DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
Middle of Nowhere: My Friends’ Film
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© Middle of Nowhere starring David Oyelowo and Edwina Findley

I’m having a ball reviewing this Academy season’s films for you.

And today, I’m really excited because I get to tell you about indie darling, award-winning film Middle of Nowhere, that stars two of my friends: David Oyelowo and Edwina Findley (above).

Introducing David

You’ve seen David, an Oxford-born, classically-trained, award-winning actor, in the films Lincoln, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Help, Red Tails, The Paperboy, A Raisin in the Sun, and The Last King of Scotland. His next releases are Jack Reacher, Nina and The Butler. David stars as Brian, a ray of hope for main character Ruby, in Middle of Nowhere. We met filming an indie several years ago. He has a beautiful family, wife Jessica and 4 children.

David’s faith grounds him. He’s quoted as saying, “I think it’s vital to have something outside your acting to keep you rooted in the real world, and help you fill the vacuum… For me being a Christian has been invaluable: it simply means acting isn’t the centre of my life.”

Introducing Edwina

You know Edwina, a Washington, D.C.-born, New York University Tisch alumnus & award-winning actress, from her recurring roles on Treme, The Wire, and Brothers and Sisters. She’s also appeared on Law and Order, One Life to Live and Blue Bloods. In Middle of Nowhere, Edwina is Ruby’s lovable sister. When she isn’t jet-setting from set to set, Edwina finds time to give motivational workshops through her company, Abundant Life.

Edwina just married her best friend, Kelvin Dickerson, in a movie-themed wedding in New York. They shared their amazing Christ-filled story with the New York Times, including their decision to wait for sex until marriage.

Middle of Nowhere

Winner of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival Best Director Prize and an official selection for the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, Middle of Nowhere is causing buzz.

Oprah called the film “powerful and poetic… I was so moved by it. I think you will be too.”
The New York Times said, “a soul-stirring drama.”
And the Los Angeles Times described it as “moving and accomplished.”

The official film synopsis reads as follows:
What happens when love takes you places you never thought you’d go? MIDDLE OF NOWHERE chronicles a young woman caught between two worlds and two men in the search for herself. Ruby, a bright medical student, sets aside her dreams when her husband is incarcerated. This new life challenges her to the very core, and her turbulent path propels her in new, often frightening directions of self-discovery.

Ruby is played by Panama-American actress Emayatzy Corinealdi (The Young And The Restless, The Nanny Express). And Ruby’s incarcerated husband, Derek, is brought to life by Omari Hardwick (Miracle at St. Anna, The Guardian, Saved, Next Day Air, I Will Follow).

Slice of Life

The best way I can describe this film is ‘slice of life’. Film-publicist-turned-filmmaker Ava DuVernay, the first African American woman to win a Sundance Award for Best Director of a Drama, said “I wanted to write about the sisters I saw. Everybody knows somebody who knows somebody who’s locked up.”

Born and raised near Compton, Ava writes this very real story about a young woman torn between her relationships. Ava earned her BA from UCLA and built the successful DuVernay Agency whose mission is “to create connections to African-American audiences”. Yet she connects across audiences with this film because everyone knows what it is to struggle with your past and future.

Life’s about choices.

I’m reminded of God’s word to His people before they crossed into their promised land. In Deuteronomy 30:19-20, God says, “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life…”

God’s people had a choice. They could choose life or death. He said, “Choose life.”
In the film, Ruby has a life-altering choice to make.
You and I have choices all the time. What will you choose? Life or death?

One Caution, Maybe Two

Middle of Nowhere is Rated R for drug content, some teen drinking and sexual material. I don’t recall there being nudity, but this is adult subject matter. Not so much for the kiddies.

At first glance, you may be thinking like I did when I first read about the film, “Not another movie about black people in jail! When are we going to get out of prison?!” LOL! But when I saw what Ava did with her screenplay (which she filmed in an insane 19 days with only $500,000), I was pleasantly surprised that this isn’t just another jail tale. It’s a complicated love story about family and choices. You’ll be talking about it long after you leave the theatre.

Go see the film and let me know what you think. And send up some prayers for David and Edwina. While the Lord is blessing their acting careers, they remain faithful to Him and sharing His love with our wonderful colleagues in Hollywood. Lift them up as they shine for Him.

Onward & upward,
Naima

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© 2012 Naima Lett. All Rights Reserved