52 Films by Women Vol 3. 15. LEMONADE (Director: Ioana Uricaru)
‘ If life gives you lemons, make lemonade ’ – proverb. ‘ I’m a secret lemonade drinker – R White’s, R White’s ’ – popular ad. For many, migrating to America is a life’s dream. You escape poverty and oppression in your own country to avail yourself of the opportunities that the United States has to offer. You could join a band and secure a record deal, audition for a Hollywood movie and get the part, or you could work on a food truck. In popular mythology, if not in life, you can remake yourself, be a version 2.0. Of course, a lot of people love the classics; in The Odyssey , the hero of the nimble wits comes home. Lemonade is a film about the terror of being undocumented. Its hero, Mara (Mãlina Manovici) is a nurse who came to the US on a special programme. She treated and later married one of her patients, Daniel (Dylan Scott Smith), who had an accident at work, falling from a tree - though not like the proverbial apple. (Daniel is variously described as a landscapist and...