The Substance

A few months ago we had Marta on to discuss Abbas Kiarostami's Taste of Cherry and it was a wonderful conversation! Towards the end we talked about how it's a shame that his film The Wind Will Carry Us is hard to find and that Criterion should put it out on Blu-ray and behold, on one of the next slate of announcements there it was! When we saw that, we knew we were going to have her back to cover it and here we are.

Like many of Kiarostami's pictures, this deals with matters of life and death, the perspective of children, the beauty in the monotony of daily life, and the creative/artistic process. It's wonderful to have back in circulation and we hope you enjoy the movie (watch free in the link below) and our discussion!

Watch The Wind Will Carry Us on Google Drive link

⁠Substantive Cinema Episode List

Shoutouts:

On the Silver Globe

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Bong Joon Ho's second feature film is a challenging watch but it's also a cinematic marvel of incredible substance. Recently, Philip joined Jen and Sarah on Movies & Us to talk about the 2003 film that Criterion calls "a haunting journey into ever-deepening darkness that begins as a black-comic satire and ends as a soul-shattering encounter with the abyss."

Enjoy!

As of the publishing of this episode, you can currently stream the film on Tubi (Tubi sponsor the show!) 🍿

If you like the show, hit the 5 star button and share it with a friend!

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On the eve of the publishing of his first book of poetry, A Rebellion of Care, we are excited to welcome David Gate to The Substance for the first of what will hopefully be many wonderful conversations (listen through until the end for a teaser of what's to come!).

He's blown up on social media as loads of people resonate with his work that's centered around joy and honesty. In this episode we discuss:

• His spiritual and artistic upbringing
• What he's learned from being a part of various communities
• Growing his audience when he went all in on his work
• The incredible cover of his new book
• His appreciation for the work of friends of the podcast, Stephanie Stalvey & Alissa Wilkinson
• His love of movies
• AND MORE!

We hope you enjoy the show and if you do, consider sharing it with the folks in your circle!

Shoutouts

⁠James by Percival Everett⁠

⁠Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver⁠

⁠We Tell Ourselves Stories by Alissa Wilkinson⁠

Andor

⁠Robocop⁠

⁠Sinners⁠ & Sinners Soundtrack/Score

Support David:

⁠Buy A Rebellion of Care⁠

⁠Buy a print from his website⁠

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Hey friends! We are back with a month of new to our feed episodes and are kicking off with a feed drop from our pals over at Cinematic Doctrine.

Earlier this year, Philip was invited on to discuss what might be the quintessential American horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and it was a wonderful time. Discussion topics include:

• How community and traditions shape us
• The cost of industrialization
• Care for the disabled
• Man's brutality to one another

• and more!

If you're watching along with us and logging films on Letterboxd be sure to tag your reviews "substantive cinema" so that we can read them on future shows!

Tune in next week for a new episode with poet David Gate as we discuss his soon to be released book A Rebellion of Care!

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Tyler Huckabee returns to the show and the late, great Hannibal Lecter makes his Substance debut!

In 1991, Jonathan Demme shocked critics and audiences alike with his sleek, stylish, unsettling, and genuinely fantastic film The Silence of the Lambs. It went on to be the third film in cinematic history to win all 5 of the big awards come Oscar season. The film won Best Picture, Demme won Best Director, screenwriter Ted Tally won Best Screenplay, and Jodie Foster & Anthony Hopkins each won Best Actor/Actress. It was a true cultural phenomenon and in the last 30 years or so, it has lost none of its power or wonder.

We had a great time welcoming Tyler back for this one, one of his self-proclaimed all-time Top 10 films. In this episode we cover:

• The technical mastery of TSotL just as a film
• The power of perspective
• Clarice & Hannibal's unique relationship
• How the film's bold feminism is key to its strength
• Buffalo Bill and his "deadly sin"
• And much more!

We hope you enjoy and if you do, please consider rating/reviewing the show and sharing it with your friends!

Substantive Cinema Episode List

Shoutouts:

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Black Bag

O Pagador de Promessas

Watchmen

Follow Tyler:

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Sojourners

"Sin of Empathy" Review

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Sorry for the publishing delay! And yes, we know it says Tuesday on the intro, etc. It was a holiday weekend and things have been busy. But here we are with a new show and a WONDERFUL conversation with Episcopal priest and author, Reverend Joseph Yoo.

Joseph has grown his online platform over the years on an authenticity and decency that feels so refreshing amidst so many spiritual and religious leaders taking advantage of people or sharing a message absent of love. It's also refreshing that he's not seeking to be a "content creator" but rather just trying to share insights and thoughts with folks in order to encourage them or to help himself work things out by saying them out loud and seeing what others think.

During our conversation we cover:

• His thoughts on the Star Wars prequels
• His love of professional wrestling
• His childhood goal of becoming a season ticket holder for a local team
• The spiritual journey that lead him to becoming an Episcopal priest and planting a church in a denomination that he was new to
• Why doubt is an essential part of the faithful life
• How seminary helped him become affirming
• And more!

Shoutouts:

The Pitt (show)

Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle

Do You Still Talk to Grandma? by Brit Barron

Freaky Tales

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When the Saints Go Flying In

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Hey there, film fam! Been working on this for the last few weeks in between life and our regular episodes but Panic Fest 2025 was such a great time that we wanted to highlight some of the wonderful talent from the festival as well as Screenland Armour, the fest's incredible host!

Panic Fest is a Kansas City based genre film festival that has been running for over a decade and has been recognized by a number of critical organizations as one of the best genre festivals in the world. It's a wonderful blend of feature films, short films, and events where fans and filmmakers can engage and share their love of the medium.

We hope you enjoy these conversations and snapshots from the festival and hope to see you there in person in 2026!

Guests:

Joe Lynch

Justin (Rainy Day Books)

Faith Liu

Peter Klausner

Daniel DelPurgatorio

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substantive Cinema Episode List⁠

Philip's Panic Fest 2025 List

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As Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan's most recent collaboration, Sinners, is dominating the domestic and worldwide box office, we thought it would be a good time to look at their first project together, Fruitvale Station. Fruitvale is partially the telling of the tragic story of the killing of Oscar Grant in Oakland CA on New Year's Day 2009, but it's so much more. Beyond being a mere recreation of events and the conveying of the awful facts, the film is a beautiful portrait of a young man who is struggling against a system that is set against him and his own difficulties.

In addition to being a star making vehicle for Michael B. Jordan, the film features incredible performances from Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer, and Ariana Neal. Coogler and co. received a lot of critical praise for the film which set him up to helm massive projects like Creed and the Black Panther movies for Marvel.

Joining us for our look back is Chicago based film critic Zachary Lee who is a regular contributor to Roger Ebert, Letterboxd, Interview Magazine, Chicago Reader, Think Christian, and more. He's been someone we've wanted to have on the show for a while and he did not disappoint.

Enjoy the show and share it with a friend!

⁠⁠⁠⁠Substantive Cinema Episode List⁠

Zach Interviews Ryan Coogler

Freaky Tales Interview

Zach & Willem Dafoe on The Legend of Ochi

Shoutouts:

Queens of Drama

The Ballad of Wallis Island

Our Revolution by Bernie Sanders

My Old Ass

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Everything else!

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Kogonada. Ever heard of him? The South Korean-born American filmmaker began to get attention for his video essays that analyzed themes and motifs from various films and television series before launching as a writer/director with the film we are covering this week, Columbus (2017).

The movie follows two people who are at a place in their lives where they need to make important decisions related to their family and their future. Jin (John Cho), the son of a renowned architect, comes to Columbus to see his father when he falls ill but is unsure how long he wants to stay and look after him. When he arrives in Columbus (Indiana) he meets and befriends Casey (Haley Lu Richardson), a young woman who is passionate about architecture but hesitant to leave Columbus to pursue her next steps because she feels compelled to stay and be there for her mother who is dealing with addiction issues. It's a beautiful film about space and structures, passion, familial responsibility, and how the relationships we have push us to be the best version of ourselves we can be.

Joining us this week are Kogonada enthusiasts and long time podcasters Jen & Sarah from the Movies & Us and TV & Us podcasts! And if you're listening on the week this drops, take a look at their feed and check out their episode this coming Wednesday with Philip where they cover Bong Joon Ho's Memories of Murder!

⁠⁠⁠Substantive Cinema Episode List⁠

Shoutouts:

Supacell (Netflix)

Caste by Isabel Wilkerson

Slow Horses (Apple TV)

Problemista

Witness in the City

The Vince Staples Show (Netflix)

Follow Jen & Sarah:

Movies & Us podcast

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It's always great having a returning guest and this week we're welcoming back a friend we talked to back in 2021. Alexis Busetti is a seminary student and podcaster who we've been following and engaging with for several years. Her weekly show That Makes Total Sense!, is a wonderful listen and always has interesting and thoughtful people on.

This week, she's back to discuss what we've both learned over the last few years of making our shows, how we're preparing to love our neighbors through a socially and politically difficult time, how high control faith systems tend towards acceptance of authoritarians, being people of action, and more!

Shoutouts:

Abbott Elementary

Parks & Rec

Severance

Where is the Friend's House?

Our Revolution by Bernie Sanders

The Sopranos

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That Makes Total Sense!

Website

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