It is likely that anyone who studies cinema or reads about critically acclaimed films and directors will sooner or later be confronted with the term ‘auteur’ as a way of discussing film directors. For the uninitiated, auteur theory frames the director as the author of the film, the creative who has the most influence over shaping and expressing artistic vision on the whole. The debate around authorship in film has become a complicated and contentious one, much more so than in other forms of artistic creation such as music, literature or theatre. After all, even low budget independent productions can involve hundreds of people’s labour over the course of many weeks and months to complete. Rather than rehashing the tired debate of whether or not auteur theory is correct or even useful at all for discussing your Hitchcocks or Bergmans, this article will be looking at the work of director Céline Sciamma, a contemporary queer female filmmaker, in relation to ideas of women's authorship and the auteur.
Céline Sciamma is a French writer and director, known for her feature films Waterlilies (2007), Tomboy (2011), Girlhood (2014), Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) and Petite Maman (2021). She has also contributed her screenwriting skills to other films such as My Life as a Courgette (2016) and Paris, 13th District (2021). Her films often prominently feature queer characters and Sciamma herself is an openly lesbian director. I would argue that Sciamma represents a new kind of auteur in three regards: Firstly, by occupying a space as a female independent filmmaker, yet achieving wide-reaching appeal both in her home country and abroad. Secondly, by crafting an intellectually stimulating and thoughtful feminist vision in the context of popular, non avant-garde genres, such as the coming of age film and the period drama. And finally, by seamlessly displacing patriarchal tendencies that academics and audiences have identified in mainstream cinema with feminist alternatives, such as the construction of a female gaze in opposition to and as alternative to the male gaze theorised by Laura Mulvey. To illustrate this I will explore these themes across Sciamma’s five feature films as writer-director.
During the early years of feminist film theory in the 1970s, theorists and filmmakers such as Laura Mulvey began to present scathing critiques of the misogynistic and patriarchal nature of much of mainstream cinema at the time. Mulvey, herself a filmmaker, presented a challenge to this by directing avant garde and experimental films such as Riddles of the Sphinx (1977). While such films offer an uncompromising artistic vision, their wider impact is inherently limited by the inaccessibility of their genre. Sciamma went to film school and began directing in the 2000s, a period in which the number of French feature films directed by women more than doubled. Sciamma's first 3 feature films form a coming of age trilogy, all featuring teenage/child characters dealing with burgeoning sexuality or questions of gender identity. Her fourth feature, the masterful period drama Portrait of a Lady on Fire earned her the Queer Palm and Best Screenplay awards at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, as well as resounding critical and popular success globally. Her most recent film Petite Maman returns to the coming of age genre and emphasis on child characters but builds on this formula by adding a subtle sci-fi twist. Sciamma’s work shows a mastery of her craft - her ability to direct performances that are emotionally intelligent, quietly powerful and totally convincing is apparent across her entire body of work, whether that be with professional adult actors in Portrait or non-professional child actors in Petite Maman. Her attention to colour, costume design (which she handled herself for Petite Maman) and collaboration with cinematographers Crystel Fournier and Claire Mathon has produced a distinct and rich visual language in her work. Sciamma does not operate within the confines of mainstream cinema per say, she is firmly rooted in lower-budget independent filmmaking, yet she does in a different way create cinema that is both entertaining and able to connect to wide audiences while also containing radical ideas and subverting mainstream patriarchal cinema.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a ravishing period drama about a female painter that is tasked with painting a reclusive young woman’s wedding painting so that she may be married off to a man she has never met. It is Sciamma’s only work to date that focuses on adult characters, and she has described the film as a ‘manifesto on the female gaze’. The film includes elements such as representations of queer desire, sorority and meditation on the act of looking/the gaze, all of which have been present in her work since Waterlilies. In Portrait, Mariane and Heloise are intentionally the same height, age and class and their relationship as painter and subject is broken down and put into question as Heloise remarks that they are in fact in the same position, they are collaborators, their gaze is reciprocal rather than hierarchical. In Petite Maman, as in Portrait, we see this same notion of equality, collaboration and horizontality between Nelly and Marion, specifically in the choice to cast sisters as the two leads, and to make mother and daughter meet at the exact same age, on equal ground without hierarchy, and spend a few days playing together and bonding as 8 year olds. Her film Tomboy, which was not originally necessarily written about the experiences of trans people, has become a hugely important film in the context of the substantial increase in trans visibility, becoming one of few texts we can look at regarding a trans masculine experience of childhood.
In Tomboy, there is a scene in which young Mickäel, who has decided to introduce himself as a boy to his new friend group after moving home, is forced by his mother to wear a dress. Viewers who are gender non-conforming or trans will find this depiction of having gender norms forced onto a child by their parents especially upsetting. In Petite Maman, we see an evolution of Sciamma's sensibility in this regard - Sciamma takes the themes of democracy, horizontality and equality that were so central to Portrait one step further by completely forgoing any kind of conflict in her screenplay. Conflict is often discussed as an essential part of cinema, a force that is necessary to drive the characters and plot, yet, Sciamma treats her characters with remarkable kindness in this meditation on cross-generational grief and understanding. Unlike other independent or avant garde filmmakers, who may struggle to apply these complex or abstract theories in a digestible way for mass audiences, Sciamma synthesises these ideas with remarkable understatement and clarity in the context of popular genres.
In Sciamma we can identify a filmmaker whose work has helped substantially in building a global cinema that is accommodating to queer, gender non-conforming and trans people. As we have shown above, her example shows us that auteur cinema need not be a boys club, based on patriarchal conventions, that auteur cinema can be used to convey feminist and queer theories and stories in a way that is inviting and incredibly compelling. Her authorship represents a much welcome shift in global cinema, even if there is much work still to be done. Sciamma is one of my favourite filmmakers working today, and I hope that my writing here might convey even a fragment of what makes her work so special.
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Is Craig Mazin Afraid of Strong Women?: How Season 2 of The Last of Us Weakens its Female Characters
By Olivia Hickford
The Last of us Season 2 released this Spring, and with it came the introduction of Abby, one of the show’s most controversial characters. While most critics claim to dislike Abby because she kills the beloved Joel, it cannot be ignored that a lot of criticism directed towards this character surrounds her appearance - specifically that she is too big, and too strong. This season also introduces Ellie’s main love interest, Dina, and follows their developing relationship while they search for Abby to avenge Joel. Throughout this series, Ellie, Dina and Abby are all terribly mischaracterised by the writers, making previously strong and competent female characters weak and reliant on the men around them.
Abby
Abby’s size is necessary to her as a character. She fights off attackers twice her size, she defends herself against multiple enemies at once, breaking the bones of infected, all with her bare hands. It represents her anger towards Joel, who killed her father, and the dedication that has gone into ensuring she would be strong enough to kill him when the time came. She is the second game's main antagonist, making it important that she is capable of intimidating Ellie.
Abby’s relationship with Lev in the game (a character who will likely be introduced in Season 3), is also a direct reflection of Joel’s relationship with Ellie, both emotionally and visually, and this comparison is a vital aspect of the story, representing cycles of violence. The impact of this is lessened when that visual connection is removed.
The decision to cast Kaitlyn Dever as Abby is an interesting one. She is a great actress, and has done a great job embodying the character of Abby, but physically she does not fit the part, removing an easy visual cue to tell the audience about her character and her relationships. But, this is not a change that has been made in a vacuum. When the Last of Us 2 released, Abby’s character (and the actresses that modelled and voiced her) was met with vitriol from fans. Though her killing Joel was the inciting incident for this hate, so much of it was targeted towards her appearance, even though this has nothing to do with the actions of her character. Her body was called unrealistic (despite being modelled by a real woman, Colleen Fotsch), and unattractive - because obviously appealing to men is the most important thing for a woman living in the apocalypse.
This combined with the hate directed towards actor Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie, mostly concerning their appearance, then it doesn’t seem too much of a reach to think a TV studio may not want both of their leading ladies to not meet certain female beauty standards, and this is a cowardly choice to have made.
Ellie and Dina
The way Ellie and Dina have been written for the TV adaptation, also weakens them as characters. In the game, Ellie is a very competent fighter and survivalist. She survives several weeks alone as a child, caring for a gravely injured Joel. Her dedication to tracking down Abby and her hatred for her is palpable, and the driving force behind the entire plot of the game.
In the TV show, she continuously makes bad choices, getting her and Dina into danger. She is purposefully loud when they need to be quiet, she freezes up in situations she would have been in hundreds of times, and she doesn’t even consider bringing supplies for a journey that could possibly take her days, if not weeks. She has to be reminded by Dina, who is portrayed as more angry about Joel’s death than Ellie is - a complete 180 compared to the game. Ellie’s anger towards Abby does not feel present enough to justify the journey they make, or what Ellie loses in the process. For a show that has already received its fair share of criticism for its portrayal of Ellie, I cannot fathom why they would take this direction with her character.
Ellie and Dina’s romantic relationship also suffers in the adaptation. Dina appears to be unsure of her feelings for Ellie, implying she is considering getting back together with Jesse, her ex-boyfriend. It seems as though Dina is stringing Ellie along, and that for her Ellie is just an experiment. In the game, Dina’s commitment to Ellie, as both a friend and a romantic partner is unwavering and she takes their relationship seriously. These changes utilise negative stereotypes about bisexuals, especially bisexual women, suggesting Dina is confused, unable to “pick a side”, and that she is still prioritising her romantic relationship with Jesse, a man, over Ellie, a woman.
In an episode of The Last of Us Podcast, writer Craig Mazin describes Ellie and Dina as having a “mother and child” relationship, a very weird way to frame a romantic relationship. The fact that Mazin perceives their relationship this way, comes through in the way he has written them, having Dina need to ‘parent’ Ellie throughout their journey. This is the entire problem with the adaptation’s portrayal of them because they are not a mother and child, they are romantic partners, peers and best friends, who are working towards the same shared goal.
Jesse
Jesse is a close friend of Ellie and Dina, who follows them to Seattle in both the game and the TV adaptation. In the game, he follows them because he is concerned for them, and wants to help them get revenge. He reunites with Ellie when she has to help him escape from members of Abby’s group in the city. It is clear throughout that he respects both Ellie and Dina as equals to him, and he is understanding about their relationship despite being Dina’s ex-boyfriend. In the TV show, he is angry with them for leaving, he tells Ellie he voted against them leaving to find Abby, and worst of all, reunites with Ellie and Dina when he saves them from being killed.
It is a bad change to weaken your main female characters, portray them as making stupid decisions, and then have their male friend suddenly arrive to rescue them damsel-in-distress style. It is the clearest example of the ongoing issue through this second season, which is primarily written by Mazin, of refusing to present the show’s female characters as being self-sufficient, strong and intelligent, and it does a huge disservice to the source material, which grapples with such complex relationships between all three of its main female characters.
Conclusion
Given that Mazin will be the sole writer of the third season, I worry about how he will portray Lev, a transgender child escaping a cult, and his relationship with Abby (which definitely is a parent and child relationship). I doubt if Mazin as a writer is capable of writing about Lev’s identity and Abby’s role as a mother figure without reducing these characters to just those aspects. Abby’s relationship with Lev helps her understand Joel, and come to terms with what he, Ellie and herself have done, and it helps her find what she really wants from her life now that Joel is dead. Caring for Lev is just one part of Abby, who is a very complex character, and based on the second season, Mazin is not a writer capable of portraying that sort of complexity, especially not when it comes in the form of a strong woman.
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To Be Known Is To Be Loved: The Aro-Ace Experience Represented in Heartstopper
By Ellen Breame
Netflix’s hit show Heartstopper has made waves in the past few years as an important source of queer representation on screen. Adapted from Alice Oseman’s highly popular webcomic series, the show provides much-needed visibility to underrepresented and underdiscussed queer orientations. Although primarily concerned with the blossoming romance between characters Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor), the show also provides narrative focus to other LGBTQIA+ characters and their experiences, developing a range of multidimensional queer storylines rarely seen in mainstream media. A key example of this which I wish to highlight is the depiction of aromantic (aro) and asexual (ace) identities.
In a world where allonormativity, and its preoccupation with sex and romance, dominates mainstream culture and society, seeing depictions of those who diverge from this norm and its rigid expectations is vital.
Isaac Henderson (Tobie Donovan) from the Heartstopper show acts as a key point of contact with aromantic and asexual identities for a mainstream western audience. At the time of writing, Isaac is one of the only confirmed aro-ace characters in live action television. Acting as one of the few points of reference for aro and ace identities within a landscape of indirect and limiting representations means the way Isaac’s character and his experiences are portrayed are highly significant, especially if his depiction is someone’s first point of contact with these identities. The fact that Heartstopper’s author Alice Oseman is aro-ace herself adds an element of authenticity to his identity that is very rarely seen in mainstream media.
Alienation In An Allonormative World
Combatting the feelings of isolation and alienation that come along with being aro-ace in an allonormative society is a key part of Isaac’s journey in the show. Heartstopper depicts Isaac as an outlier due to his lack of, as well as disinterest in having a romantic partner – a stark contrast to his friendship group saturated by couples and flourishing romances.
The show does a brilliant job of repeatedly visualising the overwhelming feeling of loneliness that aro-ace individuals can feel due to their divergence from sexual and romantic norms. For example, at his friend Tara’s (Corinna Brown) birthday party in season 2, Isaac finds himself surrounded by couples making out. The show makes a point of emphasising his discomfort and we see him make a swift move to leave the party. His friend James (Bradley Riches) finds him in the hallway, and he begins talking about his crush on Isaac, and, to feel less alien, Isaac tries kissing him. Isaac instantly feels uncomfortable, apologises, and then leaves. He returns to the party and begins to cry, feeling overwhelmed and heart-broken by his inability to conform to the romantic expectations placed on him by others and the resulting loneliness he feels despite being surrounded by friends and peers.
Later, Isaac takes part in a game of truth or dare, in which he’s asked about his celebrity crushes. Evidently feeling embarrassed, he nervously states that he “[doesn’t] really have any celebrity crushes”, a statement immediately followed by responses claiming that “everybody has a celebrity crush”. Isaac’s vocal departure from allonormative expectations is immediately invalidated by his peers, reflecting the sheer level of compulsory romanticism and sexuality engrained within society. Isaac’s costuming during these scenes is incredibly significant, and further visualises his alienation being due to his aro-ace identity. By donning the colours of the aro-ace flag, the show has him literally wearing his identity, his difference, on his chest.
Heartstopper stresses the importance of having a supportive and understanding community to help mitigate these hurtful experiences by showing the development of support Isaac receives from his friendship group. It’s important to note that Isaac’s friends are not presented as perfect, and the show does not shy away from depicting the reality of allonormativity’s grip on society, even on those within the queer community. It does so by showing their trajectory from initially placing normative expectations of romantic and sexual couplings onto Isaac – such as expecting him to like James back romantically – to growing to recognise and accept his identity.
Their platonic love for him and their developing support and understanding of him are shown to be fundamental to Isaac feeling joy.
Community Joy & Platonic Love
Heartstopper shows that it’s not all doom and gloom for us aro-ace folks and that we can still experience love and joy in many different forms. Platonic love in particular is commonly overshadowed by narratives of romance within mainstream media that can even work to diminish platonic forms of love. Whilst Heartstopper does focus on romantic love, with its main storyline revolving around Nick and Charlie’s romance, the show also highlights the importance of platonic relationships and finding your community.
Later in season 2, Isaac and his friends attend a queer art exhibition at Lambert School of Art, during which a pivotal scene occurs wherein Isaac starts to come to terms with his identity. Whilst admiring the surrounding artwork, Isaac comes across a piece based on amatonormativity – a widespread assumption that an exclusive, romantic relationship is a normal and universally shared goal. The artist explains that the piece is based on their experience of being aromantic and asexual, in particular “being in a world where romance and sex are prized above everything else when you don’t feel those forms of attraction”. Whilst they explain how the artwork is about “growing up feeling that something about you is different, but you don't have the words to describe what that is”, the camera’s focus largely stays on Isaac, centring him within the frame, showing him listening attentively and admiring the art, coming to grips with the new terminology and just how familiar the experiences being described to him are. The artist explains the feeling of “freedom”, “the euphoria of freeing yourself from those pressures and expectations”, to which Isaac smiles to himself at the joy of being understood, the new hope he has for self-recognition and self-acceptance. As he does so, the lighting behind him changes from purple to green, signifying a recognition of both his asexual and aromantic identities due to the colours’ associations with each representative flag. Here Isaac experiences what Alice Oseman describes as a “Heartstopper Moment”, as leaf animations appear and swirl around him, highlighting and visualising his swirl of emotions, of joy, relief, and a feeling of new-found community during this moment of self-discovery.
Platonic love is constantly highlighted across the show, and a significant moment occurs during prom at the end of season 2. Isaac is shown to be uncomfortable and embarrassed at the thought of being the only one in the group without a date to prom, and when his friends are taking photos, Isaac nervously states that he doesn’t want his photo taken because “it’s so embarrassing just standing there on my own”. Charlie responds by demanding an “art room” group photo of him, Isaac, Tao (William Gao), and Elle (Yasmin Finney), the original friendship group, to make sure he doesn’t feel left out. This gesture of platonic love and community instantly elates Isaac, as he feels connected to and appreciated by his friends. The act of spending quality time together, free of couples, demonstrates his friendship and love is appreciated and reciprocated. The quartet take the time to shoot multiple photos, to enjoy the moment, taking sweet and silly pictures to keep as reminders of their platonic bond.
In season 3, Isaac gains the confidence to explicitly come out as aro-ace to his friends, sharing his struggles with coming to terms with his identity – how he doesn’t really know “how to feel ok with it” yet and how alone he feels. His friends are shown to be nothing but understanding and supportive, letting him know that he’s surrounded by friends that love him, many of whom have gone through similar processes of accepting themselves as different from normative expectations. In this moment Isaac finally feels seen by his friends.
Heartstopper does an excellent job of highlighting and providing insight into the intricacies of the aro-ace experience. The fact that Isaac’s character is written by an aro-ace author allows the show to present a vitally important and underrepresented perspective, one that is created by and for aro-ace individuals – which sheds light on the joys of finding your community, prioritising platonic love and self-acceptance. There’s a popular saying: ‘to be known is to be loved’, and I don’t think there is a more perfect phrase to encapsulate the significance of finding your community, the joy that accompanies being genuinely known and accepted for who you are.
There’s a popular saying: ‘to be known is to be loved’, and I don’t think there is a more perfect phrase to encapsulate the significance of finding your community, the joy that accompanies being genuinely known and accepted for who you are.
Heartstopper does an excellent job of highlighting and providing insight into these intricacies of the aro-ace experience. The fact that Isaac’s character is written by an aro-ace author allows the show to present an aro-ace perspective created by and for aro-ace individuals – one which sheds light on the joy aro-ace individuals can feel when finding their community, prioritising platonic love and self-acceptance.
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The weather is finally starting to feel a little bit more chilly as we head into the spooky season. Here are some releases we're looking forward to this October, including books, films, TV and albums, many of which are paranormal, horror or fantasy themed! 👻🎃
FILM
The Smashing Machine dir. Benny Safdie (October 3rd)
Featuring Dwayne Johnson as real life MMA fighter Mark Kerr, and Emily Blunt as his wife, Dawn Staples, The Smashing Machines grapples with Kerr's personal struggles surrounding addiction, as he reaches the peak of his career.
Him dir. Justin Tipping (October 3rd)
Quarterback Cameron Cade, played by Tyriq Withers, takes an opportunity to work with his hero, Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), to recover from a serious injury. During his time as Isaiah's training compound, Cameron discovers a dark and disorienting underbelly, involving more and more extreme ways to become the next greatest player.
Bugonia dir. Yorgos Lanthimos (October 31st)
Emma Stone plays CEO Michelle Fuller, who is kidnapped by conspiracy theorists (Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis) convinced she is an alien set on destroying the planet.
The Mastermind dir. Kelly Reichardt (October 24th)
Set in the 1970s, The Mastermind follows James Mooney (Josh O'Connor) who lives a double life as an art thief. Mooney and his friends hatch a plan to steal four paintings from a museum in broad daylight.
After the Hunt dir. Luca Gudagnino (October 17th)
Julia Roberts plays college professor Alma, whose personal and professional lives cross paths after a student accuses a colleague of sexual abuse.
Plainclothes dir. Carmen Emmi (October 10th)
Starring Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey, an undercover officer in 1990s USA begins a relationship with a target, after being tasked with apprehending gay men.
TV
Nobody Wants This S2 (Netflix, October 23rd)
The first season of Nobody Wants This (starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody) ended with Noah being offered a position as head rabbi, and Joanne being unwilling to convert - a decision that now jeopardises their relationship. This new season will follow their relationship as well as Joanne's sister (Justine Lupe), and Noah's brother (Timothy Simons), and guest starts Seth Rogen and Leighton Meester.
The Last Frontier (Apple TV+, October 10th)
The Last Frontier follows US Marshal Frank Remnick (Jason Clarke) investigating a plane full of convicts that crashes in the Alaskan wilderness, and discovering that is may have been brought down deliberately.
Down Cemetery Road (Apple TV+, October 29th)
Based on a book by Mick Herron (writer of the Slow Horses novels), Down Cemetery Road follows detective Zoë and art restorer Sarah who set out to find a missing and injured little girl. Soon they become embroiled in an increasingly violent investigation involving MI5.
BOOKS
Mate - Ali Hazelwood (October 7th)
In the second instalment of Hazelwood's surprisingly political paranormal/fantasy romance series, Serena (a human-werewolf hybrid) has become a political target of several waring factions. Her last option for protection is well-respected Alpha Were, Koen, agreeing to have her as his mate.
The Princess Knight - Cait Jacobs (October 14th)
A medieval retelling of Legally Blonde, The Princess Knight follows Clia as she follows an ex-boyfriend to a military academy intending to prove herself worthy of a proposal. Ronan, a warrior and best friend of Clia's ex, takes on the role of her trainer, and begins to see her as more than just a blonde privileged princess.
The Everlasting - Alix E. Harrow (October 28th)
The Everlasting is an ambitious "genre-defying" time-travel novel, following a female knight and a historian who work together through time and space to rewrite their relationship and discover the secrets of an epic legend.
Girl Dinner - Olive Blake (October 21st)
Student Nina and professor Sloane, both find themselves involved with an incredibly exclusive sorority on campus, The House. Nina grapples with her fears of failure and vulnerability, and Sloane confronts her struggles after becoming a mother, both of them getting drawn further and further into the rituals of The House.
Hazelthorn - C.G. Drews (October 28th)
An unsettling gothic horror novel, following Evander, his guardian Byron and Byron's grandson Laurie. After Byron's death, Evander inherits the Hazelthorn estate, and has to confront his beliefs about Laurie to enlist his help finding Byron's killer before he can come for Evander next.
The Devil She Knows - Alexandria Bellefleur (October 21st)
Samantha Cooper makes a deal with Daphne, a demon in the form of a beautiful woman, for six wishes in exchange for her soul in order to win back her ex-girlfriend. As Samantha draws closer to achieving her goal, she begins to wonder if Daphne may be what she wants after all.
MUSIC
Life of a Showgirl - Taylor Swift (October 3rd)
Swift's 12th studio album, discussing her life during her recent worldwide stadium tour and "what she was going through off stage".
after the sun goes down - Khalid (October 10th)
Khalid's 3rd full length album, with no features. He says it's his "best album yet".
Soft - LANY (October 10th)
The group's 6th studio album, emphasising the importance of staying soft in a world that wants to harden you.
From The Pyre - The Last Dinner Party (October 17th)
This will be the band's 2nd album, hopefully expanding on their previous work and really honing in on their own sound.
Everybody Scream - Florence + The Machine (October 31st)
Florence says this is her most personal album to date, and discussed how she underwent life-saving surgery after an ectopic pregnancy during her last tour. She has hinted at working with Mark Bowen, the guitarist of Idles, and that the album covers themes like witchcraft and magic, as well as healing.
Writer: James Tynion IV Illustrated by: Álvaro Martínez Bueno
★★★★★
James Tynion IV and Álvaro Martínez Bueno have returned to their apocalyptic world of alien monsters and holiday homes with their new comic series The Nice House by the Sea. Continuing two years after the events of The Nice House on the Lake, they seem eager to push the boundaries of the fantasy world which they have already established and introduce new mechanics, such as age and body modification. All of this seems to be leading to an interesting philosophical question on individuality and what it truly means to be exceptional. The horror has also been amped to the max with eerie flashbacks and gruesome body horror. All brought together by Bueno’s compelling art and Jordie Bellaire’s enigmatic colours, which bring this comic to life, drawing us into the most beautiful apocalypse you could ever imagine. As the leading title of Vertigo’s return, The Nice House by the Sea has an exciting future ahead!
Netflix’s Bridgerton meets BBC’s Merlin, this historical comedy-drama introduces a fantasy twist to the real tale of Lady Jane Grey’s short reign as the "Nine Day Queen" of England. Instead of the Tudor period’s strong Catholic vs Protestant divide, in this society some are born with the magical ability to turn into an animal, and those who are not banish and condemn the Other. This preoccupation with class status and the segregation of ‘normal’ from magical acts as the backdrop to the epic rivals-to-lovers, lust at first sight, slow burn, marriage of convenience romance between Jane (Emily Bader) and her husband Lord Guilford Dudley (Edward Bluemel). Their marriage to one another is a strained one. For Jane it is a loathing of an archaic patriarchal practice of treating women as currency for trade and a longing for independence. For Lord Guildford, he is simply a boyish rake who relishes in his unmarried freedom, or so Jane first thought. Guilford only agrees to the set up as Jane’s healing knowledge may be his only hope to curing his malady, that being he uncontrollably turns into a freaking horse everyday like clockwork. Caught up in a royal conspiracy driven by Princess Mary’s (Kate O’Flynn) mad lust for power, Jane is named King Edward’s successor after his mysterious death and must battle the forces that seek to rid her of her newly awarded title. Serving up nearly every great romance trope imaginable on an immaculate silver platter, this show is a playful, escapist romcom with oodles of yearning and longing masked as irritation and loathing, an absolutely iconic narrator, as well as hysterical and captivating performances from a stellar cast. The executives at Prime are absolute cowards for not renewing this extraordinary show for a second season!
Challengers (dir. Luca Guadagnino) is an outstanding film, with nuanced relationships between its characters, beautiful cinematography throughout, and an absolutely outstanding soundtrack. Zendaya (Tashi Duncan), Mike Faist (Art Donaldson), and Josh O’Connor (Patrick Zweig) all deliver excellent performances, and successfully sell their complicated three-way relationship dynamic, as well as their individual relationships to tennis. Much of the discussion surrounding Challengers has been about its characters, but it is also an undeniably good sports movie that explores motivation, talent, and skill, and what an athlete needs to reach the top. The scenes of the tennis matches between Art and Patrick are incredibly gripping, and writer Justin Kuritzkes must be commended for crafting a story where their sport and their relationships are both wonderful representations of one another.
Discussing our most anticipated releases for March this year, in film, TV, literature and music.
Mickey 17 dir. Bong Joon-Ho - Upcoming sci-fi comedy from much loved director Bong Joon-Ho, following Mickey (Robert Pattinson) and one of his many expendable clones on a colonised planet.
Novocaine dir. Robert Olsen & Dan Berk - Jack Quaid stars as Nathan Caine, a bank teller who is unable to feel pain, on a mission to save his kidnapped girlfriend.
Opus dir. Mark Anthony Green - This A24 thriller, starring Ayo Edebiri and John Malkovich, follows a writer to the secluded home of a previously disappeared popstar, and uncovers a hidden plan.
Marching Powder dir. Nick Love - A sequel to 2004's The Football Factory, Danny Dyer stars as football-loving drug addict on a path to change his life.
Flow dir. Gints Zilbalodis - A delightful animated movie following a cat in a flooded world, making many unlikely friends.
Y2K dir. Kyle Mooney - A comedy horror set at the turn of the millennium, where the Y2K bug is real and begins a technological uprising against humanity.
The Studio - The series follows Matt Remick (Seth Rogen) as he attempts to save film company Continental Studios from going under, in an ever-changing industry.
Daredevil: Born Again - A revival of Netflix's Daredevil (2015-2018) set several years later, Charlie Cox reprises his role as Matt Murdock, who has since given up his life as a vigilante and is working as a lawyer, until Wilson Fisk runs for mayor of New York City.
The Residence - Based on a book by Kate Anderson Brower, and produced by Shondaland (known for Bridgerton), The Residence surrounds a murder mystery involving the staff of the White House.
Adolescence - A man's 13 year old son is accused of murdering a classmate. Four episodes, all filmed in one take each, following the drama in real time.
The Leopard - Based on the novel of the same name by Guiseppe Tomasi de Lampedusa, The Leopard follows the Prince of Salina in 19th century Sicily during a time of great social change.
Dope Thief - Two friends accidentally get involved with a large-scale narcotics trade route after posing as DEA agents to carry out a small-scale robbery.
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins - The fifth instalment to the Hunger Games series, a prequel following Haymitch Abernathy as he is reaped during a quarter quell.
The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica - From the author of Tender is the Flesh, comes a much anticipated novel following a woman who is part of a convent in a world ravaged by climate change.
Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa - Shaka, born with a congenital muscle disorder, spends her time posting troll tweets and publishing explicit fantasies online. Her relationship with her new nurse is changed permanently when he reveals he has seen what she's been posting.
Absolute Flash by Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles - First instalment of the new comic series, Absolute Flash follows Wally West as he learns to understand his own powers.
Blood on her Tongue by Johanna Van Veet - Set in 1887, Sarah is sick with a mystery illness, refusing to eat, and obsessed with a recently discovered corpse. Her twin sister Lucy must work to uncover what has possessed her sister before it's too late.
Counterattack at Thirty by Won-Pyong Sohn - Bored with her insignificant office job, Jihye teams up with Gyuok and friends to carry out small acts of revenge that gradually spiral out of control.
Lucy Dacus - Forever is a Feeling - Alternative/Indie
