Corrina, Corrina (1994)
Writer, Director, Producer (WOW!): Jessie Nelson (she is one to pay attention to)
Actors: Whoopi Goldberg (Corrina), Tina Majorino (Molly), Ray Liotta (Manny Singer), Joan Cusack (Jonesy)
My Dear Wis Ones,
Have you done the deep dark dive into the root of love?
Do you have an understanding of what love is?
It is unfortunate that the English language has so many peculiarities and rules and roots and exceptions, and yet when it comes to this potent force and presence, we are reduced to one word—love.
We gotta fix this somehow.
Let’s experiment now, and consider that “love” is a synonym for “real.”
Go with me here. Let’s walk on this path for a moment.
In the movie Corrina, Corrina, a man’s wife dies, and he has his 7-year-old daughter to care for. Manny (played by Ray Liotta) has to go back to work, and it is 1959, and his wife was his daughter’s mother and daily caretaker. Now he has to find a suitable replacement, though a mother can never truly be replaced. Manny interviews candidates. They are strange and a lot of them pretend to care about children, but have secret agendas. He is handsome, after all. Ray Liotta, the actor who plays Manny in the film, is just adorable: fresh and sweet, with a soft and gentle voice, and he looks like someone who never loses his temper.
When he is desperate, in walks Corrina, who smokes cigarettes and is black. All the other women he has interviewed are white. They smile a lot and fake it. The black woman says straight up, “I need this job.”
Manny is very professional. He wishes to see a resume, and he does not give her any assurances because he has a few more people to interview. But when he sees the way Corrina interacts with his daughter, he knows something is unique and special in that relationship. Corrina is playful and straightforward, not fake or manipulative. It is Corrina who is able to get Molly, the little girl, to finally start speaking again, and to ask questions about her mom and what death is.
You see, Molly’s dad has no idea how to talk about death and what death is. He has no idea how to reassure his daughter of anything, because he is mainly trying to keep his job so that they can have a house and food and somehow manage through life. Also, he asserts to Corrina, he is an atheist.
Mm-hmm.
Corrina, on the other hand, knows there is a heaven, and angels, and that when people pass away, there is still light and joy to be had. Corrina embodies this, and listens to Molly, and shows Molly what life is, and she introduces Molly to new people, and they have fun together.
Manny can’t deny the impact Corrina has. While it is unusual for him in 1959 to pick this particular black woman instead of a white wife as his daughter’s caretaker, and unusual for him to like Corrina so much and want her to stay for dinner all the time, he doesn’t have time or patience anymore for society’s rules and mores. He is in a vulnerable and confused space in his life, and Corrina shows up and gets it, and doesn’t mince words or pretend she is something she is not. She makes mistakes, and she says, “Oops, I’m sorry.” She makes decisions, and if he doesn’t like them, she explains why she made the decision without getting all shamefully apologetic about it. Yes, she needs the job, but she also has self-respect and dignity, and she’s human.
Have you ever been in a situation, Wis One, where you feel like you are surrounded by a lot of cages and robots and phonies, yet these people think they are upright and good citizens? And they are convinced of their righteousness? And then in the midst of all the fakeness, you meet a human being who is real and genuine and annoying and straight with you? I find that when you meet someone who gets it, you know, truly, what treasure is.
At first, this kind of person can be off-putting because they don’t seem to fit with the flock. But then, you start to realize, what it all boils down to is love, and we need that to live well. We also need joy, because we are not here on this earth to be dead people walking around in suits and polyester dresses and looking pretty. No one needs another zombie apocalypse. We are living in one.
Life! It don’t lie.
(Let’s make that a little jingle.)
So, I am asking you to entertain this force of love as manifesting in the people who are the realest realest of the real. They may have flaws and frustrate us, but that’s only because it’s tiring for seers who have been trying for years to educate the populace to what seems no avail. Eventually, they give up on that particular dance and just start cursing and smoking and telling people what they really think, because people who keep it real are usually the ones who can be trusted.
(By the way, I don’t advocate smoking, but people did it a lot in 1959.)
Hmm. Love, trust, life. Realness.
These elements are fresh air, and that is something you can feel. These are the kinds of things that make even a self-proclaimed atheist look up to the sky and ask for answers and help. Maybe there is some heavenly presence we can turn to, he considers. Just then, Corrina comes over and offers some kindness.
The black women I know have had more than their fair share of burdens to bear, and yet they keep doing this kind of thing—offering kindness, forgiveness. Why? Because I guess some people have learned that when you’re praying for peace, love works.
Love you and miss you and hope you are well,
Ms. Wonderful
Accoutrements
An article about the difficulty of Jessie Nelson getting this film made and why:
Video of Jessie Nelson talking about the film:
Whoopi Goldberg on the making of the film:
Ray Liotta on the making of the film:
There is always a good song behind good movies: