Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Jurnee Smollett, Tawny Newsome, Sky Ferreira, Dan Martin, Paul F Tompkins, Thomas Lennon, Jordan Peele, Aliza Vellani, Murat Alvarez, Chris Webb, Silver Kim, Derek Morrison.
The whole world seems to crave fame, to either prove they existed at one point in time, or because they believe that their life will be better for it, the chance to be driven round in luxurious cars, eat at the best restaurants, have people at their command and carrying out their every whim and desire…fame is an evil in the guise of luminosity, in which celebrity is more lethal than any drug, which can be more destructive than any disease and the reason is because it is shallow, it feeds on vanity, sadness, the superficial and arrogance.
There is a difference between fame and prominence, between celebrity and eminence, and for Jasmine Delancey it is a lesson learned too late as she finds an unfounded delight in a crowd’s Ovation and the misery of recognition is a burden she cannot help but eventually despise.
The Twilight Zone, and certainly under the stewardship of Jordan Peele, is not just about giving you a story to chill the bones and add anxiety to the pulse of the viewer, it has been created to open a window to the mind that deals with the search for truth; and in a world that prizes celebrity above integrity, it is not hard to understand why the episodes, especially Ovation, have resonated so much with the viewer
When aspiring musician and busker, Jasmine, meets her idol in the street, she is asked what she wants. It is in this loaded and troubling question that the premise of the story takes hold, after all anyone of us would probably answer in the same way that Jasmine does, and who would blame them. But as the applause becomes more sycophantic, less honourable, more insidious, it is to Jasmine’s shame that she realises too late what she has become, what she is craving, and the never ending cycle of shallowness grinds ever on.
We crave celebrity because we believe it will fix all our problems, yet deep down, surely we understand just how insane that must sound, that those who seek fame for all it can offer are surely the most vulnerable in society, for they have no reason to believe they have a worthy soul.
A demanding and insightful episode of The Twilight Zone, Ovation hits the spot with conviction.
Ian D. Hall