Customer Reviews

Lemonade

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Grinch. Charlie Brown. Rudolph. A Christmas Story. I got my fill of Christmas specials this year. Recently, I discovered a film that is my "new year's resolution" special - a documentary called "Lemonade."

December 17, 2009, Erik Proulx brought his film to the Detroit area for a screening. Lemonade shows the stories of several ad men and women who lose their jobs and are presented with the opportunity to redefine themselves. Don't see it as a pink slip, look at it as a blank page. That's the message the film tries to convey.

With an unemployment rate of nearly 30 percent in Detroit, I like the fact that someone actually tries to deliver a message of hope. I see failure anytime I watch or read the news. I see defeat every time I talk to friends who are still unemployed after a year. It's inspiring to see happy endings, even though that's not the case for most of us.

I would be surprised if anyone can watch this film and not think about his/her "Plan B" or contemplate about his/her personal goals. I think that is Lemonade's true purpose - take time to chase those dreams. Don't wait for a job loss for that needed kick in the pants. And if you are cut, take a moment to recoup. Get past the fear and go after what you really want.

Being concerned about losing your job is pretty universal these days, whether you're in advertising, a stockbroker, or a schoolteacher.

Lemonade does a great job of exploring the moment of loss, the frustration, and more importantly, that turning point when people dust themselves off, get up and get on with their lives.

Twenty years ago we were all told that the days of spending your life working for one single employer were over.

Lemonade seems to be capturing the essence of the next paradigm shift: maybe in the future, none of us will be working for anyone, except ourselves.

That prospect is more than a little scary. But as Lemonade shows, it can also be the happiest time in your life.

It's well-produced, tightly edited, and in this film, Proulx shows admirable restraint and just lets the stories unfold; he doesn't force the issue, or go all maudlin or over-cynical.

Many are characterizing as an "inspirational" movie (and I'll grant you that it is). But this isn't ET here. Lemonade doesn't have a picture-perfect storybook ending. But then, neither does life, does it?

As Leo Burnett said back in the day: it's truth well-told.

I've worked in the creative industry for nearly 25 years and have experienced a lot of changes. The transitions to digital pre-press (desktop publishing), the Web and the dot-com explosion and now the "everybody is a videographer/photographer" revolution. With each new technological major wave, the professionals get tossed aside while the amateurs struggle to market crap until the dust settles and people come to their senses and look for professional help again.

This movie is about those who have yet again, fallen victim to this cycle in the advertising world and how they've dealt with this sudden loss and major change in their lives. I could relate on so many levels and found it personally uplifting and freeing to know that I'm not alone with feelings associated with such change. It's not about struggling to find your way back to where you came, but how you chose to move forward. After all, if you don't take a different approach, then how can you expect different results?

Jeff Foster
Author/Producer
[...]

Human nature will never cease to surprise me..in a very positive way. I found the film to be a great example of what you can do in front of apparent disasters, find your true self and answer the questions that you have been avoiding due to the automated pilot that took off your life.
The image is excellent, the stories are full of emotion and all seems so true. Somehow it seems to good to be true, but the nice thing about it is exactly this. For these people this event actually brought a totally new and better life. Good example, especially when you feel down and a good reminder you of who we really are, or could be if we are forced to search for the answer!

I initially saw this on the Documentary Channel and fell in love. It's really inspiring (and not just for folks who have been recently laid off.) Absolutely worth 30 minutes of your time :)

"Lemonade" is a 35-minute documentary that tracks the reactions and responses of people who've been laid off from the advertising industry during the current recession, but its appeal should be universal, no matter where you work and no matter whether you're still working or have been laid off.

The 16 individuals in the film talk openly about their feelings when they lose their jobs -- anger, disbelief, fear, a sense of failure -- recreating the mood that's been prevalent in many an office over the past 18 months. But then something happens: they move on. They create their own websites, they start up their own businesses, they become artists and filmmakers and instructors. The story is that simple, but there's something really wonderful about watching each individual triumph. As one of them says, "I finally feel that I'm doing something that matters." Or as Mark Proulx, the driving force behind the film says, "It's not a pink slip, it's a blank page." And as someone who still works in the ad industry, I can't help noticing that they look calm...relaxed...and could it be-- happy?

So it's not about advertising, it's about recognizing and grabbing opportunities and re-sorting priorities. And that's a message for anybody.

This movie is inspirational and motivating. You will be better off for having seen it. I truly did not want it to end!

Lemonade shows that a creative life goes beyond making ads to sell other people's products. It gives you the tools to roll with the rejection and to rebuild a life on the dreams that were always there.

A great collection of stories of hope and dreams that deserve supporting. The stories and the story-teller offer up the hope of living our dreams. Keep the flame alive by lighting the spark inside your heart.

Mark Harmel

OPEN YOUR MIND AND THIS WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE....ENJOY THE GREAT LOOK @ HOW CHANGE IS WONDERFUL AND WE SHOULD EMBRACE IT...IF WE DIDN'T CHANGE, THINK HOW SAFE BUT BORING LIFE WOULD BE!