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On the occasion of the release of Steve McQueen's Blitz, we're bringing back our 2020 episode on his five BBC films about the Windrush Generation, Small Axe.
With Blitz, McQueen returns to telling stories of Black British history.
This episode was originally published on December 30, 2020.
We discuss each film (or episode?) of McQueen's series and how they work together to form a cohesive whole.
This episode features Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney, Executive Editor Orla Smith, Associate Editor Brett Pardy, and special guests Andrew Kendall and Debbie Zhou.
For detailed show notes, visit: https://seventh-row.com/2020/12/29/ep-72-small-axe/
Follow Seventh Row on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and read our articles at seventh-row.com.
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**To join the waitlist for Reel Ruminators: A Movie-of-the-Month Discussion Club, visit http://seventh-row.com/reelruminators **
Legendary theatre director Marianne Elliott (Angels in America at the National Theatre, gender-swapped Company, War Horse) joins Alex on the podcast to discuss her feature film debut, The Salt Path. The film is based on the best-selling memoir about a working-class British couple who lose their home and embark on a long hike along the coast to heal themselves. It had its world premiere at TIFF.
Elliott sat down with Alex via Zoom before the film's premiere to discuss the challenges and excitement of making the move from theatre to film and why she wanted to tell this particular story about a woman in her 50s and her husband.
The Salt Path was a sales title at the festival and does not yet have a North American distributor.
The episode is spoiler-free.
Related Episodes:
98. Marianne Elliott's Angels in America (Members Only) 42. Dominic Cooke's On Chesil Beach (Members Only) Bonus 17. Saoirse Ronan and James McArdle in The Tragedy of Macbeth (Members Only) Creative Nonfiction #2: Sophie Fiennes on Four Quartets and documenting theatre on film Creative Nonfiction #4: Sam Green on 32 Sounds and inspirations from theatreAbout the TIFF 2024 season:
The TIFF 2024 season previews under-the-radar gems and buzzy titles at the festival with spoiler-free episodes that will help you prioritize what to watch for in the coming months.
The season will be spoiler-free and designed to be listened to even if you haven't seen the films (or are worried you won't ever be able to).
Check out all of our TIFF 2024 coverage here: https://seventh-row.com/tiff24
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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On today’s episode, Alex recommends alternative programming to the newly released Oscar-tipped Conclave, with another film about a new pope: Nanni Moretti’s 2011 film We Have a Pope. It’s fun and funny, a backstage movie that's still aware of the audience, and full of rich characters with actual motivations. Seeing Conclave made me wish I had been rewatching this instead.
For my thoughts on Conclave, check out my TIFF 2024 episode on the film.
Want to discover and watch more under-the-radar films with my expert guidance and a community of movie lovers?
Join the waitlist for Reel Ruminators: A Movie-of-the-Month Discussion Club so you'll be the first to know when doors open for November: http://seventh-row.com/reelruminators. Coming soon: Indigenous Noirvember.
Stay updated on Seventh Row
Follow Seventh Row on Twitter and Instagram. Read our articles at seventh-row.com.
Follow Alex Heeney on Twitter and Instagram.
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Toronto-based film critic Angelo Muredda joins Alex Heeney to discuss Brady Corbet's The Brutalist, a four-hour fictional biopic about a brutalist architect and Holocaust survivor adjusting to life in post-war America. The film is Directorial Choices: The Movie. It won the Best Director Prize at the Venice Film Festival, but we had a lot of issues with the direction and the film. Despite its shortcomings, it offers a lot of fodder for discussion.
The episode is spoiler-free.
For detailed show notes, visit: https://seventh-row.com/2024/10/23/tiff-2024-brady-corbet-the-brutalist/
About the TIFF 2024 season:
The TIFF 2024 season previews under-the-radar gems and buzzy titles at the festival with spoiler-free episodes that will help you prioritize what to watch for in the coming months.
The season will be spoiler-free and designed to be listened to even if you haven't seen the films (or are worried you won't ever be able to).
Check out all of our TIFF 2024 coverage here: https://seventh-row.com/tiff24
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**Are you interested in discovering extraordinary under-the-radar movies and discussing them with a community of film lovers?**
**Sign up for the Reel Ruminators (Free Trial), by visiting https://email.seventh-row.com/trial. The discussion will happen on October 13 at 12 p.m. EST. **
Toronto-based film critic Angelo Muredda joins Alex Heeney to discuss one of the biggest directorial swings at TIFF: Joshua Oppenheimer's The End. Starring Tilda Swinton, George MacKay, and Michael Shannon, the film is a musical about a rich family surviving in isolation in a salt mine bunker after the climate apocalypse.
We discuss how the film works as a post-apocalyptic story and a musical, and how what we found interesting about the film may not be what Oppenheimer felt was most central.
The End will be released in North America on December 6, 2024.
The episode avoids major spoilers.
About the TIFF 2024 season:
The TIFF 2024 season previews under-the-radar gems and buzzy titles at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
This is for you if:
You're attending TIFF and looking for recommendations; You're looking ahead to your local film festival for must-see titles; and/or You're interested in how filmmakers from around the world explore similar topics/genres, even if you're not sure if you'll ever see the films.The season will be spoiler-free and designed to be listened to even if you haven't seen the films (or are worried you won't ever be able to).
Check out all of our TIFF 2024 coverage here: https://seventh-row.com/tiff24
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**To sign up for the Reel Ruminators (Free Trial), visit https://email.seventh-row.com/trial.**
In this episode, Alex Heeney discusses the new independent British film The Old Man and the Land, which was just released in the U.K. The film is told almost entirely as a series of voicemails from a farmer's two adult children (played by Rory Kinnear and Emily Beecham).
On screen, we only ever see the farmer (their father) tending to the land, doing his chores and daily activities. We never see the people whose voices we hear. The film raises interesting questions about how the film differs (or not) from a radio play in how it tells the story. What does the disconnect between sound and image in cinema offer for the story?
Stay updated on Seventh Row
Follow Seventh Row on Twitter and Instagram. Read our articles at seventh-row.com.
Follow Alex Heeney on Twitter and Instagram.
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**To sign up for the Reel Ruminators (Free Trial), visit https://email.seventh-row.com/trial.**
In this episode of the TIFF 2024 season, Alex is joined by Toronto-based film critic Angelo Muredda to discuss one of our most anticipated titles of the festival: Luca Guadagnino's Queer.
The film adapts the Williams S. Burroughs novel of the same name. Daniel Craig stars as William Lee, Burroughs' alter-ego, a lonely man in post-war Mexico City, desperately chasing after younger men. When he meets Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey), he's instantly smitten, but Allerton plays hot and cold with him. After a tentative on-again-off-again courtship, Lee persuades Allerton to go to South America with him in search of hallucinogenic drugs that will help with telepathy.
In Queer, Guadagnino has reteamed with several Challengers collaborators: screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes, costume designer Jonathan Anderson, cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, and editor Marco Costa.
The episode is spoiler-free.
About the TIFF 2024 season:
The TIFF 2024 season will give you a preview of some of the best under-the-radar gems and some of the buzziest titles at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival through themed episodes.
This is for you if:
You're attending TIFF and looking for recommendations; You're looking ahead to your local film festival for must-see titles; and/or You're interested in how filmmakers from around the world explore similar topics/genres, even if you're not sure if you'll ever see the films.The season will be spoiler-free and designed to be listened to even if you haven't seen the films (or are worried you won't ever be able to).
Check out all of our TIFF 2024 coverage here: https://seventh-row.com/tiff24
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In this episode of the TIFF 2024 season, Alex discusses two films starring Ralph Fiennes: Uberto Pasolini's The Return and Edward Berger's Conclave. In them, Fiennes respectively plays Odysseus at the end of his journey and a cardinal in charge of the process for selecting a new pope.
The episode is spoiler-free.
About the TIFF 2024 season:
In the TIFF 2024 season, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney will discuss some of the best under-the-radar gems at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival through themed episodes.
This is for you if:
You're attending TIFF and looking for recommendations; You're looking ahead to your local film festival for must-see titles; and/or You're interested in how filmmakers from around the world explore similar topics/genres, even if you're not sure if you'll ever see the films.The season will be spoiler-free and designed to be listened to even if you haven't seen the films (or are worried you won't ever be able to).
Check out all of our TIFF 2024 coverage here: https://seventh-row.com/tif24
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Interested in attending a film festival?
Get my five essential tips for the film adventurer seeking a fantastic festival experience.
These tips are tailored to TIFF but will work for any other film festival.
Sign up here: http://email.seventh-row.com/tiff24
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In this episode of the TIFF 2024 season, Alex discusses three films about bicultural daughters and their absent fathers.
Fittingly, the films are about identity, the role of the father-daughter relationship, and what it may mean for both father and daughter for that relationship to be severed.
To discuss the films' differing cultural contexts, I quote from interviews with the filmmakers, who share many similar insights despite their disparate backgrounds.
All three films are world premieres at TIFF and are still seeking North American/UK distributors.
The films are:
Egil Pederson’s My Father’s Daughter (Sápmi) - first feature Koya Kamura’s Winter in Sokcho (France) - first feature Guillaume Senez’s A Missing Part (Belgium/France)
About the TIFF 2024 season:
In the TIFF 2024 season, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney will discuss some of the best under-the-radar gems at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival through themed episodes.
This is for you if:
You're attending TIFF and looking for recommendations; You're looking ahead to your local film festival for must-see titles; and/or You're interested in how filmmakers from around the world explore similar topics/genres, even if you're not sure if you'll ever see the films.The season will be spoiler-free and designed to be listened to even if you haven't seen the films (or are worried you won't ever be able to).
Check out all of our TIFF 2024 coverage here: https://seventh-row.com/tif24
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Interested in attending a film festival?
Get my five essential tips for the film adventurer seeking a fantastic festival experience.
These tips are tailored to TIFF but will work for any other film festival.
Sign up here: http://email.seventh-row.com/tiff24
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In this episode of the TIFF 2024 season, Alex discusses two new films from masters of British social realism: Andrea Arnold's Bird and Mike Leigh's Hard Truths.
Bird had its world premiere at Cannes in May; Hard Truths had its world premiere at TIFF.
Alex finds similarities in subject matter and storytelling approach between the films, including the very strong performances from some Seventh Row favourites, and discusses what each of them is individually doing that's worth noting.
Alex wrote the book on Mike Leigh's Peterloo and his process, so her discussion of Hard Truths places it within Leigh's oeuvre and discusses how his signature process helped make this film an impressive achievement.
On this episode
0:00 Intro to the episode
3:34 Andrea Arnold's Bird
16:32 Mike Leigh's Hard Truths
38:14 Closing remarks, more from TIFF to find and look forward to
More Andrea Arnold
An essay on landscape and limbo in Fish Tank by Gillie Collins A review of American Honey by Elena Lazic An interview with editor Joe Bini by Orla Smith on editing Lynne Ramsay's You Were Never Really Here and how that differs from working with Andrea ArnoldMore Mike Leigh
Read our ebook on Mike Leigh's Peterloo: mikeleighbook.com Listen to Ep. 32: Sorry We Missed You and Peterloo (Members Only) Listen to Ep. 119: Mike Leigh's Naked (FREE) Listen to us discuss Vera Drake and its place in the history of abortion movies in our Abortion on Film season.About the TIFF 2024 season:
In the TIFF 2024 season, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney will discuss some of the best under-the-radar gems at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival through themed episodes.
This is for you if:
You're attending TIFF and looking for recommendations; You're looking ahead to your local film festival for must-see titles; and/or You're interested in how filmmakers from around the world explore similar topics/genres, even if you're not sure if you'll ever see the films.The season will be spoiler-free and designed to be listened to even if you haven't seen the films (or are worried you won't ever be able to).
Check out all of our TIFF 2024 coverage here: https://seventh-row.com/tif24
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Interested in attending a film festival?
Get my five essential tips for the film adventurer seeking a fantastic festival experience.
These tips are tailored to TIFF but will work for any other film festival.
Sign up here: http://email.seventh-row.com/tiff24
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In this episode of the TIFF 2024 season, Alex discusses three films from around the world that take place within the world of sports but aren't really about sports.
Alex finds common ground in how the films are shot and tell stories, often through gestures and blocking rather than dialogue.
These films are:
Leonardo van Dijl’s Julie Keeps Quiet – Belgium/Sweden (sales title) Frida Kempff's The Swedish Torpedo - World Premiere - Sweden (sales title) Hiroshi Okuyama’s My Sunshine - Japan (Film Movement will distribute)About the TIFF 2024 season:
In the TIFF 2024 season, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney will discuss some of the best under-the-radar gems at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival through themed episodes.
This is for you if:
You're attending TIFF and looking for recommendations; You're looking ahead to your local film festival for must-see titles; and/or You're interested in how filmmakers from around the world explore similar topics/genres, even if you're not sure if you'll ever see the films.The season will be spoiler-free and designed to be listened to even if you haven't seen the films (or are worried you won't ever be able to).
Check out all of our TIFF 2024 coverage here: https://seventh-row.com/tiff24
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Interested in attending a film festival?
Get my five essential tips for the film adventurer seeking a fantastic festival experience.
These tips are tailored to TIFF but will work for any other film festival.
Sign up here: http://email.seventh-row.com/tiff24
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In this episode of the TIFF 2024 season, Alex discusses the four Palestinian films at this year's festival.
These films are:
No Other Land (Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor) - Norway/Palestine To a Land Unknown (Mehdi Fleifel) - Germany, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Netherlands, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia Happy Holidays (Scandar Copti) - Germany, France, Italy, Palestine, Qatar From Ground Zero (22 directors), France, Jordan, Palestine, QatarAbout the TIFF 2024 season:
In the TIFF 2024 season, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney will discuss some of the best under-the-radar gems at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival through themed episodes.
This is for you if:
You're attending TIFF and look for recommendations; You're looking ahead to your local film festival for must-see titles; and/or You're interested in how filmmakers from around the world are exploring similar topics/genres, even if you're not sure if you'll ever see the films.The season will be spoiler-free and designed to be listened to even if you haven't seen the films (or are worried you won't ever be able to).
Check out all of our TIFF 2024 coverage here: https://seventh-row.com/tiff24
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Interested in attending a film festival?
Get my five essential tips for the film adventurer seeking a fantastic festival experience.
These tips are tailored to TIFF but will work for any other film festival.
Sign up here: http://email.seventh-row.com/tiff24
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The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) kicks off on Thursday, September 5, and Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney will cover it with a series of podcast episodes.
In this episode, Alex introduces the podcast season and explains why this season is for you and whether or not you're attending TIFF this year.
I'll explain what to expect from this podcast season and why TIFF and our coverage are relevant to you if you're interested in exploring world cinema.
About the TIFF 2024 season:
In the TIFF 2024 season, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney will discuss some of the best under-the-radar gems at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival through themed episodes.
This is for you if:
You're attending TIFF and look for recommendations; You're looking ahead to your local film festival for must-see titles; and/or You're interested in how filmmakers from around the world are exploring similar topics/genres, even if you're not sure if you'll ever see the films.The season will be spoiler-free and designed to be listened to even if you haven't seen the films (or are worried you won't ever be able to).
Click here for a link to all of our TIFF 2024 coverage.
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Interested in attending a film festival?
Get my five essential tips for the film adventurer seeking a fantastic festival experience.
These tips are tailored to TIFF but will work for any other film festival.
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Announcement: I'm covering TIFF, the Toronto International Film Festival!
Sign up to receive my five essential tips for the film adventurer seeking a fantastic festival experience, whether at TIFF (or any other festival) at email.seventh-row.com/tiff24.
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Alex Heeney interviews writer-director (and Seventh Row fan!) India Donaldson about her debut feature, Good One. Inspired by Seventh Row favourites Kelly Reichardt and Joanna Hogg (we wrote the books on both of them!), Donaldson's film is a quiet story of a teenage girl who goes camping in the woods with her self-absorbed divorced father and his father's best friend. We observe her as she observes the adults who don't quite behave like adults in ways that are often quite hurtful to her.
Donaldson tells Alex about adjusting her expectations to get her first feature made, working with her incredible cast, telling a story about a child of divorce, shooting outdoors in a remote area, and more.
The film premiered at Sundance before screening at the Cannes Film Festival in the Director's Fortnight sidebar.
The film is now in theatres in the US and Canada.
Want to keep exploring Joanna Hogg's and Kelly Reichardt's films?
Get our ebook on Joanna Hogg at thesouvenirbook.com
Get our ebook on Kelly Riechardt's films and process at reichardtbook.com
Listen to our podcasts on Kelly Reichardt and her films
Listen to our podcast on Joanna Hogg's The Souvenir Part I & II (ep. 118: FREE!)
Stay updated on Seventh Row
Follow Seventh Row on Twitter and Instagram. Read our articles at seventh-row.com.
Follow Alex Heeney on Twitter and Instagram.
For detailed show notes, visit the Seventh Row website. There is also an AI-generated transcript available.
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Toronto film critic Nathalie Atkinson joins Alex Heeney to discuss their latest obsession -- Amazon Prime's swashbuckling fantasy series, My Lady Jane -- and why we can't stop thinking about it. From husbands that are sometimes horses, to intimacy coordination by Ita O'Brien (Normal People), to an incredible cast (Edward Bluemel!), the show is a whole lot of fun with impressive craft behind it.
The limited series reimagines the story of Lady Jane Grey, the Tudor Queen who, at age 16, was queen for nine days. The show asks, what could have happened if Lady Jane lasted a little bit longer, had a whole lot of gumption, and also, uh…what if a bunch of people, named Ethians, could also transform into animals? The show is part romance, part adventure, part YA coming-of-ager, with an incredible supporting cast.
>> Subscribe to our FREE newsletter for updates on the best new under-the-radar films and streaming theatre productions
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Announcement: Our new membership, Reel Ruminators: A Movie-of-the-Month Discussion Club is now open for new members in August! Doors close on August 9 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Once doors close, we won't be opening them again until October.
Find out more and reserve your spot by clicking here.
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Alex Heeney interviews South African director and co-writer Oliver Schmitz about the 4K restoration of his landmark 1988 film, Mapantsula. Mapantsula was the first movie about the realities of apartheid that was actually made by South Africans in South Africa.
In the press notes for, director Oliver Schmitz writes, “Mapantsula is not just a film, it is an act of defiance. It is guerilla filmmaking and a cameo of some of the best talent from South AFRICA in the 1980’s — and by that, I mean Black talent, that had been held back, had no voice, and could not speak freely. Mapantsula was a taste of freedom at a time of the worst repression in South Africa. It was a loud andclear expletive at the Apartheid Government. It was a film that should not have been made, and yet, it was.”
The film is now in theatres in the US and available to stream on BFI Player in the UK.
>> Subscribe to our FREE newsletter for updates on the best new under-the-radar films and streaming theatre productions
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I've just launched a Reel Ruminators: A Movie-of-the-Month discussion Club, a new membership for movie lovers to watch amazing movies and meet other film lovers to discuss them.
In this trailer, I will tell you more about Reel Ruminators and help you figure out whether it's a good fit for you.
Doors are currently open to join, and doors close Thursday, July 4 at 11:59 p.m. EST for July’s Reel Ruminators.
Click here to find out more and join Reel Ruminators
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Announcement: Our new membership, Reel Ruminators: A Movie-of-the-Month Discussion Club is now open for new members in July! Doors close on July 4 at 11:59 p.m.
Find out more and reserve your spot by clicking here.
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Alex Heeney interviews legendary Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland about her Venice Jury Prize-Winning film, Green Border. Holland discusses why she wanted to make the film, how it's in conversation with her other work, and why she chose to shoot it in black and white.
Green Border is about the ongoing migrant crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border and the horrors happening there. Holland tells the story from multiple perspectives, including a family of refugees, a group of activists helping migrants, and the border guards, to give a picture of the complex and harrowing situation.
>> Subscribe to our FREE newsletter for updates on the best new under-the-radar films and streaming theatre productions
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Alex Heeney interviews co-directors Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan whose new film Ghostlight was a hit at Sundance. Ghostlight is the story of middle-aged construction worker Dan (Ian Keiser) who discovers that theatre and Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet are excellent outlets for working through his complicated feelings of grief, guilt, and anger.
>> Subscribe to our FREE newsletter for updates on the best new under-the-radar films and streaming theatre productions
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In this episode, we discuss Luca Guadagnino’s new film Challengers (2024), which stars Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Seventh Row favourite Josh O’Connor as competitive tennis players and romantic rivals.
Film critic and Katherine Hepburn obsessive Andrew Kendall joins host Alex Heeney for the episode. We are both Josh O’Connor super-fans and liked the film. But we had a lot of issues with it. We discuss why we can’t stop thinking about it and where it disappoints.
Get your copy of Alex’s book on Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your Name.
Get your copy of Alex’s book on Francis Lee’s film God’s Own Country, which stars Josh O’Connor in his breakout role.
Get both books with our 35% discounted bundle here.
For detailed show notes, click here. There is also an AI-generated transcript available on our website.
Subscribe to our FREE newsletter for updates on all Seventh Row content + streaming recommendations.
Follow Seventh Row on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and read our articles at seventh-row.com.
Follow Andrew Kendall on Twitter. Follow Alex Heeney on Twitter and Instagram.
On this episode:
0:00 Intro to Challengers and why we’re talking about the film (Josh O’Connor and Luca Guadagnino)
6:04 Why can’t we stop thinking about the film even though we had issues with it? What’s all the fuss about?
13:40 Tennis serves as an extended metaphor and a structure of the film and informs the film’s grammar
26:15 Missing scenes and character development
56:49 The film fails to recognize momentous occasions and how this relates to the way the film was shot
1:00:00 How Luca Guadagnino’s direction rescues weaknesses in the script and performances
1:20:00 Will Challengers still matter by the end of the year or years from now?
1:23:00 Where you can find us, related episodes, coming soon on the podcast
Show Notes
Purchase a copy of Alex’s ebook Call Me by Your Name: A Special Issue
Purchase a copy of Alex’s ebook God’s Own Country: A Special Issue
Read Andrew’s review of Challengers for Stabroek News
Read Seventh Row’s Special Issue on A Bigger Splash
Read Alex’s piece on Josh O’Connor’s performances in Emma. and Hope Gap
Related Episodes:
Get the Spotify Playlist of FREE related episodes.
Ep. 110: Weekend and End of the Century
Ep. 115: Revisiting The English Patient 25 Years Later with Andrew Kendall
Ep. 33: Comparing Emma Adaptations, including Emma. starring Josh O’Connor (Members Only)
Ep. 28: 1917 and Jarhead: Sam Mendes’ war films (Members Only)
Ep. 66 Francis Lee’s God’s Own Country and Ammonite
Ep. 71: The Crown Season 4
Ep. 4: Suspiria and Luca Guadagnino’s violent bodies (Members Only)
Ep. 94: Looking HBO with Andrew Kendall (Members Only)
More episodes featuring Andrew Kendall
Ep. 115: Revisiting The English Patient 25 Years Later (Members Only)
Ep. 82: Quo Vadis, Aida and Our Lady of the Nile: Genocide on Film (Members Only)
Ep. 108: The Deep Blue Sea(s) Redux
Discover all episodes featuring Andrew Kendall.
Coming Soon: Abortion on Film Season
In this six-episode season, we discuss how socially progressive depictions of abortion on film have changed and developed since the 1950s. The season will start airing publicly in late May, but you can listen to the entire season today as a member!
Find out more about the Abortion on Film season
Become a member to listen to the entire season today! We will begin airing the show to the public in the coming weeks.
- Visa fler
