It’s about time. We tackle Chantal Akerman’s Sight and Sound topping Jeanne Dielman, and begin our series on her singular career. Ben introduces Akerman’s career, spotlighting her fierce conviction and crystalline vision, Eli loops in a melodramatic reading, and Wilson zeroes in on an ending that explosively caps off a 3.5h opus. And if you’re struggling with how to approach this film, as entertainment or as art, just remember: it’s about time.Links:Behinds the scenes of Jeanne DielmanSlant magazine interview Article on Akerman Wilson’s Letterboxd reviewStephen Gillespie’s Letterboxd reviewAngelica Jade Bastien on LonglegsMake coffee at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com
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106. Pablo Larrain: Maria
After a rocky relationship between Deep Cut and Mr. Pablo Larrain, we come back to the final film in Larrain’s “important 20th century white women” trilogy (as Ben describes it). Will Larrain redeem himself with a portrait of the final days of Maria Callas’ life? Or will he and Stephen Knight sh*t the bed again? Wilson praises Angelina Jolie’s comeback performance, Ben praises how pretty the film is, and Eli praises the prop glasses, but is all that enough to get the film over the line? Listen to find out. Links:Thomas Flight: Do Musical Biopics Have a Fatal Flaw?Sing our praises at our free patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.comTimestamps:00:00 Intro03:33 General reactions10:05 Saving graces of the film14:10 Narrative22:33 The Mandrax of it all24:53 Supporting characters27:36 Flashbacks and musical biopics30:50 We pitch Maria Callas biopics33:01 Pablo Larrain power ranking38:18 Outro
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105. Hong Sang-soo: Night and Day (featuring Alexander Lee)
We are joined by Asian Film Archive programmer Alexander Lee for our second installment in our Hong Sang-soo series! Alex talks to the guys about pairing Hong Sang-soo deep cuts with Eric Rohmer classics, and specifically the pairing of Night and Day with Love in the Afternoon. Eli chats about the narrative motifs that are on display in this film, Wilson tries to unlock the secret of Hong’s use of zooms, and Ben contends with the slimy protagonist of this film. Singaporean listeners to Deep Cut you can catch Night and Day on July 13th at the Oldham Theatre. Buy tickets here!Links:Hong Sang-soo Notarized: Night and DayGet drunk on soju at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.comTimestamps:00:00:00 Intro00:01:17 Alex introduces Twin Tales00:06:45 Film Context00:10:21 General Reactions00:20:58 Hong’s big stylistic choices00:23:22 Narrative Motifs00:28:30 Yoo-Jung00:31:55 Sung-nam00:33:14 Odd patterns00:37:22 Night and Day vs. Love in the Afternoon00:40:41 Tech and sex of the 00s00:42:42 The male mess of Hong00:45:52 Dream sequences00:50:54 The look of the film00:56:18 Being married?00:59:16 Hong notarized01:00:40 Opening of the film and Hill of Freedom01:02:43 Music01:04:30 More on zooms01:05:35 Paris01:07:52 Other small odd things01:09:24 Preview of Twin Tales01:13:11 Outro
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103. Luca Guadagnino: Queer
I want to podcast with you. Without speaking. On this episode of Deep Cut Upkeep we step into 1950s Mexico City and dive into the lush world of Luca Guadagnino’s Queer. Wilson expands more on his love for the film and why it topped his 2024 film list. Eli talks about the narrative constraints of this (bio)pic about William S. Burroughs. Ben draws links between Queer and Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Together, we talk about performance, Guadagnino’s eye for style, debate that Ayahuasca sequence, and end the episode with a quick round of Luca Guadagnino power rankings. Links:Natalie’s letterboxd review of QueerNYFF panel of Queer Take a TRIP to our free patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.comTimestamps:00:00 Intro02:50 General reactions08:26 Spoiler warning09:31 Production context12:50 Narrative structure16:30 Craig's performance as Lee19:12 Blocking and eyelines21:03 First meeting between Lee and Allerton25:09 Act 227:35 Yagé29:28 The relationship36:40 Comparison with In The Mood for Love40:32 The trip47:15 The ending50:55 Comparison to other Guadagnino58:33 Outro
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102. Kelly Reichardt: Meek’s Cutoff
As voted for on our Patreon, we return to Kelly Reichardt with her 2010 Western, Meek’s Cutoff. Ben argues that no discussion of the American Western is complete without Reichardt’s film, Wilson highlights the film’s fraught production that miraculously led to its poetic ending, and Eli frames the film within the larger context of America’s problematic Manifest Destiny. We get serious, analytical and near-academic with Reichardt’s masterwork… all the way until you hear us try on our best impressions of Bruce Greenwood’s Stephen Meek as Wallace from Wallace and Gromit. (?????)Get lost at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.comLinks:Kelly Reichardt on WTF with Marc MaronSundance interviewLast of the BuffaloAmerican ProgressTimestamps:00:00:00 Intro00:04:42 Plot Summary00:05:54 General reactions00:09:22 Eli loves the ending00:13:24 The film as a Western00:15:53 Production context00:18:20 How she got that ending00:22:10 The Western is distinctly American00:24:20 American mythology00:28:21 As "feminist" Western00:30:59 Stephen Meek00:33:15 Not your typical Western00:37:39 Chaos and destruction00:39:41 Actors00:40:36 Mishandling of Reichardt's releases00:45:25 Cinematography00:50:47 Why 4:300:56:33 What's in store for Reichardt01:00:02 Outro
Deep Cut: A Film Podcast is a director-focused film podcast featuring deep-dive discussions about international, art-house, and independent cinema. Each episode we discuss either a director's most popular film or a "Deep Cut Pick": a personal favorite chosen by one of us. We've covered movies from filmmakers like Hirokazu Kore-eda, Agnes Varda, Éric Rohmer, Kelly Reichardt, Wong Kar-wai, S.S. Rajamouli, Bong Joon-ho, and more.
Looking for film recommendations off the beaten path? This is the pod to follow!
Links to our Discord and other socials here: https://deepcutpod.com
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