Seventh Row podcast
The Seventh Row podcast is a weekly podcast in which we compare and contrast films to discover new insights and context for (mostly foreign and independent) films both new and old. Our panel always features at least 50% women, and is a combination of critics, film lovers, and academics.
Episodes from the last six months are free; older episodes and bonus weekly episodes are available to members only.
Seventh Row editors build on each other’s ideas for greater insights, a team effort that we invite you to join. An episode accompanies every ebook, and we cover other films, too!
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Latest episodes
Ep. 43: Canadian marriage stories: Take This Waltz and Paper Year
Take This Waltz and Paper Year are two standout Canadian films exploring the end of a marriage with empathy and emotional complexity. We discuss the film’s complex characters, considerate direction, and Canadianess
Ep. 42: The romances of Normal People and On Chesil Beach
This episode compares recent hit Normal People and site favourite On Chesil Beach, which both feature couples failing to communicate.
Ep. 41: Political satires: In the Loop and My Internship in Canada
This episode compares two political satires about nations on the bring of war, Armando Iannucci’s modern classic In the Loop and Canadian unseen gem Philippe Falardeau’s My Internship in Canada.
Podcast Ep. 40: Dead Mothers: Stories We Tell, Louder Than Bombs, & Mouthpiece
This episode is on Stories We Tell, Louder Than Bombs, and Mouthpiece, formally expressive explorations of grief, memory, and subjectivity.
Ep. 39: Jeff Barnaby’s Rhymes for Young Ghouls and Blood Quantum
This episode discusses Jeff Barnaby’s new Indigenous zombie film, Blood Quantum in conversation with his modern classic, Rhymes for Young Ghouls (2013)
Ep. 38: Australian westerns and True History of the Kelly Gang
In this episode, special guest Debbie Zhou joins us to discuss what defines the Australian Western, featuring True History of the Kelly Gang, Sweet Country, and The Dressmaker.
Ep. 37: Subverting the western, featuring Meek’s Cutoff
Kelly Reichardt has directed two films set in the 19th century American West, Meek’s Cutoff (2010) and First Cow (2019). To explore how she differs from the traditional Western genre, we compare her films with Oregon-set Bend of the River (1952) and cow film Red River (1948).
Ep. 36: Abortion on screen and Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Inspired by Eliza Hittman’s new drama, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, we discuss various depictions of abortion on screen ranging from this year’s Saint Frances to Obvious Child and 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days. For this discussion, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney is joined by Executive Editor Orla Smith and guest Lindsay Pugh of Woman in Revolt.
Ep. 35: The Invisible Man and Unsane
Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man re-imagines the Universal Monsters character as a stalker. The theme reminded us of one of Seventh Row’s favourite films, Stephen Soderbergh’s Unsane (2018), so we had to discuss them in conversation with each other.
Ep. 34: On women in film criticism with Lindsay Pugh
In this episode, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney and Executive Editor Orla Smith have a wide ranging conversation about film criticism and more specifically women in film criticism with Lindsay Pugh of Woman in Revolt. They begin discussing our new ebook, Portraits of Resistance: The Cinema of Céline Sciamma and the conversation evolves to cover Seventh Row’s approach to putting together books and the lack of good film criticism on women directors.
Ep. 33: Comparing Emma adaptations
In this episode, we compare and contrast three adaptations of Emma: The 2020 Autumn de Wilde film, the 2009 BBC mini-series, and the 1996 Douglas McGrath films. We discuss the films’ differing approaches to characters, comedy, and class. Special guest Caitlin Merriman joins Executive Editor Orla Smith and episode host Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney.
Ep. 32: Sorry We Missed You and Peterloo
Ken Loach and Mike Leigh, two long time British directors, are frequently compared to each other, despite having significantly different approaches. In this episode, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney is joined by Executive Editor Orla Smith and Associate Editor Brett Pardy to discuss how Loach and Leigh approach politics, character, and much more.