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Movie review: Suspenseful 'Aida's Secrets' is a heartwarming exploration of a family's mysterious hi
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Aida Zasadsinska in Aidas Secrets. - photo by Josh Terry
AIDA'S SECRETS 3 stars Izak Sagi, Shep Shell, Aida Zasadsinska; not rated; Broadway

Aidas Secrets feels like the best possible hybrid of an Ancestry.com advertisement and an episode of "Dr. Phil." Alon and Shaul Schwarzs documentary traces the journey of two long-separated brothers who unite to solve the mystery of their past.

The story starts in Israel with Alon's uncle Izak Sagi. Izak didnt find out until well into his childhood that he was adopted and even as an adult, he discovered that the people closest to him knew more about his mysterious past than they were telling him. At one point, even Alon has to admit that he'd heard rumors about Izak having a secret blind brother named Shep, who had been separated from him at a young age.

Things pick up steam once Alon and Izak locate Shep in Canada and head out to meet him. They have little to go on aside from a pair of old photographs and the odd anecdote, but the story of the separated brothers slowly starts to form.

It turns out Izak and Shep were together with their mother Aida in a special camp in Germany set up after World War II to accommodate displaced Jews. Following this time in the camp, for some inexplicable reason, Izak was sent to Palestine on his own, while Aida went to Canada.

Shep also went to Canada, but with a man named Grisha, who Izak and Shep assume was their father. But the more the brothers find out, the more secrets and inconsistencies they uncover.

Aidas Secrets is a story of reunions, and there are numerous heartwarming moments that pepper the directors' effort. Izak is overjoyed to learn he has a brother, and their reunion early in the film is a golden on-camera moment. Grisha passed away in 2008, but we learn that Aida is still alive, which leads to another great reunion when Shep finally meets his long-lost mother.

The brothers drive the film, but the mystery is fixed on Aida, who seems especially vague and evasive when her sons try to make sense of what happened so many years ago. Unable to get any straight answers out of her, they eventually decide to have a DNA test, suspecting that while they share Aida as a mother, they may come from different fathers.

Aidas Secrets falls somewhere between a family history documentary and a suspense film, made all the more interesting because the person with the answers is sitting right in front of the camera and refusing to share them. Part of this seems to stem from the presence of the documentary cameras, but the more we learn about the brothers' past, the more we understand why Aida might have kept the past to herself for so long.

Directors Alon and Shaul Schwarz are able to blend these heartfelt moments of reunion with the twists and turns of a narrative that isnt completely resolved until the closing titles. In that sense, Aidas Secrets carries a feeling of suspense that few documentaries achieve. The films style is straightforward and intimate, eschewing fancy technique to focus on the gravity of its subject.

Coming on the heels of Pixars Coco, Aidas Secrets feels like a more adult-targeted foil on the joys, highs and realities of researching family histories. At certain points in the film, you may suspect Izak and Shep wish they had been more careful about what they wished for. But Aidas Secrets leaves you feeling that even the more scandalous family histories are worth exploring.

Aida's Secrets is not rated, but might earn a PG for adult themes and some profanity; running time: 90 minutes.
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Have You Seen This? Street musician slays with clarinet
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Better than almost every face-melting guitar or drum solo. - photo by Facebook video screenshot

THE BIG EASY — Yeah, yeah, we all know that New Orleans is stuffed to the gills will incredible musicians.

But knowing that fact and then hearing that fact are two different things. You can step into any number of jazz clubs on any given night on Bourbon Street, and you’ll probably be impressed with virtually every act. Or you can sit at home on your comfy couch and watch this featured video.

In the video, you’ll see a woman who is in the groove. She is swinging hard, and wailing on her clarinet with a practiced expertise that makes it sounds so easy.

From note one you’ll be drawn in; your appreciation will grow with every second, and then your face will melt off when you realize how incredible she really is.

If you’ve never played a woodwind or a brass, you may not know everything that comes with a performance like this. Lung capacity and breath control are huge factors in keeping your notes clear and loud, and hitting those high notes is especially difficult.

So when this woman hits that high note and holds it for several seconds, you know you’re dealing with an exceptional musician. It means she has worked hard for years to develop skill on top of her natural talent, and we get to benefit.

It kinda makes you wonder how we let people get away with mumble rap and autotune when talent like this exists in the world.

I wish this video were longer, and I wish I had more information about this woman, but as it is, we’ll just have to appreciate the little flavor of New Orleans jazz posted by the Facebook group Clarinet Life.

Street musician killing it on clarinet

She must have lungs of iron! Its inspiring hearing the upper registers being played so well.

Posted by Clarinet Life on Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Martha Ostergar is a writer who delights in the ridiculous that internet serves up, which means she's more than grateful that she gets to cruise the web for amazing videos to highlight for your viewing pleasure.
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