The category is summertime sadness as we discuss Luca Guadagnino’s 2009 melodrama I Am Love. Chad and Veronica are joined by author, critic, and Wesleyan film professor Lisa Dombrowski to break down Guadagnino’s long standing collab with Tilda Swinton, the social necessity of melodrama, how DP Yorick Le Saux crafted two distinct worlds, the erotics of shellfish, radical haircuts, justice for Ida, and the power of envisioning private experience. Come for the suffering, stay for the liberation.

Some extras we reference: Nathan Heller’s profile on Guadagnino for the New Yorker, and Patricia Thomson’s piece on Le Saux’s cinematography for American Cinematographer.

The Bright Wall/Dark Room Podcast is co-hosted by Veronica Fitzpatrick and Chad Perman and produced and edited by Eli Sands. Our theme music is composed by Chad.

Find all 100+ issues of Bright Wall/Dark Room, including this month’s weepie issue, at brightwalldarkroom.com. We’re on Twitter @BWDR and @TheBWDRPodcast, and the best way to widen our pod’s reach is to subscribe, rate, and review–you’re also welcome to show your support via our Patreon. We welcome listener feedback and sponsorship inquiries at [email protected]. Grazie di tutto!