The Queen's Gambit opening

There was a great show I watched recently that would like to write a review. It's called " The Queen's Gambit"
Very beautiful poem called Long-Legged Fly by W.B. Yeats opens "The Queen's Gambit" novel upon which the show is based.

...That the topless towers be burnt
And men recall that face,
Move most gently if move you must
In this lonely place.
She thinks, part woman, three parts a child,
That nobody looks; her feet
Practise a tinker shuffle
Picked up on the street.

Like a long-legged fly upon the stream
Her mind moves upon silence...

The show is about a chess wunderkind Beth Harmon. Her face and power of the mind in the film totally grabbed my attention for the whole weekend. Totally addictive as my fellow Ukrainians and foreign friends agreed.

We had a little conversation with my American acquaintance about it and he confessed that if any films should be made about men- female equality, they should be done in a similar way. No preaching or trying to look for enemies, demonizing all men ( unfortunately so often happening in modern days) just showing the eternal appeal of the spotless mind that can be treated with anything else than respect.

Another day walking through rustling autumn leaves in a park I thought about how amazing nature creations are. Somehow we all and everything in the Universe is transfused with a flow of intelligence. It comes fluid through anything big or small, conscious or not, making the world spin by its own laws most of them still uncovered by humans. Realizing this fundamental higher intelligence behind every fallen leaf, behind every season change is overwhelming and in a way reassuring. Probably because we all are sharing that intelligence, people who show more of that quality are so admired. We are all attracted to the great minds, like butterflies attracted to light.

That show also made me think how political correctness nowadays seemed to be substituting general politeness. As long as people are "politically correct" (according to their views) somehow they feel being polite is redundant, so they could be rude to anyone not sharing their views.

I was lucky enough not really be in a situation I felt to be a feminine reduced my chances for receiving education or work or travel. Protagonist Beth Harmon in that film reminds me of the same.
That is an interesting interview with an actress, almost a tutorial for actors how to build a character from a scratch. How Anya Taylor-Joy became Beth Harmon in "The Queen's Gambit".

She says how she competes not in a female league of chess, but just chess. She doesn't feel her mind could be pigeon whole into the category "female". She doesn't need any priorities or privileges.

Whenever I hear about some "quotas" like there should be more female deputies in Parliament etc. I can agree it will be good to have more female representation in government but on the other hand I want professionals, so people (male, female, any gender) come there not because of artificial regulations but because of their mind and personal qualities.

The protagonist also reminds my mother of her mathematical skills. She was so good at school that when studying in middle school were called to show higher classes to solve some mathematical tasks. So she had the same moment as nine years old Beth when first came to high school to play chess with the whole chess club. My mum likes chess too.

So cheers to the eternal shine of the spotless mind.