In response to the stay-at-home order that most of the world is under, the #HearMe movement stepped into the conversation bringing awareness to the effects that social distancing and isolation are having on our mental health. Isaac Alvarez’s short film, Hear Me, featuring actors Joivan Wade and David Bianchi, shows its support for the #HearMe movement “in these trying times.”
Told in black and white, this spoken-word film has Wade and Bianchi describing their experience during the lockdown. Though the short opens with audio from President Trump and Prime Minister Johnson, the actors’ words are more reflective than political. The signs they hold describe their feelings and challenges to personal growth taking place during the pandemic.
“…bringing awareness to the effects that social distancing and isolation are having on our mental health.”
In this four-minute short and through spoken word poetry, David Bianchi waxes about getting sick and using that to re-invent himself—a resurrection of sorts. Joivan Wade reflects on this situation as a chance to “be a better me” to grow from the experience rather than be brought down by it.
Hear Me masterfully blends the two poems of Bianchi and Wade along with Alvarez’s brilliant use of black and white imagery. If spoken word poetry (see Don’t Be Nice) is not something you’ve experienced before, Hear Me’s poems are accessible to poetically naive and powerfully performed. But to the point, Hear Me will inspire meaningful conversation and hope during this time.
"…masterfully blends the two poems of Bianchi and Wade along with Alvarez’s brilliant use of black and white imagery."
