This episode presents our June masterclass with Agnieszka Holland. She discusses her body of work, what drives her, and her newest film, Charlatan.
Ep. 104: Agnieszka Holland on directing
Orla Smith podcast
Ep. 103: Pascal Plante’s films: Fake Tattoos and Nadia Butterfly
On this episode of the podcast, we discuss the two features of Quebecois filmmaker Pascal Plante, Fake Tattoos and Nadia, Butterfly. Plante is an expert at depicting turning points in his characters’ lives and how they deal with major upheaval.
This episode is a Seventh Row members exclusive, as are all episodes older than six months. Click here to become a member.
This episode features Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney, Executive Editor Orla Smith, Associate Editor Brett Pardy, and Contributing Editor Lindsay Pugh.
On this episode of the podcast on Fake Tatoos and Nadia, Butterfly
- Subjective realities: The art of creative nonfiction film discussion (1:38)
- Similar episodes (9:05)
- Why did we pair these two films (9:49)
- Fake Tattoos (12:10)
- Avoiding the manic pixie dream girl trope (24:07)
- Nadia, Butterfly (37:51)
- A very Canadian musical interlude (58:28)
- How the two films depict sex and sexuality (1:02:43)
- What are the film’s character arcs? (1:07:48)
- Why are relationship stories good for telling stories about transitions (1:14:57)
- Conclusion (1:21:28)
Fake Tattoos (Faux Tatouages, 2017)
Set in Montreal, Theo (Anthony Therrien) and the one-year-older Meg (Rose-Marie Perreault) meet on his eighteenth birthday in line at a diner after they both attended the same concert. They talk, have sex, and then negotiate a romantic relationship with an expiration date. Theo is moving away in two weeks, so they decide to make the most of it, and slowly but surely, we learn why it’s so urgent for Theo to leave town.
Fake Tattoos is on VOD in Canada and France
Nadia, Butterfly (2020)
Set during the now fictional 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the film follows elite swimmer Nadia (2016 Olympic bronze medalist swimmer Katerine Savard) during her final competition as a professional athlete, and the aftermath of that loss. The film takes place over just a few days in Tokyo, begins with her final races, and then becomes about what it means for her to be ending this part of her life to go on to become a doctor, and in turn, leaving her best friend and fellow swimmer Marie-Pierre (Ariane Mainville) behind.
Nadia, Butterfly is on VOD in Canada
Episode notes
- Pre-order our newest ebook, Subjective realities: The art of creative nonfiction film
- Read Alex’s interview with Pascal Plante on Nadia, Butterfly
- Read Orla’s interview with Nadia Butterfly cinematographer Stéphanie Anne Weber Biron
- Visit Lindsay’s website, Woman in Revolt
Related episodes
- Ep. 101: Magnus von Horn’s Films: The Here After and Sweat
- Ep. 66: Francis Lee’s God’s Own Country and Ammonite (Members Only)
Ep. 102: Cannes 2021
Alex and Orla discuss the Cannes 2021 films they watched from home: a couple of competition titles, and even more interesting sidebar films that flew under the radar.
This episode is a Seventh Row members exclusive, as are all episodes older than six months. Click here to become a member.
This episode features Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney and Executive Editor Orla Smith.
On this episode
- Announcements (1:11)
- Cannes and COVID (4:54)
- Cannes Winners (9:32)
- The Divide (Catherine Corsini) (19:10)
- Bergman Island (Mia Hansen-Løve) (22:19)
- The films we have not many thoughts on (36:32)
- How Cannes treats documentaries (41:20)
- Murina (Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović) (47:05)
- Olga (Elie Grappe) (50:23)
- A Radiant Girl (Sandrine Kiberlain) (54:53)
- The Innocents (Eskil Vogt) (1:02:58)
- Conclusion (1:11:54)
Episode Notes
- Read Alex’s review of Une jeune fille qui va bien (A Radiant Girl)
- Read Alex’s 2018 interview with Cannes “breakout” Anders Danielsen Lie
- Read Alex’s 2017 interview with Eskil Vogt, on Thelma
- Read Mary Angela Rowe’s review of Julia Ducournau’s Raw
- Read Elena Lazic’s 2019 interview with Mia Hansen-Løve on Maya
- Read our January article about the thirty films we’re most looking forward to in 2021
Related episodes
- Ep. 84: Berlinale 2021, Part 2: The Competition
- Ep. 83: Berlinale 2021, Part 1: The Sidebars
- Ep. 82: Genocide on Film: Quo Vadis, Aida and Our Lady of the Nile
- Ep. 79: Sundance 2021, Part 2
- Ep. 78: Sundance 2021, Part 1
- Ep. 75: Portrayals of disability in Sound of Metal and Blind
- Ep. 17: Jennifer Kent’s The Nightingale (Members Only)
Ep. 101: Magnus von Horn’s films: The Here After and Sweat
On this podcast episode, we discuss the two features of Swedish filmmaker Magnus von Horn: his latest, Sweat, and his first feature from 2015, The Here After, with particular focus on how empathy is so crucial to his work.
The Magnus von Horn podcast episode features Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney, Executive Editor Orla Smith, Associate Editor Brett Pardy, and Contributing Editor Lindsay Pugh.
On this episode
- Why we paired these films (7:45)
- The Here After (12:42)
- Sweat (39:17)
- Comparisons (1:15:59)
- Preview for next week (1:28:36)
The Here After (2015)
The Here After is the story of John (played by Ulrik Munther), a teenage boy who has just been released from juvenile detention and must find a way to reintegrate into his family and community in rural Sweden. The John we meet is quiet, sensitive, and sweet, but it’s slowly revealed that he was in juvie because he killed his ex-girlfriend. Everyone in the town is either afraid of him or hates him, and even his father, who clearly loves him, doesn’t know how to give him the support and care he needs. John is extremely isolated, but still attempts to go back to school, with many difficulties, develops a romance with a new girl in town, and tries to rebuild a his relationship with his father.
The Here After is streaming on MUBI UK
Sweat (2020)
Set over the course of just a few days, Sweat follows social media influencer and fitness enthusiast Sylwia (Magdalena Kolesnik), as she navigates the challenges of her job and personal life. She lives alone in Warsaw in a nice apartment, and spends most of her time alone and feeling lonely, despite her 600,000 adoring instagram followers. She’s always the centre of attention but nobody is really interested in the real her — not her mother, her date, or her fans. As she picks up her mother’s birthday gift, attends her mother’s birthday party, picks up a man at a club, and prepares for her breakfast television appearance, she deals with a stalker, and her conflicting desires for attention at any cost.
Sweat is streaming on MUBI worldwide.
Episode notes
Related episodes
Ep. 100: Films for the future
To celebrate our 100th episode, ten regular guests share what they would choose if they got to make the whole world watch one movie.
Ep. 99: Creative Nonfiction with Penny Lane and Carol Nguyen
This episode highlights a session from last summer’s Lockdown Film School with Penny Lane and Carol Nguyen. Lane and Nguyen discuss their approaches to creative nonfiction.
