Her Head In Films

In 1960, Michelangelo Antonioni released "L'avventura," a film that would make him world-famous and that would change cinema forever. Antonioni was crucial in elevating cinema to an art form and expanding the language of film by constructing a deeply visual style that would influence filmmakers for decades to come. In this episode, I talk about the mysterious power of "L'avventura," why it has haunted me for years, and why it matters so much. Consider making this podcast sustainable by supporting it on Patreon. Subscribe to the Her Head in Films Newsletter. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. Original artwork by Dhiyanah Hassan Show notes: BBC Arena documentary about Michelangelo Antonioni Michelangelo Antonioni's The Architecture of Vision

In this episode, I talk about Agnès Varda's 1962 film "Cléo from 5 to 7." It's about a French pop singer who is waiting for test results that will confirm if she has cancer. This film was my introduction to Varda and got me interested in her unique and important body of work. I talk about time, loneliness, and mortality in "Cléo from 5 to 7". I also provide a brief overview of Varda's life and work. Consider making this podcast sustainable by supporting it on Patreon. Subscribe to the Her Head in Films Newsletter. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. Original artwork by Dhiyanah Hassan Show notes: Listen to my episode on Varda's 1985 film "Vagabond"

In this episode, I explore all the many facets of Chris Marker's landmark and influential 1962 short film, "La Jetée." Told almost exclusively through black-and-white still photographs and set in a post-apocalyptic Paris, it tells the story of how the survivors of World War III harness the memory of one man who is haunted by a scene from his childhood. I talk about time, memory, grief, nostalgia, and so much more. This film is responsible for sparking my interest in European art house cinema. Consider making this podcast sustainable by supporting it on Patreon. Subscribe to the Her Head in Films Newsletter. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. Original artwork by Dhiyanah Hassan

I would not be a cinephile without Carl Theodor Dreyer's "The Passion of Joan of Arc." This silent film from 1928 awakened me to the power of cinema and changed my life forever. On this episode, I discuss the life and times of Joan of Arc, provide behind-the-scenes information about how the film was made, and offer my own analysis of the film itself and why it made such a monumental impact on me. Consider making this podcast sustainable by supporting it on Patreon. Subscribe to the Her Head in Films Newsletter. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. Original artwork by Dhiyanah Hassan

For thousands of years, stray cats have roamed the streets of Istanbul, becoming an integral part of the city. Ceyda Torun's extraordinary 2016 documentary, "Kedi," is not just a touching look at the cute and scrappy cats, it's also a beautiful portrait of the people of Istanbul who take care of them. Woven into my discussion of the film is my own experience of losing my beloved cat, Bella, in 2016. I talk about how she taught me to love and impacted my life in profound ways. Consider making this podcast sustainable by supporting it on Patreon. Subscribe to the Her Head in Films Newsletter. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. Original artwork by Dhiyanah Hassan

I saw 'Dead Poets Society' for the first time when I was a teenager. It was a revelatory film for me because of the way it celebrated the power of literature and poetry. In this episode, I talk about why the film means so much to me. I also provide behind-the-scenes information about the making of the film and even discuss criticisms that it has received over the years. Consider making this podcast sustainable by supporting it on Patreon. Subscribe to the Her Head in Films Newsletter. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. Original artwork by Dhiyanah Hassan Full show notes: Turner Classic Movies article on the film Mental Floss list of 15 facts about the film Josh Charlies interview with Entertainment Weekly Half-hour documentary made a decade after the film, featuring interviews with the actors from the film Critique of the film by Roger Ebert Critique of the film by Kevin J.H. Dettmar

Larisa Shepitko is one of the greatest directors that many people have never heard of. In this episode, I seek to change that. I talk about two of her greatest films: "Wings" (1966) and "The Ascent" (1977). Shepitko died early in 1979 in a car accident at the age of 41. In her brief life, she created films that were concerned with the individual psychology of her characters and in raising moral and spiritual questions for her audience. She was married to fellow director, Elem Klimov, who made a short film about her after she died. It's called "Larisa," and I also talk about it. Warning: this episode contains spoilers. "Wings" is about a Soviet woman who fought in the Second World War and who struggles to adjust to her more mundane life after the war. She is also haunted by the lover she lost in the war. The film explores themes of nostalgia, loss, and aching. "The Ascent" is about two partisans--Sotnikov and Rybak--who are captured by the Nazis in Belarus duri

For the final episode of 2017, I thought it would be interesting to spotlight three television shows that I loved over the year--The Keepers, Big Little Lies, and the final season of Broadchurch--and how they address violence against women, toxic masculinity, and patriarchy. Trigger warning for discussion of sexual violence. Spoiler alert for discussion of certain details in each show, though I do not talk about the final scene of Big Little Lies, and I don't reveal the perpetrator on Season 3 of Broadchurch. I do discuss details of Season 1 and 2 of Broadchurch. Consider making this podcast sustainable by supporting it on Patreon. Subscribe to the Her Head in Films Newsletter. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. Original artwork by Dhiyanah Hassan

In this episode, I talk about Elem Klimov's monumental 1985 Soviet film, "Come and See," which follows a young man named Florya who witnesses atrocities and violence that happen in Nazi-occupied Belarus in 1943. The film is both personal and historical. Klimov himself experienced the Second World War as a child in Stalingrad. He was forever scarred by what he witnessed. Together with writer, Ales Adamovich, Klimov wrote the script for "Come and See" and based it on real-life testimonies. Over 600 villages were destroyed by the Nazis in Belarus during the Second World War. In the end, around 2 million people in Belarus lost their lives during the war. This film bears witness to their suffering and it's also a searing representation of the horror of war. Klimov resists glorifying violence. Instead, he shows us the sickening and frightening reality of what war is and what it does to human lives. While the film is graphic, it is also restrained, often only showing us things from afar, like a g

In this episode, I talk about Ettore Scola's 1977 film, "A Special Day," starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni in some of the most raw performances of their careers. The film takes place in 1938 on an important day when Hitler visits Mussolini in Rome. While much of the city attends parades and festivities to celebrate the meeting, two people remain in their apartments: Antonietta (Loren), a working class housewife who believes in fascist ideals; and Gabriele (Mastroianni), a former radio announcer, antifacscist, and gay man. On this day in 1938, Antonietta and Gabriele--two people from vastly different backgrounds, holding profoundly different political beliefs--will meet and find connection. In this episode, I weave together a discussion of the film with my thoughts on the one-year anniversary of the election of Donald Trump, exploring how right-wing extremism and fascism have been on the rise here in the United States. "A Special Day" has much to show us about gender, sexuality

Released in 2001, Le Stade de Wimbledon (The Wimbledon Stage) is French actor Mathieu Amalric's second feature film, and it stars his ex-wife, the brilliant Jeanne Balibar. It is based on the Italian novel, Lo stadio di Wimbledon by Daniele Del Giudice. In Trieste, Italy a woman searches for information about Bobby Volher, a writer who never wrote a book. She wants to know why someone with so much talent did not seek out publication. The film never really answers this question but that's not the point. The film wants to raise questions, it wants to meander and explore and investigate; it revels in the search itself and asks us to consider what we might discover along the way. For me, this film is so beguiling because it's interested in the meaning and mystery of writing itself. Why do we write? For ourselves? For others? For fame and publication? And what do we make of writers who had little interest in being published, like Emily Dickinson? I explore all this and more in this episode. Consider making this po

It's the most ghoulish time of the year now that Halloween is here. In this episode, I explore Herk Harvey's 1962 cult horror classic "Carnival of Souls." The film tells the story of Mary Henry, a church organist who survives a car crash and is menaced by a zombie-like man. What makes "Carnival of Souls" so powerful and unforgettable for me is its narrative ambiguity, its complex portrait of Mary, and its exploration of loneliness, alienation, disconnection, and trauma. Consider making this podcast sustainable by supporting it on Patreon. Subscribe to the Her Head in Films Newsletter. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. Original artwork by Dhiyanah Hassan

In this episode, I talk about Agnieszka Holland's beloved 1993 children's film "The Secret Garden," which tells the story of Mary Lennox, a 10-year-old girl orphaned after her parents die in an earthquake in India. She is sent to England to live with her uncle, Lord Craven, and discovers a secret garden on his estate. I discuss not only the film itself and its themes of love, connection, friendship, and regeneration, but I also explore what it means to re-watch films from your childhood and how that can be both a valuable and emotional experience. Consider making this podcast sustainable by supporting it on Patreon. Subscribe to the Her Head in Films Newsletter. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. Original artwork by Dhiyanah Hassan

In this episode, I talk about Lee Chang-dong's devastating 2010 film "Poetry". It tells the story of 66-year-old Mija, who is struggling with her health and with the revelation that her grandson, Wook, is connected to the death of a young girl named Agnes. As all this is happening, Mija is also taking a poetry class and desperately wants to write a poem. Consider making this podcast sustainable by supporting it on Patreon. Subscribe to the Her Head in Films Newsletter. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. Original artwork by Dhiyanah Hassan

In this episode, I talk about Andrea Arnold's 2009 film "Fish Tank." It's about 15-year-old Mia who lives on a housing estate in England with her mother and younger sister. Mia has a passion for dance and spends a lot of time alone choreographing dance routines. The film explores issues like poverty, the mother-daughter relationship, and desire. Andrea Arnold is one of my favorite directors, and I think "Fish Tank" is her best. I also think "Fish Tank" is one of the best films of the century so far because it centralizes a teenage girl's subjectivity and shows the damaging effects of capitalism and inequality on people's lives. Consider making this podcast sustainable by supporting it on Patreon. Subscribe to the Her Head in Films Newsletter. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. Original artwork by Dhiyanah Hassan

In Laura Citarella and Veronica Llinás's 2015 Argentine film "Dog Lady," a woman lives in the woods with no companionship except that of her dogs. This nameless woman lives outside of society, either by necessity or by choice or perhaps a little bit of both. The film provides little information about her and prefers to linger in silences and the sounds of nature. It's a slow, immersive cinematic experience that shows an unconventional way of life. In many ways, the film reminded me of other films that similarly portray women who are misfits and outcasts, like Mona in Agnes Varda's "Vagabond" (1985) or Janina in Agnieszka Holland's "Spoor" (2017) or even the title character of Barbara Loden's "Wanda" (1970). These are women who are, in a word, unruly and who are often marginalized because of their unruliness. They resist, subvert, transgress. They defy our attempts to categorize or make sense of them. They are flawed and excessive and different and strange. They are part

Released in 1970, Barbara Loden's "Wanda" is a monumental achievement of American independent cinema. It tells the story of a woman living on the margins of society, rejected by almost everyone, a failure in just about everything she does. Loden was inspired to make the film after reading about a woman who was sentenced to 20 years in prison and thanked the judge. "Wanda" was Loden's first and only film. For me, "Wanda" is personal. It is about the many lost, forgotten, erased, and silenced women in the world, including myself. Consider making this podcast sustainable by supporting it on Patreon. Subscribe to the Her Head in Films Newsletter. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. Original artwork by Dhiyanah Hassan Full show notes Biographical information about Barbara Loden was gleaned from Karina Longworth's excellent episode on Loden for her podcast, You Must Remember This Quotes from Marguerite Duras are taken from her interview with Elia Kazan for Cahiers d

In this episode, I talk about Katell Quillévéré's "Heal The Living" (2016) and Radu Jude's "Scarred Hearts" (2016), two films that explore illness, disability, physical vulnerability, and the thin line between life and death. I delve into many issues, including the harmful rhetoric we use to talk about illness and how health is too often attached to morality and personal character. Both films show us how the body is always precarious, that a healthy body can suddenly and inexplicably become ill. Consider making this podcast sustainable by supporting it on Patreon. Subscribe to the Her Head in Films Newsletter. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. Original artwork by Dhiyanah Hassan

In this episode, I talk about the ways in which Vadim Perelman's 2003 film "House of Sand and Fog" foreshadowed many of the issues that would dominate American life in the years after its release, including growing anti-immigrant sentiment and people losing their homes during the 2008 Recession. I also discuss my own personal experience of losing my house and almost becoming homeless. "House of Sand and Fog" is about the collision between two lives--that of Kathy, a young woman who is mistakenly evicted from her home and Mr. Behrani, an Iranian immigrant who buys that home at an auction and sees it as his path to the American Dream. After their lives intersect, neither one of them will ever be the same again. Consider making this podcast sustainable by supporting it on Patreon. Subscribe to the Her Head in Films Newsletter. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. Original artwork by Dhiyanah Hassan

In this episode, I talk about Sally Potter's 1997 film, "The Tango Lesson." The film stars Potter as herself in a semi-autobiographical story about a film director who becomes interested in learning how to tango. The film explores her complex, fraught, and intense relationship with her dance instructor, Pablo Veron, also playing himself. Films about dance often end up being about human relationships--about touch, intimacy, and the power struggle between men and women. I dig into all this and more. Consider making this podcast sustainable by supporting it on Patreon. Subscribe to the Her Head in Films Newsletter. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. Original artwork by Dhiyanah Hassan