The Next Reel Film Podcast

"It’s kind of complicated, actually.”

Céline Sciamma had already proven herself a strong writer/director of complicated love stories involving people figuring out their own sexuality when she wrote and directed Tomboy. The film tells a story of a 10-year-old girl – our titular tomboy – who tells all the kids she’s a boy when she moves to a new neighborhood. It’s a small decision but an important one as this young kid works to figure out who she is. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our 10 Year Anniversaries series with Sciamma’s 2011 film Tomboy.

Tomboy worked exceptionally well for both of us.

This story is touching and powerfully performed by the young actors in the film, notably Zoé Héran in the title role of Laure who starts going by Mickäel. The quiet intensity in this child’s performance is stunning and has to be weighted as she’s carrying Tomboy on her shoulders. On top of that, she has to play as a boy. This means taking her shirt off when her team goes skins for the football match. It’s incredible.

Sciamma gets amazing performances from the adults as well, and does a great job of not writing Laure’s parents as antagonists. Their reaction to her decision makes perfect sense as a parent and come across as loving people trying to figure all of this out themselves.

And Sciamma delivers a simple but beautiful film to look at. Many shots, notably of Laure as Mickäel, feel like still portraits and capture her struggle and strength. It’s these moments where Héran’s quiet performance really shines through.

Tomboy is a strong film about identity that feels as relevant today – if not moreso – than it did in 2011 when it was first released. The fact that Sciamma continues releasing potent, powerful, and important films dealing with this subject says a lot about her staying power as a filmmaker. We have a great time talking about this film. Check it out then tune in! The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins!

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Film Sundries

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"You’re not the podcast I knew ten years ago.”

“It’s not the years, honey, it’s the mileage.”

It’s fun revisiting Spielberg’s 1981 classic Raiders of the Lost Ark, the film that we used as our launching point for this podcast. In honor of our ten year anniversary, we thought it would be fun to return to where it all began and have another conversation about Raiders as well as what we’ve been doing over the last ten years. So join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we dig back into the archives with Indiana Jones to celebrate our anniversary.

It’s not just Raiders of the Lost Ark we discuss.

Sure, we talk about Spielberg’s 1981 masterpiece, but we also talk about how we came to the decision to start a podcast. Why did it take Andy so long to jump on the podcasting bandwagon all those years ago? And why did it take him so long to get a better audio system?

We also talk about the origins as Movies We Like and our early, looser format. With time, everything’s evolved and (hopefully) improved. And other than our summer hiatuses, which we started a few years ago, we’ve been keeping consistent on the podcast with a new episode every week, not counting member bonus episodes and more.

But we do dig into Raiders of the Lost Ark a bit, and we also talk about our reactions to what we thought in that first episode. We look at what Spielberg, Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, and more have been up to since we last discussed them. We talk about the ten consistent team members who worked on all four films. And we look at awards and the numbers for the movie.

It’s a delightful conversation and a great way to return to where it all began. If you haven’t seen Raiders of the Lost Ark, by all means stop reading and go watch it immediately, but if you have, tune in and enjoy this retrospective episode! The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins!

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!

Film Sundries

Learn more about supporting The Next Reel Film Podcast through your own membership.

• Tune in to that First Episode
• Watch this on Apple or Amazon, or find other places at JustWatch
• Script Transcript
• Theatrical trailer
• Poster artwork
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd

Learn how to support our show and The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts by becoming a member. It's just $5 monthly or $55 annually. Learn more here.

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world in our Discord community!

Here’s where you can find us around the internet:

• The Web
• Letterboxd
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• X
• YouTube
• Flickchart
• Pinterest
• Pete 
• Andy

What are some other ways you can support us and show your love? Glad you asked!

• You can buy our movie-related apparel, stickers, mugs and more from our MERCH PAGE.
• Or buy or rent movies we’ve discussed on the show from our WATCH PAGE.
• Or buy books, plays, etc. that was the source for movies we’ve discussed on the show from our ORIGINALS PAGE.
• Or renew or sign up for a Letterboxd Pro or Patron account with our LETTERBOXD MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT.
• Or sign up for AUDIBLE.

“I’m not running. I’m choosing.”

While in film school at NYU, Dee Rees directed a short film called Pariah that was essentially the first act of a feature script she was developing. Spike Lee, her professor and mentor, helped her get the feature version financed and in 2011, she released it to much acclaim. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our 10 Year Anniversary series with Rees’ feature version of her short film Pariah.

There’s a lot to discuss about Pariah, from the performances to the filmmaking style.

We love all of the performances in this film, but Adepero Oduye as Alike, our protagonist, is the heart of this film. Her journey of coming out as a lesbian is a powerful one, and we’re right along the ride with her from the start of the film. But all the performances in Pariah are great. Pernell Walker as Alike’s best friend Laura. Aasha Davis as her first love Bina. Charles Parnell and Kim Wayans as her parents. Everyone gets story time and they sell this journey.

Pariah is a strong story because Rees doesn’t make the parents typical antagonists who aren’t happy with her as a lesbian. We get a sense of their world and can understand their perspective, even if we don’t agree with them. We also get a strong sense of the family world and connections to church, not to mention Dad’s affair. All of this helps us feel like we understand the family dynamics.

Rees and her cinematographer Bradford Young crafted a personal, intimate film. The film is beautiful to look at with many gorgeous closeups. It also has raw energy in the scenes that require it. All told, it’s clear right out of the gate that Rees is a filmmaker pushing honesty and truth with her first film in a visually exciting way.

Pariah is a powerful film that delivers and rightfully holds up as one of the great LGBTQ films. We have a great time talking about it, so check it out then tune in! The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins!

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!

Film Sundries

Learn more about supporting The Next Reel Film Podcast through your own membership.

• Watch this on Apple or Amazon, or find other places at JustWatch
• Script
• Theatrical trailer
• Poster artwork
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd
• Pariah NYU Short • 2007
• Pariah on Criterion

Learn how to support our show and The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts by becoming a member. It's just $5 monthly or $55 annually. Learn more here.

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world in our Discord community!

Here’s where you can find us around the internet:

• The Web
• Letterboxd
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• X
• YouTube
• Flickchart
• Pinterest
• Pete 
• Andy

What are some other ways you can support us and show your love? Glad you asked!

• You can buy our movie-related apparel, stickers, mugs and more from our MERCH PAGE.
• Or buy or rent movies we’ve discussed on the show from our WATCH PAGE.
• Or buy books, plays, etc. that was the source for movies we’ve discussed on the show from our ORIGINALS PAGE.
• Or renew or sign up for a Letterboxd Pro or Patron account with our LETTERBOXD MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT.
• Or sign up for AUDIBLE.

"This place is a real find!”

Brazil’s economy has certainly had its share of ups and downs over the decades. The struggle to create a capitalist economy hasn’t been easy, and allowed for rich fodder for the filmmaking duo of Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra to write and direct a story about a middle class family struggling in the labor market. This film, Trabalhar Cansa or Hard Work in English, came out 10 years ago now. Does it resonate today? Does it resonate for people outside of Brazil (or Brasil, as Brasileros would write)? And do the filmmakers try to do too much – or too little – in their film? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our 10 Year Anniversary series with Rojas’ and Dutra’s 2011 film Hard Labor.

Hard Labor deals with a lot more than the labor market.

Like we ran into a number of times in our Horror Debuts series, Rojas’ and Dutra’s film is laden with metaphors and allegories. There are vicious barking dogs outside of Helena’s new store that threaten her when she’s trying to leave. There’s black seepage oozing from between the tiles in the back of the store. And let’s not forget the werewolf-esque body parts that Helena pulls from out of behind her wall. These elements give the film a definite horror vibe, but is that enough if the film doesn’t stick with the horror?

To that end, would it have been better if it stuck with the straight drama of our characters Helena, Otávio, and Paula and their struggles with employement instead of including these metaphors? By including them, does the film get muddled and become less clear on its messaging?

We go back and forth on these points because Pete didn’t like them at all and Andy liked them, though still felt they were a bit confusing.

But what about the dramatic story in Hard Labor?

This is where we feel the film excels. Watching the three main characters struggle with their jobs is the heart of this movie, particularly when Rojas and Dutra end the film on such a punch-in-the-gut moment. They each show an interesting transition over the course of the film. What did we think about them? How well do we care for them? And do we find any particularly interesting or less intriguing?

It’s an interesting film that never quite works as well as it should but still clearly shows a proclivity for a type of storytelling that it sounds like Rojas and Dutra have continued, both solo and together. It’s an interesting film to discuss even if watching it won’t be for everyone. Check it out and tune in! The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins!

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!

Film Sundries

Learn more about supporting The Next Reel Film Podcast through your own membership.

• Watch this on Apple or find other places at JustWatch
• Theatrical trailer
• Poster artwork
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd

Learn how to support our show and The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts by becoming a member. It's just $5 monthly or $55 annually. Learn more here.

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world in our Discord community!

Here’s where you can find us around the internet:

• The Web
• Letterboxd
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• X
• YouTube
• Flickchart
• Pinterest
• Pete 
• Andy

What are some other ways you can support us and show your love? Glad you asked!

• You can buy our movie-related apparel, stickers, mugs and more from our MERCH PAGE.
• Or buy or rent movies we’ve discussed on the show from our WATCH PAGE.
• Or buy books, plays, etc. that was the source for movies we’ve discussed on the show from our ORIGINALS PAGE.
• Or renew or sign up for a Letterboxd Pro or Patron account with our LETTERBOXD MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT.
• Or sign up for AUDIBLE.

"So for all practical purposes, in a month, that’s it for us.”

Miranda July spends more time as a performance artist than as a filmmaker, so it makes sense that her second film, The Future, feels a bit like a performance piece. That also likely speaks to why its quirky charm works for some but for others, they feel it represents the worst side of independent film. But that’s what art is, right? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our 10th Anniversary celebration series with July’s 2011 film The Future.

Miranda July and Hamish Linklater are a perfect couple in The Future.

Linklater’s recently appeared on Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass on Netflix and was amazing in that role, so it’s great to jump back 10 years to see him in this film. He and July, playing his girlfriend, are the perfect 30-something couple, happy with their existence but unsure how to move things forward. That’s when the cat Paw-Paw enters their lives, and suddenly, they feel like their lives are coming to an end.

From there, it’s a bit of an existential journey with each character – Linklater as Jason and July as Sophie – working through their own interpretation of the future and their position in life. But where do we land on the film as a whole versus the various parts?

There’s also Paw-Paw the cat and the Moon as well.

The first half focuses on their relationship. The second half focuses on them struggling with where they think their lives might lead. But there’s also Paw-Paw the cat, talking to us in metaphors about life and the death. At the same time, we also have the Moon, talking to Jason while he’s frozen time and is struggling about whether to unfreeze it or not.

The Future is a unique film that works for us, but likely won’t work for everyone.

July gives us a lot to discuss with this quirky, unique film. Not everyone will like it – we even are a bit split on it – but it’s clearly a film from a unique voice and certainly worth watching and revisiting. Check it out then tune in. The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins!

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!

Film Sundries

Learn more about supporting The Next Reel Film Podcast through your own membership — visit TruStory FM.

• Watch this on Apple or Amazon, or find other places at JustWatch
• Theatrical trailer
• Poster artwork
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd

Learn how to support our show and The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts by becoming a member. It's just $5 monthly or $55 annually. Learn more here.

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world in our Discord community!

Here’s where you can find us around the internet:

• The Web
• Letterboxd
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• X
• YouTube
• Flickchart
• Pinterest
• Pete 
• Andy

What are some other ways you can support us and show your love? Glad you asked!

• You can buy our movie-related apparel, stickers, mugs and more from our MERCH PAGE.
• Or buy or rent movies we’ve discussed on the show from our WATCH PAGE.
• Or buy books, plays, etc. that was the source for movies we’ve discussed on the show from our ORIGINALS PAGE.
• Or renew or sign up for a Letterboxd Pro or Patron account with our LETTERBOXD MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT.
• Or sign up for AUDIBLE.