Film Optimists

New year, new voice! That’s right, Optimists; on this episode Megan and Seth welcome their first guest! Friend and writer Riley Gerberick is here to join our discussion about Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1979 Soviet Sci Fi film Stalker. The film follows a guide leading two men through a dangerous zone to a room (of possible alien nature) that will supposedly grant them their deepest desire. Despite the simple plot the film raises several complicated philosophical questions. There’s a lot to talk about with

Happy Holidays, Optimists! This episode Megan and Seth are back to discussing world cinema with an alternative holiday classic, Tokyo Godfathers. The film follows a ragtag trio of homeless people who find an abandoned baby on Christmas Eve. The film was directed by the late anime legend Satoshi Kon.

In this episode, Megan and Seth discuss a piece of film criticism. The essay “Everyone is Beautiful and No One is Horny”, by Raquel S. Benedict addresses depictions of bodies and sexuality in film, particularly how this has changed with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

In this episode Megan and Seth discuss classic Australian mystery film, Picnic at Hanging Rock. The film revolves around a sudden disappearance of multiple people in rural Australia. The film was instrumental in bringing greater worldwide attention to Australian cinema, and to the hosts’ own film repertoire.