When ‘‘Middle of Nowhere’ premiered in theaters, S&A opened up conversation around the film with this post: Now That It’s Officially Opened, Let’s Talk ‘Middle Of Nowhere’…
But very few people actually saw the film in theaters, since it was released in a small amount of theaters around the country, which left many fans looking to the TV premiere of the film on BET to watch it.
And now that it’s finally premiered on television – on BET last week Saturday, August 2nd – I wanted to ask S&A readers who tuned in to watch it for the first time (many of whom I tweeted with during its BET premiere), what they thought.
‘‘Middle of Nowhere" is a 2012 award-inning drama that tells the story of a woman named Ruby, who, when her husband is sentenced to 8 years in prison, drops out of medical school in order to focus on her husband’s well being, while incarcerated – leading her on a journey of self-discovery in the process.
From that synopsis alone, you can probably tell that "Middle of Nowhere" ("MoN") is a story we don’t usually see in feature films, and I was happy that the film would finally get its chance to have the reach that it deserves.
Why it took so long for BET to air it, and why it has never been on DVD/VOD, since its 2012 theatrical release, is an entirely different discussion.
People like myself (and I’m sure many S&A readers), will seek out a film they want to see in theaters, even in limited release. But there are those people – the people I feel would get the MOST probative value from "MoN" – who belong to what I call the "broadcast reach," and who seem to have cable, no matter their financial status.
I have to agree with Tambay, when he said that, what he "dug about the film, was how adult the material felt to me. It’s a straightforward drama about black people in very adult situations, and none of it is played for laughs."
I see the intrinsic value in the other “black dramas” in film (many of them are not for me); but they have an audience that can’t be denied. I feel "Middle of Nowhere" was different.
To me, this was a smart drama aimed at an unserved demographic – the women out there who are in SERIOUS relationships with incarcerated men, and not all of them are married like the lead character Ruby. Also, there’s the the audience that would appreciate a a mature drama about people in situations that many of us can related to.
I hope that “unserved demographic” watched along with the countless others who tuned in on Saturday night.
I live-tweeted the broadcast with over the weekend. I actually had something to do and waited until the west coast broadcast to “sync tweet” from my DVR with the west coast viewers, one of whom was the Award Winning Writer/Director herself Ava DuVernay.
Ava live tweeted lots of “DVD Commentary,” like tidbits about the production, as well as interacted with other viewers.
Through one of her tweets, Ava answered a question that EVERYONE has been asking.
For those asking about @MiddleNowhere on DVD, Netflix, ITunes or anywhere besides tonight on BET, unfortunately its a question for BET. #MON
— Ava DuVernay (@AVAETC) August 3, 2014
And there you have it. Don’t ask her, ask BET. Last year, the "MoN" twitter account, retweeted the below. I guess you can ask BET PR as well, if you’re wondering about the above question.
cc: @BET_PR. “@NotherBrother: @reelsistas @blackfilm @MiddleNowhere It’s almost seems to be becoming sabotage @BET”
— Middle of Nowhere (@MiddleNowhere) July 30, 2013
So there you have that. I’m going to leave it right there and just ask, did anyone out there rewatch or watch, for the first time, "Middle of Nowhere" on BETlast weekend, and if so, what thoughts do you have on the film?Programming Note: According to IMDb, "Middle of Nowhere" will re-air Monday, August 18, 2014 at 3:30PM (BET has proven that it will move the film, so I advise you "check your local listings").
I reviewed "Middle of Nowhere" via Nother Brother Entertainment blog here. You can also talk film with me anytime on Twitter @NotherBrother. As of this publishing, lots on my "MoN" live tweets and retweets are still near the top of the timeline.