The post 7 LIFE LESSONS FROM TAYLOR SWIFT appeared first on Bea Escolar.
]]>If you know me, you know I love Taylor Swift. Not only is she an incredibly talented and hard-working artist, she also seems to be a genuinely kind person. Additionally, she’s an incredible business woman and an outstanding creative. I discovered her music around the the “Red” (2012) era, and became a full-fledged Swiftie during “1989” (2014). I’ve followed her through good and bad and I like to think she has taught myself and her fans a few valuable life lessons along the way. Even if you don’t like Taylor Swift (I mean, what the hell is wrong with you?!?! But, whatever.) I really think you can take these 7 life lessons from Taylor Swift with you in your every day life.
1. REDUCING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA
Taylor Swift disappeared from the media spotlight and from social media in 2016, right after the whole Kanye West/Kim Kardashian debacle. She needed time to heal, to reprioritize her life.
Before that incident, Taylor had been quite present on social media. When she felt ready to return, however, she took a much more measured approach to these tools. It all started when she cleared all her social media history in order to prepare us for “reputation” (2017). What a wild time that was, mind you. I remember her first 3 posts being that scary-ass snake. It was a crazy time for us fans. Anyway, I digress…
With her comeback, Taylor also made a clear decision: to reduce her social media presence. She now mostly uses it for album announcements, sharing pictures from her concerts, staying in touch with her fans every once in a while and, of course, supporting political causes that are important to her. That’s mostly it. And you know what, I love it. I admire her for it. I love that she’s keeping her private life, private. After being in the spotlight for so long, this is a big power move on her part. It’s as if she were saying: “You know what? You’ve had enough of my private life. This is mine and mine only. You’ll only know about what you need to know about”. I think Taylor doing this also provides a great example for her younger fans. I believe teenage girls today have a tendency to overshare and emotionally depend on social media. Taylor taking this stance is showing young girls that they need to live their life, outside of social media.
2. HOW TO BUILD A CASTLE OUT OF ALL THE BRICKS THEY THROW AT YOU
In the “1989” bonus track “New Romantics” Taylor sang:
“‘Cause baby, I could build a castle
Out of all the bricks they threw at me”
In 2016, Taylor was thrown some really nasty bricks. However, as Andrea Swift said in “Miss Americana” (Lana Wilson, 2020), Taylor took that shit and made something of it. She built that castle. That castle’s name was “reputation”. I can’t tell you how much that album means for me. It’s my favorite Taylor Swift album not only because I love the music in it, but also because of what that album meant, comeback-wise. I love that Taylor Swift was called a snake and she took that symbol and made it part of her brand. That is a freaking power move and I’m here for it.
To me, “reputation” is meaningful because it’s Taylor practicing what she preached in “New Romantics”. It’s her reclaiming her power. It’s her saying: “Oh, you think I’m a snake? Sure, Look at me, I’m the Queen of snakes! What else have you got?”
“reputation” is not about Taylor lashing out, though. Nope. “reputation” to me is “Blank Space” 2.0. There’s a lot of satire. It’s her saying: “Oh you think I’m a bad girl? Sure, I can do that!” and she does it throughout half the album. But as it advances, the layers peel off and she becomes vulnerable, kind and everything Taylor has always stood for. It’s a beautiful album and a brilliant exercise. And again, it’s an amazing example to young girls and telling them: you can come back from bad times. People can only hurt you as much as you let them hurt you. Just keep doing the work. Keep working on your art.
3. IT’S IMPORTANT FOR US WOMEN TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER
Taylor promotes emerging female artists. She sends flowers to artists who manage to surpass her in the charts. In her song “You need to calm down” she criticized an industry which tends to pit women against each other. And in her “Woman of the Decade” speech at Billboard’s Women in Music in 2019 she stood up for herself and for all the women in the music industry. She stood up for Simone Biles during the Olympics and the American female soccer team. Women supporting women is important and I love that she does it.
4. WORK HARD AND STAND UP FOR YOUR WORK
Taylor Swift has been working hard on her craft for many years. She has proven herself over and over again. Whether you like her music or not, one thing’s for certain: she’s an incredibly hard-working woman and she is incredibly resilient.
I greatly admire her for her work ethic and I’ve never been as proud of her as when she confirmed she would be re-recording her masters. When she first announced that her masters had beed sold to Scooter Braun, I was heartbroken. However, when she shared she was going to re-record her albums I screamed. I couldn’t believe it, I was so incredibly happy. And it had me thinking about myself and my own work ethic. Personally, I consider myself a hard worker, but I have to say, I do get overwhelmed when any sign of conflict comes my way. Seeing Taylor overcome her adversities motivates me to do the same. I mean let’s get real, imagine if you’d spent a long time working on a project and suddenly “lost it”, for whatever reason. I don’t know about you, but it would be very hard for me to find the stamina to work on it again. To start over. But seeing Taylor Swift care so much about her music, motivates me to do the same. Your work matters, what you leave behind you matters. Make sure it’s yours. Make sure you have power over your work.
Moreover, Taylor stands up for musician’s rights. Ever since the Scooter Braun debacle, she has spoken out about the importance of musicians owning their work. Not only that, when she signed her deal with Universal Music Group and Republic Records, she asked her label to hand over to artists (not just her, ALL ARTISTS), on a non-recoupable basis, a portion of any sale of their shares. I love that she uses her power to fight for other musicians’ rights.
5. BEING SENSITIVE IS A SUPERPOWER
“I want to still have a sharp pen and a thin skin and an open heart” (Taylor Swift)
What I love about this quote from Taylor from “Miss Americana” is that I feel it sums up her superpower neatly. It’s what makes her one of the greatest songwriters of all time. She’s incredibly in tune with her own emotions. She knows how to put those emotions into words, and she doesn’t let hard experiences toughen her up. Quite the opposite, they open her eyes to new points of view, and different ways of experiencing situations. I think the fact that she has journaled her whole life has made her really attune with her emotions. It has helped with her self-reflection and with her ability to convey emotionally difficult situations through song. It’s important for people to know that being sensitive is not a weakness. Don’t listen to those people who tell you you need to toughen up. Being sensitive is a superpower.
6. YOU ARE NOT JUST ONE THING
In “Miss Americana”, Taylor also says: “I want to wear pink and tell you how I feel about politics. And I don’t think that those things have to cancel each other out.” Many of us try to fit into one box. We’re either the artistic type or the rational type, for example. You pick a lane, you stick to it, and you make it part of your identity. Don’t you dare change lanes or you’re flaky and nobody will take you seriously ever again, right? WRONG!
This just isn’t true. We can be all things at once and they don’t need to cancel each other out. It has taken me a long time to understand this, and I must admit, it’s something I’m still working on putting into practice. I’ve always been the serious, quiet, rational and hard-working type, which makes me shy about showing my blog. It makes me uneasy to share something I created, where I show my imperfections, geeky tastes and voice my opinions. As I write this, I realize I still have close acquaintances I haven’t shared my blog with. See? I told you it’s something I’m still working on. This has to change.
7. HATERS ARE GONNA HATE (AND ALL THEY’LL EVER BE IS MEAN).
Taylor Swift always has songs for the haters and bullies of the world. And it’s those songs that help me get over the difficult people around me. “Mean” is an amazing song that always makes me happy. I just love the fact that everything she sang in that song became true:
“Someday, I’ll be living in a big old city
And all you’re ever gonna be is mean
Someday, I’ll be big enough so you can’t hit me
And all you’re ever gonna be is mean”
If those lyrics don’t motivate you to follow your dreams, no matter what the haters say, I don’t know what will. You need to remember: haters are gonna hate, hate, hate and you just need to shake it off, shake it off (Whoo-hoo-hoo).
These are the 7 life lessons I’ve learned from Taylor Swift throughout the years. I’m sure as I follow her journey for the many years to come, I will learn many more from this wise and incredible artist.
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]]>In 2009, Lin-Manuel Miranda attended the White house Poetry Jam. He presented himself by saying: “I’m thrilled the White House called me tonight, because I’m actually working on a hip-hop album. It’s a concept album about the life of someone I think embodies hip-hop…. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton”. The audience giggled. I mean… wouldn’t you have giggled too? It’s incredible to watch that performance because the audience giggles throughout it. When “Hamilton” first premiered in June 2016 and the same song was performed with the full cast, there were no giggles. There was just excitement. It would be the birth of “Hamilton”, the new modern classic.
Before anyone feels the need to point it out, let me just say I know “Hamilton” is not 100% historically accurate. But honestly, who cares? The historical liberties Lin-Manuel Miranda took make for better conflict, more character depth and practically perfect dramatic structure. Hamilton has made many people become interested in history. Among them, many young people. Tell me how many people, films, shows, plays or books have managed to have the impact “Hamilton” has had?
In my opinion, “Hamilton” feels classic and new at the same time. The drama and conflicts we see are not new… they are almost Shakespearean. Yet the ways in which they are presented are new. On the one side there’s the rap, of course. But there’s also certain storytelling devices used in this musical that are new. I cannot tell you how my jaw dropped when Angelica sung one simple word: “rewind”. The brilliance of that moment is mind-blowing. Firstly, “rewind” is something that obviously does not belong to the theatrical medium. Having it said and visually recreated (with the characters walking backwards, recreating their steps) is just fascinating to me. At the same time, it’s an anachronism. Sure, rap is an anachronism too, but you know what I mean. There’s just something super special about seeing a woman in a period dress singing about rewinding a situation in the theatre. Not only that, throughout “Satisfied”, Angelica also pauses the narrative in different moments to explain her point of view of the situation.
There’s also the slow-motion when Hamilton is shot in the end, which seems to be taken right out of “The Matrix”. These dramatic tools could easily feel completely out of place in the play, yet, they work. Not only do they work, they just elevate the play to a different level.
As far as I am concerned, Lin-Manuel Miranda achieves this because his mind is also on a different level. The amount of detail in this play is incredible. I love this interview with him where he talks about the process about writing “My Shot”. The song’s objective was to prove that Hamilton was incredibly advanced for his time. To illustrate this, Miranda has Mulligan, Lafayette and Laurens singing pre-Rakim hip hop, while Hamilton comes in with influences from Jay-Z, Eminem and Big Pun proving that he is (as Lin-Manuel Miranda states) “the future of this groups of friends”. Now I am no rap or hip-hop expert by any means. I actually had to look up some of the names he mentioned to make sure I was spelling them right. Still, the fact that Miranda thinks about these details translates into better, richer characters and more elaborate character dynamics. You, like me, might not know about the inspirations Miranda had while writing, but you definitely can feel that the way Hamilton is rapping is more elaborate than his friends. Hamilton’s rapping style is, to me, a reflection of his character and way of thinking. Ideas spring up and he links them together easily. Why does he write like he’s running out of time? Well, because that’s the speed in which ideas come to him.
Undoubtedly, the main storyline is Hamilton’s relationship with Burr. If you don’t know your history, don’t worry. The end of their relationship is revealed in the first song, so I guess no spoiler alert is needed here. In any case, as I touched upon before, their conflict is almost Shakespearean in nature. We’ve seen it before. Even Miranda admitted in this interview with Emma Watson that their meeting mirrors Harry Potter and Malfoy’s meeting in “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”. That doesn’t matter, though, because it’s Miranda’s touch that makes it feel new. When we first meet Hamilton and Burr, we realize they want the same thing: to be remembered, to be great. The problem is that they have different approaches. Therein lies their conflict.
Burr: If there’s a reason I’m still alive while everyone els has died, I’m willing to wait for it.
Hamilton: Legacy. What is a legacy?
It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.
Their antagonism stems from the different means each of them believes they need to achieve greatness. Burr is contained, calculated. He tells Hamilton in his first meeting: “Talk less. Smile more. Don’t let them know what you’re against or what you’re for”. Burr waits for everything to come to him. That’s why he’s constantly singing “Wait for it”. Meanwhile, Hamilton continuously fights for what he thinks is right knowing it might cost him his life (“I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory”). He’s constantly moving, constantly talking and writing. Why? “I am not throwin’ away my shot”, he keeps repeating. Hamilton’s frustration with Burr is just that. “If you stand for nothing, Burr, what will you fall for?”. This is basically the reason he ends up endorsing Jefferson instead of Burr in the end. “But when all is said and all is done, Jefferson has beliefs. Burr has none”.
This is the last nail in the coffin of their relationship. After exchanging a few conflicted letters, they decide to have a duel. Ironically, the end of their relationship and Hamilton’s life is caused by both these men going against what they have been preaching all throughout the play. Hamilton decides to shoot in the air (throws away his shot), whereas Burr shoots Hamilton dead. Had Burr “waited for it”, he would have realized Hamilton wanted to shoot at the sky. Jaime Altozano has a great video on YouTube expanding on Burr and Hamilton’s relationship. It’s in Spanish, however, it has English subtitles and I highly recommend it to any Hamilton fans out there:
The last thing I’m going to say about their relationship is that we don’t only know about their antagonism through their practically opposite leitmotivs. We also have an important visual clue. The famous Hamilton logo where Hamilton raises his arm in victory (or is he throwing away his shot there?), mirrors Burr’s position in the end of “The Room Where it Happens”, where Burr sings “click boom” while pointing his arm down. This had me thinking, if both of them had done this gesture (Hamilton shot at the sky, Burr shot at the floor) Hamilton would have survived. As Burr realizes at the end: “I should have known. The world was wide enough for both Hamilton and me.”
Finally, we can’t talk about “Hamilton” without mentioning its love for the female historical figures during that time. The play ends by letting us know that it was thanks to Angelica and Eliza that we know Hamilton’s story, that we know about his legacy. We also hear about the many accomplishments Eliza had after Hamilton’s death, including the Orphanage that is currently still working. I love the ending of “Hamilton”, where Eliza gets all the glory. It feels like Lin-Manuel Miranda is telling us that this musical would not have been possible if it weren’t for this woman’s hard work. In fact, when Hamilton takes Eliza’s hand and brings her front and centre, part of me feels like in that moment, it’s not Hamilton doing this. It’s Lin, giving her the recognition she deserves. That is why, to me, Eliza’s gasp in the end feels like she’s breaking the fourth wall. In that moment, she sees the audience. She sees everyone who has just learned about her story. Their story. Their Legacy.
I’m so happy that Disney+ decided to release “Hamilton” earlier than initially planned. When the pandemic hit, part of me was hoping they would. “Hamilton” was released worldwide on July 3rd 2020, in the midst of an important time of unrest in the USA with the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter Protests.
Having first come out in Broadway during the Obama era, “Hamilton” felt optimistic. I mean here we have a rap musical about Alexander Hamilton where the founding fathers were being played by people of color and everyone loved it! It shouldn’t be surprising, though… not only is the musical amazing, the cast is simply, THE BEST. Seriously, isn’t Daveed Diggs the best Jefferson EVER? (#DaveedDiggsIsMyJefferson). “Hamilton” quickly became so popular, the price of the tickets went way up, people would wait months to watch it. The word of mouth was incredible. I remember reading about the audience cheering at the line “Immigrants, we get the job done”.
And then Trump came. Don’t get me wrong, people were still cheering at that line, but another part of “Hamilton” took center-stage. It’s the part were it talks about all the work that is left to do in America. Because there is still so much to be done. This is why the Black Lives Matter movement used “Hamilton” quotes in their marches. Because things that were worth fighting for then are still need to be fought for now.
If you’re interested in learning more, you are in luck. There’s something I love about Disney+ and it is that they have extras to their titles. “Hamilton” has great interviews where the cast talk about “Hamilton” and its relevance. I highly recommend you listen and learn from this beautiful cast. Maybe most of us weren’t lucky enough to see the play live. Thanks to Disney +, however, it’s like we all get to be in the room where it happened.
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]]>The post WHAT I LEARNED WHILE WRITING MY FIRST FEATURE FILM appeared first on Bea Escolar.
]]>Ever since I was little, I’ve always loved writing. Also, I’ve always loved films. For way too long, I didn’t know you could actually study filmmaking. But when I learned you could, I automatically knew what I wanted to be when I grew up: a scriptwriter. Throughout my life I’ve written many short films, a TV show (that hasn’t been produced) and even helped many friends with their projects. It was only a couple of weeks ago, however, that I finished writing my first feature film script. I’ve been writing this script on and off for about three years, so yeah… it was definitely about time.
So… what have I learned while writing my first feature film?
What has this experience been like? What have I learned about myself and “the process” while writing my first feature film? Writing is hard, especially for those of us who do it as a side project (which I’m guessing is most of us). It’s quite a lonely process that requires a lot of discipline. It also really makes you sit down with all your insecurities. Here’s a small sample of things I kept telling myself while writing: “No-one will want to read this”, “There is no way a producer will be interested in this”, “This planting is too gratuitous”, “This pay-off is not satisfying enough”, “Is this actually boring? Or have I just read it too many times?”, “What you’re saying is unimportant” and of course the concise, yet effective: “This is bullshit”. Lucky for me, I was able to move this not-so-kind voice in my head and finish the first draft of my script.
I thought I’d share what I’ve learned about writing and about myself throughout this journey, just in case it can help you in any way. Please note, I’ve only just finished the first draft of my script. There’s still work to be done on it, so the journey is far from over. This is my own personal project and, as of yet, it has no producers attached to it or anything. It’s just something I’ve been working on for a long time. If you’re struggling through your own personal project, I hope this post helps you see that you’re not alone. Those voices in your head telling you you or your work is not good enough are something we all live with. Basically, I hope this post helps you keep doing what you love. Keep doing the work!
1. Make writing part of your routine
Writing is indeed a muscle (“No shit, Sherlock.”). But seriously, writing used to come easy to me in school. Now… call it age, call it being an adult with a full full time job… it’s hard. I’m sure it didn’t help that I took a break from writing either.
For this same reason, you shouldn’t wait for inspiration to strike in order to write. Make sure you schedule time to do it. Have your own routine. For me, I schedule Saturday and Sunday afternoons to write. My routine includes lighting a candle and making some tea. Some days I would only do rewrites because I couldn’t seem able to write anything new. Other days I just managed to get 2-3 pages that I would delete the next week. Some rare times, however, I would write up to 20 pages a day. It might not be much to some of you, but it is to me. So yeah, I’m sure those “twenty-page” days wouldn’t come to me unless I had sat down every single weekend to do the work. So I suggest you do the same. If you seem blocked, try a writing exercise. Just tell yourself you’ll write something (anything) only for five minutes. Sometimes, starting is the hardest part, so that will help you get going. I’m sure after those five minutes are over, you’ll probably be ready to keep writing.
Personally, my next goal is to get into the habit of writing every day. Even if it’s just for ten minutes. Even if it’s something stupid. I’ll write something every day. Anything. You never know when it might come in handy.
2. “Between thought to page lies a lifetime” (The Velvet Underground)
My dad loves this quote. Let me tell you: I thought of this quote every single day of writing this script. Writing is funny because sometimes I’d have a scene I was less excited about come to me easily and become one of my favourite parts to write. Other times, that scene I was idealising in my mind I discovered didn’t quite work for the story. Or it was just bad. Maybe it’s my inner perfectionist talking, but I’m sure many of you writers out there understand.
My advice? Get through it. Write those scenes (the good and the bad). You’ll get back to them at some point and rewrite them as needed, but for now, get them over and done with. Don’t get stuck. Write them, move on and confront them again once you’re done. I have made a note myself of a few scenes I believe are not working in the script. However, I’m not telling anyone about my thoughts, because maybe it’s just me. I’ll wait until I can share the script with someone I trust. If they see the same issues, I’ll rewrite. Who knows? Maybe a fresh pair of eyes will allow me to see that the issue is somewhere else in the script entirely.
Maybe it’s that scene I really love that is actually the one that is not working. You know the one I’m talking about. That first scene you saw in your head? The one that sparked that idea for the whole story? What then? Ah, my friend. Kill your darlings, they say. I haven’t faced this situation just yet as no-one has reviewed my script. However, I’ll let you know when I do. I bet that’s a whole new post entirely.
3. You will probably hate (most of) what you write
I’m not happy with my script. I just see every single mistake and all the tools I used to write it. I imagine it being like a coder who’s able to see the messy backend of a website. Or like a graphic designer noticing that double space. But you know what? These feelings are normal. That’s why Anne Lamott talks about the “shitty first draft”. Martin Scorsese said about film making: “If you don’t get physically ill seeing your first rough cut, something is wrong.” And I guess it’s the same with your first draft.
Hey, I’m learning to deal with it. The thing is, the day I finished writing my script I watched Jonah Hill’s “Mid90’s” (2018) and I started crying. That film was so good… so perfect… I was honestly kind of embarrassed by what I wrote. That imposter syndrome kicked in. “What was I thinking by writing this shitty script? Why did I have this need to write it? It’s not a story worth telling…” all these thoughts (AND MANY MORE) started racing through my head.
You know what? I’m pretty sure my script is not as great as “Mid90’s”. But it’s there. It’s mine. And I’ll make sure it becomes the best version of itself it can be. Also, remember: hating is not cool. Not even with your own work.
4. Be very clear about your structure when you start writing
I think this is especially important for anyone, but especially for beginners. I am not talking about having a small sheet of paper where you know where each of your film acts end. Seriously, this is not even the skeleton of your script. Knowing your plot points is more like the “cartilages” of your script. You still need the bones, muscles and all that. So my recommendation, I don’t care how boring or redundant it feels like, start by writing your synopsis. Then expand it into a treatment. Make it as long as possible and as elaborate as possible. Make sure you see your characters’ story arcs. Nofilmschool.com also has a great blog post titled “How do Professional Screenwriters Outline Their Projects?“. It’s a great guide for anyone if you’re not quite sure where to start.
5. All ideas have been done. But they have not been done by you
If we wanted to very briefly talk about “Brokeback Mountain” (2005, Ang Lee) we could say it’s a story about “forbidden love”. Correct? Can you imagine how sad it would have been if Annie Proulx, who wrote the original short story for “Brokeback Mountain” had decided not to write it because “forbidden love” was already explored by Shakespeare in “Romeo and Juliet”? We wouldn’t have been able to read that beautiful story and the movie would have not been made. That would have been a cultural loss for everyone because, despite both titles dealing with forbidden love, I believe “Brokeback Mountain”’s character depth, social relevancy and impact were (ARE!) incredibly important. Maybe even more so that Shakespeare’s play.
All this to say, almost everything has been done before. So don’t be too preoccupied with being “original”. Instead start by asking yourself: what can you say about that? What else can you add to that conversation? Find your answer and run with it.
6. Don’t dwell on your mistakes
I’m not expecting my first script to be a work of art. Hey, maybe it turns out my script actually is bad. Ok, so? I can imagine very few filmmakers are happy with their first script. As I see it, I got this one out of my system and I am already working on ideas for my next one. Don’t overthink it. Learn from your mistakes and just keep swimming. We got this. Lucky for us writers, we have it easy. All we need is pen and paper. Go, write!
These are the six lessons I have learned about myself and about writing while writing my first feature film. I hope this post helps you in some way. I’m sure putting these feelings into writing will help me with my next film script. Or maybe not. Maybe a new set of issues will arise. In that case… I’ll face them head on and write a new post for your guys. In the meantime, keep writing, keep creating. Talk to you soon.
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]]>The post HOW WILL THE CORONAVIRUS AFFECT THE FILM INDUSTRY appeared first on Bea Escolar.
]]>The film industry, like many others, is being affected deeply by the coronavirus. The uncertainty this pandemic is creating all around the world is scary and, although many might find the film industry to be one of the least important industries to be impacted by it, the truth is millions of people are relying on films and TV shows for comfort. No matter how relevant you think the film industry is at this time, you cannot deny that it is a big part of the US economy. Although not as big as Hollywood, film industries in other territories also create many jobs, are culturally relevant and offer the chance for people to understand different cultures all around the world.
So… how is the coronavirus affecting the film industry?
So we all know the basics. Movie theatres are currently closed, while streaming is way up. This is normal in a time where a great part of the world is on lockdown, but how will this affect the film industry in the long run? I think it’s hard to say at this point as there are so many variables that we can’t control at this time. However, I read this article about how the Spanish flu affected the film industry in the early twentieth century. Adolph Zuckor used these times to radically change the US film business model by establishing the studio system and vertical integration which is still a big part of Hollywood today. I can imagine big changes are coming up for our current industry so I’ve tried to talk about how the coronavirus is affecting different parts of the film industry and what it could mean for the future. This of course is heavily speculative as it’s hard to predict the future in a time of such drastic changes. So come with me in this journey, will you?
So yeah, theatres are closed. Though, of course, necessary, this will be incredibly hard on them. I hope I am wrong, but we have to keep in mind that public cultural spaces such as cinemas will probably be the last to open up. China, who started to open a few theatres while slowly trying to return to their normal lives, had their government quickly rectify their decision and close them back again. It is very possible that the Chinese government is of course scared of a new contagion among their population and decided that maybe theatres are not the most important business to open up right now.
This is huge. The Chinese Film Industry is incredibly powerful. There’s a big appreciation for local films in China. Many of them make more money than Hollywood imports! According to Box Office Mojo, this summer, the Chinese animated feature “NeZha” (Yu Yang, 2019) grossed $719,755,767. Just so you get an idea, “Avengers: Endgame” (Anthony and Joe Russo, 2019) made $614,316,021. Not small potatoes, huh? So clearly, the Chinese box office results are very important for any film that premieres there. Taking this into consideration, you can imagine the Chinese government is not making this decision lightly.
As an alternative to movie theatres, I’ve read drive-in movie theatres are making a comeback some places. Also, I’m wondering if, further down the line, open air film experiences will gain more popularity around the world. Although maybe not as comfortable as a movie theatre, it might be a way to start to regain this experience. Clearly, this would have to be done by taking the necessary precautions such as keeping a certain distance between spectators, using masks, etc. Not sure if this will be a thing, but it might be worth considering if the safety of everyone involved can be guaranteed.
These possible alternatives will not be a substitute for the traditional movie theatre experience, mind you. And there is a big chance that these theatres don’t open around the world for months. I know some states in the US are talking about opening sooner. However, in most countries, this doesn’t seem like the case. So what is happening? Well, some films, such as “Black Widow” (Cate Shortland, 2020?) have decided to postpone their release. Many other films have decided to “skip” the theatrical window and jump directly to VOD. This is the case for example of what Universal decided to do with “Trolls World Tour” (Walt Dohrn, David P. Smith, 2020). Understandably, this decision has angered theatre owners, who strongly rely on family films like this one. Moreover, many films that were in theatres at the time this whole pandemic started have also decided to be released earlier in VOD services, such as “The Invisible Man” (Leigh Whannell, 2020) or Pixar’s “Onward” (Dan Scanlon, 2020). This means it is very probable that many of the latest films that were released in cinemas will do the same.
I am of course worried for theatres. I love them and understand this situation is a big blow to them. When they open, I wonder how many will make it? At the same time, think about it: when they do open, they might have restrictions on their capacity, which means less income. Also, some sanitary measures might have to be taken such as disinfecting between screenings. This takes time, which means less screenings per day. Also, taking into consideration the economic blow to the world’s population, who will be able to afford to go to the theatres?
Nevertheless, those theatres that do open, I’m guessing will probably have many films for them to release. Although I am wondering if many bigger films will be pushed back to a time they know there are no capacity restrictions. Think about it, those big blockbusters have a huge investment in their marketing campaigns and they are not going to risk it. On the other hand, I believe many smaller films are probably going to be pushed away from theatres for a while. If smaller films had it tough before, you can only imagine how hard it’s going to be now. With “Black Widow” and many other films in the back burner ready to make the money, which theatre would want to play a small author film? Will this mean many smaller films will be relegated to VOD platforms? I sure hope not. This is not only hard on new film creators but also small production companies and distribution companies who will not be able to find a slot to program their film in this already saturated market.
Which brings us to another bright side of the industry: streaming is up. And I believe this has given the chance for smaller films to be discovered worldwide such as “El Hoyo” aka “The Platform” (Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, 2019) on Netflix. However, this is not necessary the rule. Usually, many smaller films get buried in an avalanche of other big titles that are in big streaming platforms. Lulu Wang explains it best here.
In any case, one has to wonder: how long are these subscriptions going to keep growing for? Depending on how long the lockdown lasts, at some point, they’ll need new products. The trouble is, at this time, nothing is being filmed. Maybe they’ll rely on old catalogue films that people trust and love. I think that’s a great strategy, however, at one point or another, they’re going to need new products to draw in more subscribers… which brings us to production.
Sadly, the coronavirus has impacted film productions too. All film productions have been halted and it is unclear when people will be able to resume them. This means there will also be an important bottle neck of film productions when everything starts going back to normal. Not only that, I’m guessing some films might even get cancelled or postponed indefinitely depending on the economic situation after all of this is over. Studios and production companies will reprioritise their films and release schedules. I do think, however, that now is an important time for many creatives. I’m sure as I write this there are many writers who are full of ideas and find themselves with the time and space to develop them. I think many great ideas will come from this crisis. The question is, will they be able to go beyond the written page?
It seems the industry is quickly trying to adapt when it can. Soon after South by Southwest (SXSW) was cancelled, a partnership with Amazon was announced. The idea was for the participating films to be shown on the platform, offering exposure to many of these new creators that were going to show their films in the festival. However, there has been a bit of a debate. Although Amazon was paying the filmmakers a screening fee to exhibit their films, it wasn’t clear how this fee is calculated. I’m guessing the issue being if the fee was fixed or if it depended on the number of views. Moreover, many filmmakers who already had distribution were worried they wouldn’t be able to be a part of this plan while those filmmakers that didn’t have distribution were worried that this initiative might damage their possibilities of getting a distributor. As you can see, it’s a complicated situation and although this alternative seemed like an interesting proposal, there are still many loose ends where new filmmakers can be left feeling unprotected. As I am writing this article it has been announced that only 7 of the 135 films that were invited decided to participate in this event. If you are interested, it’s only available in the US and it’s free to all audiences with or without an Amazon Prime membership.
Alternatively, Cannes has decided to postpone its festival. There were many rumours that the festival might take place virtually, however, Thierry Frémaux is against this idea. Let’s remember that, in 2018, Frémaux banned streaming films to be in competition in Cannes’s Film Festival, so I believe it’s coherent with his belief that films that participate in the festival should have a theatrical window. However, given the circumstances and depending on how long this pandemic lasts (I have heard some epidemiologists mention there might be another COVID resurgence in the winter time) I wonder if Thierry Frémaux will at some point reconsider his position on films being screened virtually. Only time will tell. There are so many possible variables at the moment that it’s hard to make any plans.
In any case, many filmmakers are probably wondering what to do with their already finished films that were meant for the Festival circuit. Many films have a very concrete strategy for their run, which involves of course Festivals, award shows as well as their correct programming in theatres. With the uncertainty we are facing today, those strategies are hard to rewrite.
Interestingly, however, Cannes has decided to not cancel their film market (Marché du Film). Instead, it has been postponed and will be done virtually. I believe Cannes is the first big market to do this so it’s going to be interesting to see how it goes.
So yeah. The times they are a-changin’. (Shoutout to my dad who is a big Bob Dylan fan). It’s too soon to make predictions but I’m sure, seeing how things are going, film exploitation will change. The windows will change. How we consume will change. Many initiatives are being taken to bring films to our homes in this time of crisis. Read this. Second shoutout to Filmin (an amazingly curated Spanish VOD platform) which screened Xavier Dolan’s “Matthias & Maxime” with great success. (PS: I have a soft spot for Xavier Dolan films -and soundtracks- which I definitely need to write about at some point. “Matthias & Maxime” was sublime).
Analysts are talking about drastic changes with a reduction in cinema screens and more studio mergers. Maybe so in traditional Hollywood. But there is something not many are talking about. Nowadays we have the technology to keep creating and keep sharing. Unlike what happened during the Spanish Flu, we now have cameras in our phones. Most of us can record and edit films in the palm of our hand. And we can share them through platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo. Those creations can reach many. I believe a new generation of creators will emerge from this and they will have a great following on social media. So yeah. The film industry is being affected by the coronavirus. But films aren’t going anywhere. Unlike 1918, we now have Netflix, Amazon (among many other platforms) and DVDs. We can turn to “Gilmore Girls” for comfort. We now have the time to watch that film we love with our loved ones and see their reaction. One thing’s for sure: Films are now and will always be a big part of our lives. I’m sure we are not going to let them go away.
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]]>Staying sane and productive. That’s all we want right now, right? Especially the “sane” part. It’s strange how something microscopic like the coronavirus can change millions of lives around the world. I’m scared. I guess you are too. My government has asked people to stay in their homes and only leave to purchase essentials (i.e.: food, medicines). It’s been like this for a little over a week now. When I go out, it feels surreal. Everything is closed, hardly anybody in the street. We’re all wearing masks and we all keep our distance. It feels like these weird dystopias we find in books and films. This is not supposed to happen in real life.
Unfortunately, it is. I’m lucky: I get to work from home. So I get to keep my day job. For now, at least. Most importantly, I’m in good health and so are my family and loved ones. I try to not lose perspective. After all, that is what’s most important. Yet sometimes my anxiety gets the best of me and I start to get worried about the future. How long will this pandemic last? How many lives will it take? What are the consequences going to be? Will I still have my job when this is over? I guess this last one is kind of selfish. But hey, I can’t be the only be worrying about this.
I’m sure this all sounds familiar, right? It’s an uncertain time for all of us. So what can we, as creatives, do about it? Well, unfortunately, not much. This is our reality at this time. It’s unsettling for sure. However, we need to try and make the best of it. Easier said than done, I know. This is why I decided to make this post. Because this too shall pass. And when it does, we’ll need to be strong and determined. It might be a new world we find ourselves in. Let’s be open to it. Let’s be ready. Let us know who we are and be confident in what we do. And let us actually have done the work, proudly. I hope these ideas inspire you to work through this. To work on yourself and your goals. If nothing less, I hope this post helps you react to this situation better than “The Office” characters did during their fire drill.
HOW DO WE STAY SANE AND PRODUCTIVE DURING A PANDEMIC?
1. Do the thing. Now!
It’s not like you have anything better to do, right? So do it. That thing that you’ve been putting off. Get to it. I include myself in this. There’s this script I wanted to finish in January. It’s still not done. So I’m getting on it. I’m getting this shitty first draft out of me, during this time. I have to. If I don’t do it now, when? I don’t know about you but if I’m supposed to stay indoors for a month (maybe more), when I get to leave, the last thing I’ll want to do is finish my writing. So I’m working on it now. You should do the same. Whatever it is. Write that thing, draw that picture, record that short film, start that YouTube Channel. DO IT. After this post, I’m not coming back on this website until my script is finished. My idea is mid April. So I’ll see you then, I guess.
2. Exercise and/or meditate. Also, stop snacking and eat your veggies.
If you’re anything like me, when you don’t exercise, you have more energy to overthink things and stress yourself out. This is a state you don’t want to be in at this time. So please, exercise. Find a YouTube Video and do it. It’s free and you’ll thank me later.
After exercising, I personally like to meditate. It helps me calm down and it also improves my concentration. I know it’s not for everyone, but you should give it a try for a few days if you haven’t done it. There are many free meditations online. I personally use Headspace (which is not free) and I’m really happy with it. Honestly, exercise and meditation are keeping me sane right now. Most of the time.
Also, the food thing. Seriously, take care of yourself. Eat your veggies, even if they’re frozen. Please don’t overdo it on the junk food. We have a rule at my place: we behave throughout the work week and cheat during the weekend. Maybe this works for you too.
3. Call your family/friends. No, don’t IM them. CALL THEM.
I know calling feels weird. Right? I mean. We’re so used to instant messaging. But please call your loved ones. Have a real conversation with them. Drink a glass of wine while you’re at it. Social distancing doesn’t mean ignoring your friends. You never know who you might be helping with a simple call. Maybe they’re having a terrible day and you’re the one to cheer them up.
4. Disconnect from news/social media. Actually, you should use this tip even when there’s no pandemic
I get it. It’s important to know what is going on. But please take a break from this ongoing new report on the coronavirus. It’ll do wonders for your mental health. And your productivity. So this one’s a twofer I guess! I suggest you schedule some time for news/social media checking these days. For me it’s lunch time. The rest of the day I don’t want to hear anything else about the damned virus.
On this note, please stop sharing misinformation. If you receive something, please check if this information is true before sharing with others. I can’t tell you how many Whatsapp messages I’ve received telling me drinking water every X amount of time helps fight the virus. It OBVIOUSLY does not. If you need to drink water, do it because you’re thirsty.
5. Get inspired (but still do the work).
Instead of getting frustrated over the news, follow people who inspire you. Watch movies that move you. Read books that motivate you. Anything that keeps you going. However, please don’t use this to procrastinate point number 1. I know, I know. I do it too. I watch all the “How not to procrastinate videos” and end up procrastinating on my projects. That’s not the point of this.
Here’s a list of several things that inspire me, broken down by categories:
SHOWS
- “The OA” (Zal Batmanglij, Brit Marling, 2016-2019): Magical, mystical and thrilling. I love this show and am so upset it got cancelled. Post coming when I finish my script.
- “Inside No. 9” (Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith, 2014-?): Every script is perfection, perfect for writers to learn about structure and characters. I just love this show.
- “Gilmore Girls” (Amy Sherman-Palladino, 2000-2007): It’s my comfort show. This and “Friends” (David Crane, Marta Kauffman, 1994-2004), of course.
FILMS
- Any film in my “Top 10 Films of the Decade”, of course. I find “Frances Ha” (Noah Baumbach, 2012) and “Paterson” (Jim Jarmusch, 2016) particularly comforting for these stressful times.
- The Spanish film industry will probably be deeply affected by the coronavirus, so allow me to do my little bit in helping: I’ll be suggesting two Spanish films that I have just watched on Netflix. Not comforting films, mind you, but they’re so good!! “El Hoyo” (aka “The Platform”. Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, 2019) and “Ventajas de viajar en tren” (aka “Advantages of Travelling by Train”. Aritz Moreno, 2019). Great writing in both of them. Greatly entertaining.
- “Matilda” (Danny DeVito, 1996). Also on Netflix. Always a go-to film when I’m feeling down. Yes it’s a children’s film. No, I don’t care. It’s an amazing film.
BOOKS
- Austin Kleon books all the way!! I’m now reading “Keep Going”.
- “Pride and Prejudice” (Jane Austen, 1813): It’s a classic, guys! Joe Wright’s 2005 film is my favourite adaptation if you’re not up for reading/re-reading the book.
- Yes. You might have guessed it. Say it with me: “Anything written by Brené Brown”.
YOUTUBERS
On Productivity:
- Amy Landino: She is the lemon-water-drinking, calendar-blocking queen. You shall bow to her. More on her channel.
- Thomas Frank: I actually built this website thanks to him. His videos give incredible information and the quality is incredible.
On being spiritually productive:
- Rowena Tsai: Rowena is wise beyond her years. She has a deep spiritual practice which she sometimes shares with us, but also, she’s an incredibly hard worker. She is the best if you’re looking to fix your work/life balance.
On Creativity:
- Fran Meneses: Fran is an illustrator currently living in New York. She’s fun, hard-working, calming and truly inspiring.
On being your own BOSS.
- Erin on Demand: Erin is such a boss. Look at her channel. Just look at it. All the information you need to build your own business and brand is right there.
6. Learn Something New
If you live with someone, maybe ask them to teach you something. It can be how to cook or how to knit. It can be how to use Photoshop. If you live alone, find a tutorial online. YouTube or Skillshare are great resources. Use this time to cultivate yourself. You never know when these new skills you learn might come in handy.
These are my recommendations for staying inspired. I hope they help. Don’t forget to take care of yourself. Do the work. Stay indoors… and wash your hands. We’ll get through this. See you soon.
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]]>Please excuse the lack of posts in the last couple of weeks. I was attending the 2019 Sitges Film Festival where I watched many films. For those of you who don’t know, Sitges is one of my favourite festivals. It specialises in Fantasy, Horror and Sci-Fi and it basically has the best audience ever. Everyone cheers when the Sitges logo come out at the start of every film. We all cheer when the film title comes up on the screen… it’s basically a party for film lovers.
So I spent my last couple of weekends there and decided to write a few notes on the movies I watched in Sitges Film Festival this year. I was thinking about doing a ranking but it was getting pretty hard to do so, so please note that these films are in no particular order. However, if you need to know, my favourite films were: “The Lighthouse” (Robert Eggers, 2019), “Breve Historia del Planeta Verde” (Santiago Loza, 2019) and “Little Monsters” (Abe Forsythe, 2019).
So without further ado, here’s…
WHAT I WATCHED AT SITGES FILM FESTIVAL
1. CORPORATE ANIMALS (PATRICK BRICE, 2019)
When a corporate team building excursion goes wrong and the whole team gets stuck in a cave, all hell breaks loose. Starring Demi Moore, Ed Helms and Isiah Whitlock Jr. (any “The Wire” fans out there?). This is a fun and wild film, the kind of film that seems made for the Sitges audience. I enjoyed it, but definitely not one of my favorites. Still, I would recommend if you are looking for a dark comedy to watch!
2. LITTLE MONSTERS (ABE FORSYTHE, 2019)
IT’S LUPITA NYONG’O SINGING TAYLOR SWIFT. NEED I SAY MORE? Oh, I do? Ok. So this was such a sweet, fun and wild ride. The cast is great, both the kids and the adults. I really enjoyed this one. Great script, well developed characters and very satisfying overall. Another made for Sitges little gem. PS: It’s also Josh Gad (Frozen’s Olaf) being a huge douchebag and swearing like a sailor.
3. THE VIGIL (KEITH THOMAS, 2019)
Keith Thomas’ feature film debut shows the director’s potential, but the film itself left me feeling wanting more. This film has an incredible set up and build up but then… I guess the “issue” I have with this film is that when it started I felt like I was about to watch a horror film I had never seen before. However, when the scares started I realized: “well, I have seen this before”. Also (side note), I’m sorry “The Vigil” and “It Chapter 2” (Andy Muschietti, 2019), I do not find old ladies scary. Like I said, I LOVED the film’s premise and the psychological aspect of it, but it felt like the film could have used that set up for so much more. Still though, I will follow Keith Thomas’ future work. I am interested in seeing what he’ll be tackling next.
4. CUERDAS (“ROPES”) (JOSÉ LUIS MONTESINOS, 2019)
This title is another feature film debut, this time, by Spanish director José Luis Montesinos. While watching this I couldn’t help but think about films like “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane” (Robert Aldrich, 1962), “Wait Until Dark” (Terence Young, 1967) or “Misery” (Rob Reiner, 1990). The story, which Montesinos co-writes with Yako Blesa, really manages to convey the stress and difficulties Elena must endure when she is left alone in a house while in a wheelchair being chased by a rabid dog and ferret. Yes, ferret.
The film clearly demonstrates the director’s capacity of managing suspense and, although I did feel it went on for a bit too long (the film is not long at all), it is a well rounded film debut that shows Montesinos definitely will have an important future in the industry.
5. ACHOURA (TALAL SELHAMI, 2018)
The film’s plot actually reminds me of Stephen King’s “It”. Four childhood friends are forced to confront an evil creature which had tormented them in their childhood. However, I did not really enjoy this title that much. I believe this is partly because the plot is messy. It took me a while to realise that what I believed were only two timelines were actually three. In general, it felt like the film had too many characters and too little time to develop them. That’s why the character dynamics also felt off most of the time. Interesting premise, not so great execution.
6. EXTRA ORDINARY (MIKE AHERN, ENDA LOUGHMAN, 2019)
This is the cute and fun story of Rose Dooley, a medium who feels guilty for her father’s death. Like “Corporate Animals” or “Little Monsters”, it’s a film I knew the Sitges audience would love. However, I expected more of it. I have to admit, I think it was just me though. Everyone else around me was really enjoying it, literally laughing out loud. I guess that’s why the film won Audience Award Best Motion Picture at the Panorama Fantastic Section. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t dislike the film. It was cute. It just felt too silly for me at times. I loved the ending though! The ending was one of the funniest things I have seen in a very long time.
7. THE NEST (ROBERT DE FEO, 2019)
A weird community living in a mansion. A teenage boy in a wheelchair falls in love with a teenage servant under the eyes of his overprotective mother. This film had all the ingredients to be a great, gothic film, however, again, I was left disappointed. The film is slow, predictable and the ending twist is cool, but not satisfying at that point. Honestly, I would have preferred the twist to come slightly earlier and give room for a more satisfying resolution.
8. THE LIGHTHOUSE (ROBERT EGGERS, 2019)
Robert Eggers’ debut feature film “The Witch” was a refreshing take on the horror genre, so I was really interested in what the director had in store for us in his second film. Filmed in a an almost square format (1.19:1) and in black and white, this film is claustrophobic, unsettling, and haunting. The amazing Pattinson and Dafoe are affected by alcohol, paranoia, visions of mermaids and bad bad omens, making their already complicated relationship more difficult as they descend into madness. Both actors are amazing in this, and it was definitely one of my favourite films in the festival. For anyone interested, here is some cool additional information on the film:
9. THE ROOM (CHRISTIAN VOLCKMAN, 2019)
A couple moving into their new house discovers there is a room that grants them whatever they wish for. There is a catch, though (SPOILER ALERT FROM HERE ON): everything the house grants them is only available in the house. If it leaves, it disintegrates and turns into dust. It’s too bad the couple did not know of this before wishing for the child they could never have. This psychological drama becomes horrific when the child they wished for starts understanding what is going on in this house and tries to use this gift for himself.
This was an interesting ride and although I wasn’t blown away, I was definitely entertained.
10. PARADISE HILLS (ALICE WADDINGTON, 2019)
I really did not enjoy this film, so I don’t want to get into it too much. Let’s start with the positive: the production design is amazing. The world Waddington created, the costumes, the scenery… everything is BEAUTIFUL. Other than that… the story felt really messy and the characters were one dimensional. These women were all over the place and I was surprised at how easily they made friends, skipping through grassy hills while holding hands. I was even more surprised at how quickly one of the female characters falls in love and gets her heart broken. I guess it wasn’t for me. You can watch and judge for yourself, I guess. That’s what I always recommend.
11. BREVE HISTORIA DEL PLANETA VERDE (SANTIAGO LOZA, 2019)
Oooh! I liked this weird little Argentinean gem. It tells the story of Tania, a trans woman who finds out her dead grandmother had been sharing her life with an alien. The alien, though, is now weak and needs to get back home. Tania and her friends, Daniela and Pedro, embark on a journey to take the creature to where it was originally found so that it can go back home. The film is sweet, quirky and beautiful. It’s the story of people who feel like outsiders finding their way home, be it in the people they share their time with or where they actually live. Please watch this short (only 75 minute-long!) little film.
12. VIVARIUM (LORCAN FINNEGAN, 2019)
“Vivarium” felt like a mix between an episode from “The Twilight Zone” (Rod Serling,1959-1964) and “Inside No. 9” (Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton, 2014-?). The movie starts with images of a baby cuckoo bird invading another birds nest, pushing the other chicks out and being fed by their mother. When a kid finds the dead baby chicks in her school yard she tells her teacher. Now I don’t remember the exact wording, but her teacher, Gemma (Imogen Poots), tells her nature is sometimes like this. The little girl says something to the effect of: “well nature sucks”. This is a great metaphor for the rest of the film. Gemma and her boyfriend, Tom (Jesse Eisenberg), are left stranded by their creepy real estate agent in a house (number 9, wink wink) in Yonder. This turquoise, plastic looking suburb turns out to be inescapable. To matters worse, they are left with a baby and they are told they need to raise it if they want to be free.
This Kafkaesque story is well written and directed. Despite Tom’s storyline feeling overstretched, this it is greatly enjoyable and a welcome installment to a great series of suburban horrors.
13. IN THE TALL GRASS (VINCENZO NATALI, 2019)
The film has a strong premise (and appropriate title): a group of people enter a large field of tall grass. Little do they know they will never get out because the grass moves things, it seems. Not only in space, but also in time. Pretty cool right? Well, yeah. But then the story doesn’t quite use this coolness. It tries to delve into the mythology of the place and it’s there where I think it looses itself. Instead of trying to have fun with the rules of this place and tell a cool time/space travel story, we get images of the origin of this place and the powerful black rock that rules it all. Kind of like the big black monolith from “2001: Space Odyssey” (Stanley Kubrick, 1968). The storyline becomes repetitive, the characters are kind of annoying and the ending is way too happy for this type of film.
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]]>WHAT I’M LISTENING TO:
Taylor Swift’s new album, “Lover”. You can tell Taylor is in a strong and happy place. When Taylor Swift stands up for LGTB rights, puts her beefs to rest and and asks for people to stop pitting women against each other all in one song… you know you’re in for a great Taylor Swift era. You know what you’ve also got? GROWTH. I stan a confident, loving QUEEN.
Taylor has stated that ““Lover” is “a celebration of love in all its complexities”. This album is a fun and beautiful transition from the “reputation” era, and it just makes me so happy. Let’s face it. Taylor always makes me happy. This album just makes me extra happy. It’s hard for me to chose my favourite songs, I’ve made an effort, ok? Here ya go: “I Forgot that you Existed”, “Cruel Summer”, “Lover”, “The Archer”, “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince”, “You Need to Calm Down”, “Cornelia Street” and “Daylight”.
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This image belongs to Polydor / Interscope.
Also: Lana del Rey’s “Norman Fucking Rockwell!” OH-MY-GOD. Dim your lights, light up some candles and pour yourself a glass of wine. You are now ready to listen to this album. Listening to Lana del Rey is always a sultry experience. It requires careful attention and an open heart. Her music will surely hit you in your feelings.
After the first couple of in depth listens, I’ve been listening to this album while writing and it’s really inspiring me creatively. I am currently obsessed with this album. What are my favourite songs, you might ask? If I have to choose, it would be: “Norman Fucking Rockwell”, “Mariners Apartment Complex”, “Venice Beach”, “Fuck it I love You”, “Cinnamon Girl”, “The Next Best American Record” and “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but I have it”.
Finally, HAIM. I knew about HAIM, I probably had listened to a couple of their songs, but just recently, I heard “Summer Girl” and fell in love. I knew then I had to listen to them more. I’m currently starting to listen to their albums.
WHAT I’M READING:
Honestly, my anxiety has been acting up this month. I guess getting back to work has been hard. Anyway, I read “The Goldfinch” by Donna Tartt over the summer break, which I really liked. Truthfully, I did not expect it to enjoy it this much. I just loved each one of the characters in this book. They’re all so beautifully written and well rounded. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this immersed in a fiction book. Fun fact: I read a big chunk of it over a five hour plane ride from Las Vegas to Newark while listening to “Lover” (the song) on a loop and now, every time I hear “Lover”, I can’t help but think about “The Goldfinch”.
Anyway, in order to calm my anxiety I felt like I needed something different so I started reading “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff… and it’s all Small Stuff” by Richard Carlson. And it really did help.
A few months ago I read Mohsin Hamid’s “How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia” and really enjoyed it, so I decided few days ago to start reading “The Reluctant Fundamentalist”, also by Hamid. So far, so good. I love Hamid’s style of writing. Both books are so different but similar in the same way. He uses the second person in “How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia”, as if it were an actual self-help book. In “The Reluctant Fundamentalist”, the protagonist is having a conversation with an American tourist and it’s practically one sided. Both are interesting from a formal point of view but more importantly, I love the themes he deals with. I highly recommend you pick up any of his books.
WHAT I’M WATCHING:
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This image belongs to HBO
So I had the brilliant idea of watching “Chernobyl” (Craig Mazin, 2019). Don’t get me wrong, it’s amazing. However, it is not the best show to be watching while your anxiety is running high. I was this close to buying sacks of sand and boron to cover every nook and cranny of my home. If the show had run any longer, I probably would have.
After finishing “Chernobyl”, my boyfriend and I decided to start watching “The Sopranos” (David Chase 1999 – 2007) again and I am alternating it with a little a bit of “Mr. Bean” (Rowan Atkinson & Richard Curtis 1990-1995). Finally, after having the amazing opportunity thanks to Serializados Fest to see Steve Pemberton talk about “Inside No. 9” (Steve Pemberton & Reece Shearsmith (2014 – ?), I decided to rewatch this masterpiece of a show too. More on that in a separate post.
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This image belongs to BBC.
WHAT I’M WORKING ON
My meditation habit (thank you, Headspace), and self care. I really needed it this month.
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Ari Aster is definitely a director to watch. His debut “Hereditary” affected me in a way no other horror film had. It scared me, shook me, raised my anxiety levels through the roof and has stayed with me ever since. So much can be read into “Hereditary”. This family drama can be interpreted as a metaphor for mental illness, it can simply be a terrifying tale on satanic rituals, or even a reflection on male entitlement. “Hereditary” is one of the few films in the most recent years that I felt the need to watch again in theatres. I commented it with all my friends who had watched it and recommended it to anyone who still hadn’t had the chance to see it.
When I heard Ari Aster was working on his second feature film, “Midsommar”, you bet I was excited. A horror film in broad daylight, with white dresses and flowers as the main visual references directed by Ari Aster? I’M IN. I was so in that I decided “Midsommar” needed to be seen in the best theatre in town, so of course, I decided to see it in Phenomena.
The film started and just with the prologue I was hooked. Man, what a prologue. Like “Hereditary”, “Midsommar” started as a pure drama. We are introduced to our main character, Dani, who just in the first five to ten minutes of the film finds out that her mother and father have been killed by her bipolar sister, who then committed suicide. The sequence is brilliantly shot with a PHENOMENAL Florence Pugh calling her parents as she feels there is something wrong with her sister. After they don’t reply her call, she calls her boyfriend, Christian (Jack Raynor) who quickly dismisses her. Christian is with his friends, Josh and Mark (played by William Jackson Harper and Will Poulter respectively) who keep badgering him to leave her as she is too emotional and needy. Christian can’t bring himself to do it, though. Dani decides to check on her parents and her sister, only to find them dead. It’s an excruciatingly painful scene that will haunt my dreams forever. After this scene ended, I knew I was in for a ride.
Like “Hereditary”, “Midsommar” left me shaken. Really. If there is something Ari Aster has done with his two films is mess with my mind. Please don’t make that noise Charlie makes with her mouth at me. I will jump. It honestly took me a few moments to be able to sleep after watching both films. The thing is though, after thinking about it for a week now, I doubt “Midsommar” will stay with me the same way “Hereditary” did. Not to say I did not enjoy “Midsommar”, it is an incredible journey with some of the most beautiful photography I have seen in a horror film in a while. Still, I was a bit upset about how the drama of the film was handled in this case.
Allow me to repeat myself. After that FANTASTIC opening “Midsommar” had, we are presented with a very clear character who has suffered an incredibly traumatic event in her life. Dani was an incredibly anxious person before she found her family dead and her anxiety has now understandably gotten worse. I am not a psychologist, but we can maybe say Dani is depressed throughout the film after this event. When she decides to accompany Christian and his friends on their trip to Sweden (much to Mark and Josh’s dismay) you already know this is not a good idea. Their Swedish friend Pelle has invited them to this pagan festivity in his hometown and, if you’ve seen the trailer, you know this ain’t going to end well.
So what is my issue with this film? Dani’s trauma came from losing her parents, from losing her sister. She is obviously not over this. So what I expected was for this film to be a journey in which Dani deals with her emotions, comes to terms with what happened, a film where Dani regains her strength. In regaining this strength she would realise Christian is terrible for her and find the courage to, as Eleven says in “Stranger Things”: “Dump his ass”. This would be a personal journey of self-growth thanks to this new culture she is introduced to and maybe through some enlightenment, be it through drugs or something else.
Mind you, the film does clearly give Dani closure regarding her family. She starts by losing a family and by the end, she has found a new one. However, the way the film develops, the journey Dani goes through, is not what I expected to get there. It does not feel like a film of self-discovery, of self-empowerment. That incredible trauma the film opens with is quickly set aside. Instead, Dani seems more preoccupied in her terrible relationship with Christian. I am not saying Christian should be unimportant to her. I am saying that those haunting images from the night she saw her dead family, which are present at the beginning of the film, feel like they are downplayed in the second half of the film. And honestly, I personally find relationship drama much less relevant. The second half of the film has Dani questioning Christian’s fidelity, which, to be honest, feels a lot less engaging. The film quickly turns into a story about a bad break-up. She is jealous of the girl trying to steal her boyfriend away. He ends up cheating. She finds out. Feels enraged, and is happy to have him killed in the final festivity. Happy that her boyfriend is dead, she feels connected to these crazy pagans and decides to stay. She has found her new family.
So yeah, there were two ways for Dani to find a new family and she did so with revenge. Is Christian’s death satisfying? Kinda. At the same time, it feels a bit too much, as he suffers one of the cruelest deaths in the film. The irony of Christian suffering the worse death in a pagan ritual is not lost on me.
“Midsommar” felt at times a bit too long. And it it is. Two hours and twenty-seven minutes is long for a horror film. “Hereditary” was also quite long at two hours and seven minutes, however, I didn’t feel this issue with it. Maybe, like I said, because I was more engaged in the drama that I was with Ari’s new film. Where “Hereditary” was clearly a family drama, “Midsommar” is a more conventional horror film and that’s where its length does not help. We all know someone is going to die a horrible death in this really long and terrifying ritual, please get on with it. However, I endure it, because Ari Aster films so beautifully and despite my whining, it is really satisfying when those scenes do conclude. What can I say, Aster knows what he is doing.
There are many parallels between “Hereditary” and “Midsommar”. Both films start with a loss. The protagonists of both films are characters who suffer immensely throughout the film and they both question their sanity in various points throughout the stories. Finally, the most obvious parallel is in the endings. In both films, the protagonists are “crowned” in a creepy ceremony in which they are welcomed into their new family. It is almost as if both characters are reborn, given a second chance with their new (and really creepy) families.
Of course “Midsommar” is being compared to “The Wicker Man” (Robin Hardy, 1973). However, while watching it, I also couldn’t help but think about Ti West’s “The Sacrament” (2013), a film loosely based on the Jonestown mass suicide in Guyana in 1978. It also made me think about Luca Guadagnino’s “Suspiria” (2018), especially towards the end. Mix those three together, shake well and add a bit of LSD. Enjoy your “Midsommar” cocktail. Have a sip. Feel that tingly feeling on your lips? That is Ari Aster’s magic working. It will quickly go down your spine and haunt your dreams. Hold on tight. You’re in for a terrifying ride.
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