simply moves through the basic motions of day-to-day life. However, she pulls quiet strength from the things she shared with her brother. They deeply bonded over basketball, tangerines, and ramyun.
Aremu-Bashir uses sound and creative visual angles perfectly. This directorial method brings the viewer directly into Alyson’s internal world. Actress Joy Ayoka delivers an honest portrayal of a grieving sister. She shows a woman actively navigating a devastating loss in her own unique way.
Photo Courtesy: Black Public Media
This short film doubles down on a modern realization. There are no neat five stages of grief. In fact, viewers are simply joining Alyson on the complex beginning of her journey. Ramyun and Tangerines is now available through Black Public Media’s AfroPoP Digital Shorts series.
