Michael Fox has written about film for dozens of publications since 1987. He is a founding member of the San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle.
By Michael Fox
In ‘Fjord,’ a Religious Family Navigates Norway’s ‘Enlightened’ Norms
Sam Green’s Latest Documentary Searches for Longevity and Meaning
The 11 Best Films and Festivals to See This Fall
Luis Valdez Claims the Spotlight in ‘American Pachuco’
Thrills and Spills Highlight the Cursed Mediterranean Cruise of ‘The Odyssey’
‘Ask E. Jean’ Reframes a Tabloid Figure in Feminist History
11 of the Best Movies and Film Festivals to See This Summer
BAMPFA Spotlights Lucrecia Martel’s Parables of Middle-Class Desperation
Heartfelt Epic ‘Palestine ’36’ Revisits Arab Blows Against the British Empire
For Valentine’s, a Thai Fantasy About a Ghost in a (Vacuum) Machine
Entrancing ‘Testament of Ann Lee’ Relays the Shakers’ Saga in Song and Dance
Manic ‘Marty Supreme’ Smashes the American Dream
Player sponsored by
window.__IS_SSR__=true
window.__INITIAL_STATE__={
"attachmentsReducer": {
"audio_0": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_0",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background0.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_1": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_1",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background1.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_2": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_2",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background2.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_3": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_3",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background3.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_4": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_4",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background4.jpg"
}
}
},
"placeholder": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "placeholder",
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xxsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"small": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xlarge": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 32,
"height": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 50,
"height": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 64,
"height": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 96,
"height": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 128,
"height": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
}
},
"arts_13994606": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13994606",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994606",
"found": true
},
"title": "Still 2026-04-25 142149 Tone Mapped (100-nit, BT.709, BT.1886)_1.21.2",
"publishDate": 1791483622,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1791483756,
"caption": "A scene from ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu.",
"credit": "Neon",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Still-2026-04-25-142149-Tone-Mapped-100-nit-BT.709-BT.1886_1.21.2-688f3a92-160x67.png",
"width": 160,
"height": 67,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Still-2026-04-25-142149-Tone-Mapped-100-nit-BT.709-BT.1886_1.21.2-688f3a92-768x322.png",
"width": 768,
"height": 322,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Still-2026-04-25-142149-Tone-Mapped-100-nit-BT.709-BT.1886_1.21.2-688f3a92-1536x644.png",
"width": 1536,
"height": 644,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Still-2026-04-25-142149-Tone-Mapped-100-nit-BT.709-BT.1886_1.21.2-688f3a92-672x372.png",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Still-2026-04-25-142149-Tone-Mapped-100-nit-BT.709-BT.1886_1.21.2-688f3a92-1038x576.png",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Still-2026-04-25-142149-Tone-Mapped-100-nit-BT.709-BT.1886_1.21.2-688f3a92-1200x675.png",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Still-2026-04-25-142149-Tone-Mapped-100-nit-BT.709-BT.1886_1.21.2-688f3a92-600x600.png",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Still-2026-04-25-142149-Tone-Mapped-100-nit-BT.709-BT.1886_1.21.2-688f3a92.png",
"width": 2000,
"height": 838
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13994032": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13994032",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994032",
"found": true
},
"title": "Still-1---Jeanne-Calment,-age-121_1996_credit-Reuters--Jean-Paul-Pelissier_2000",
"publishDate": 1789752761,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 13994012,
"modified": 1789753806,
"caption": "Jeanne Calment, age 121 in 1996.",
"credit": "Reuters/Jean Paul Pelissier",
"altTag": "old white woman surrounded by reporters holding microphones",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-1-Jeanne-Calment-age-121_1996_credit-Reuters-Jean-Paul-Pelissier_2000-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-1-Jeanne-Calment-age-121_1996_credit-Reuters-Jean-Paul-Pelissier_2000-768x513.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 513,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-1-Jeanne-Calment-age-121_1996_credit-Reuters-Jean-Paul-Pelissier_2000-1536x1026.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1026,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-1-Jeanne-Calment-age-121_1996_credit-Reuters-Jean-Paul-Pelissier_2000-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-1-Jeanne-Calment-age-121_1996_credit-Reuters-Jean-Paul-Pelissier_2000-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-1-Jeanne-Calment-age-121_1996_credit-Reuters-Jean-Paul-Pelissier_2000-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-1-Jeanne-Calment-age-121_1996_credit-Reuters-Jean-Paul-Pelissier_2000-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-1-Jeanne-Calment-age-121_1996_credit-Reuters-Jean-Paul-Pelissier_2000.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1336
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13992933": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13992933",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13992933",
"found": true
},
"title": "My Name Ain_t Suzie11",
"publishDate": 1787093606,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 13992827,
"modified": 1787093688,
"caption": "A still from Angie Chen's 'My Name Ain't Suzie (Fa gai si doi),' 1985.",
"credit": "SF Film Preserve",
"altTag": "woman looks mysterious in round sunglasses",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11-160x86.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 86,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11-768x414.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 414,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11-1536x829.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 829,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1036
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13992060": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13992060",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13992060",
"found": true
},
"title": "americanpachuco_still_01",
"publishDate": 1785171849,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1785172849,
"caption": "Luis Valdez reads a script in a scene from the documentary ‘American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez.’ ",
"credit": "Elizabeth Sunflower / Retro Photo Archive",
"altTag": "A Latino man, seen from a low angle, holds a pen and goes through papers against a wall background with theatre advertisements and photographs.",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_01-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 90,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_01-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 432,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_01-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 864,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_01-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_01-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_01-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_01-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_01.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1125
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13991706": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13991706",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13991706",
"found": true
},
"title": "CT-04168_MSGCROP_2000",
"publishDate": 1784159239,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 13991674,
"modified": 1784159305,
"caption": "L to R: Jimmy Gonzales is Cepheus, Matt Damon is Odysseus and Himesh Patel is Eurylochus in Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey.'",
"credit": "\tMelinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures",
"altTag": "three men in sword and sandal attire stand on sandy hill",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-04168_MSGCROP_2000-160x111.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 111,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-04168_MSGCROP_2000-768x534.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 534,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-04168_MSGCROP_2000-1536x1068.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1068,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-04168_MSGCROP_2000-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-04168_MSGCROP_2000-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-04168_MSGCROP_2000-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-04168_MSGCROP_2000-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-04168_MSGCROP_2000.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1391
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13991091": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13991091",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13991091",
"found": true
},
"title": "Ask E. Jean 3",
"publishDate": 1782408775,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 13991081,
"modified": 1782408847,
"caption": "A still from Ivy Meeropol's 'Ask E. Jean,' opening June 26 at the Roxie.",
"credit": "Roxie Theater",
"altTag": "older white woman with blonde bob and sunglasses in car",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-3-160x90.jpeg",
"width": 160,
"height": 90,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-3-768x432.jpeg",
"width": 768,
"height": 432,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-3-1536x864.jpeg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 864,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-3-672x372.jpeg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-3-1038x576.jpeg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-3-1200x675.jpeg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-3-600x600.jpeg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-3.jpeg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13989706": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13989706",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13989706",
"found": true
},
"title": "IWYS_2000",
"publishDate": 1778875791,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 13989211,
"modified": 1778882285,
"caption": "Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman in a scene from Gregg Arak's 'I Want Your Sex.'",
"credit": "Magnolia Pictures",
"altTag": "blonde woman and blindfolded man face each other in near kiss",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IWYS_2000-160x86.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 86,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IWYS_2000-768x415.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 415,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IWYS_2000-1536x830.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 830,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IWYS_2000-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IWYS_2000-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IWYS_2000-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IWYS_2000-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IWYS_2000.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1081
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13988250": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13988250",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13988250",
"found": true
},
"title": "lacienaga_grabs_0001_Layer 2.tif",
"publishDate": 1775268825,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 13988241,
"modified": 1775270529,
"caption": "A still from Lucrecia Martel's 2001 film 'La ciénaga.'",
"credit": "Courtesy of BAMPFA",
"altTag": "man and woman in profile in swim attire with palm trees in background",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_La-Cienaga_001-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 90,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_La-Cienaga_001-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 432,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_La-Cienaga_001-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 864,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_La-Cienaga_001-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_La-Cienaga_001-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_La-Cienaga_001-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_La-Cienaga_001-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_La-Cienaga_001.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13987960": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13987960",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13987960",
"found": true
},
"title": "Palestine36_1",
"publishDate": 1774471622,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 13987956,
"modified": 1774472243,
"caption": "Karim Daoud Anaya as Yusuf in a scene from 'Palestine '36.'",
"credit": "Watermelon Pictures",
"altTag": "man in turban with hands behind head and tears in eyes",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_1-160x67.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 67,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_1-768x322.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 322,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_1-1536x644.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 644,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_1-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_1-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_1.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 838
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13986668": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13986668",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13986668",
"found": true
},
"title": "a-useful-ghost-still-photos-(2024)_276_2000",
"publishDate": 1770920187,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 13986622,
"modified": 1770920496,
"caption": "The haunted vacuum cleaner in a scene from Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke's 'A Useful Ghost.'",
"credit": "Cineverse",
"altTag": "man looks down at sleek vacuum cleaner, nozzle at his feet",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/a-useful-ghost-still-photos-2024_276_2000-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/a-useful-ghost-still-photos-2024_276_2000-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/a-useful-ghost-still-photos-2024_276_2000-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/a-useful-ghost-still-photos-2024_276_2000-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/a-useful-ghost-still-photos-2024_276_2000-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/a-useful-ghost-still-photos-2024_276_2000-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/a-useful-ghost-still-photos-2024_276_2000.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13985683": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13985683",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13985683",
"found": true
},
"title": "TTAL_SG_00001_v1_2000",
"publishDate": 1769031113,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 13985662,
"modified": 1769031189,
"caption": "Amanda Seyfried and ensemble in 'The Testament of Ann Lee.'",
"credit": "Searchlight Pictures/William Rexer",
"altTag": "group of people in 18th-century clothes with arms extended in ecstatic dance",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00001_v1_2000-160x67.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 67,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00001_v1_2000-768x322.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 322,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00001_v1_2000-1536x644.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 644,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00001_v1_2000-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00001_v1_2000-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00001_v1_2000-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00001_v1_2000.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 838
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13985001": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13985001",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13985001",
"found": true
},
"title": "MartySupremeCover_2000",
"publishDate": 1765995295,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 13984991,
"modified": 1773355599,
"caption": "Timothée Chalamet as Marty Mauser in 'Marty Supreme.'",
"credit": "Courtesy of A24",
"altTag": "man points with hand holding table tennis paddle, blurry crowd behind",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeCover_2000-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeCover_2000-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeCover_2000-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeCover_2000-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeCover_2000-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeCover_2000-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeCover_2000.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
}
},
"audioPlayerReducer": {
"postId": "stream_live",
"isPaused": true,
"isPlaying": false,
"pfsActive": false,
"pledgeModalIsOpen": true,
"playerDrawerIsOpen": false,
"liveAudioPlayStartedAt": 0,
"liveAudioPlayContext": ""
},
"authorsReducer": {
"mfox": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "22",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "22",
"found": true
},
"name": "Michael Fox",
"firstName": "Michael",
"lastName": "Fox",
"slug": "mfox",
"email": "foxonfilm@yahoo.com",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Michael Fox has written about film for dozens of publications since 1987. He is a founding member of the San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d9849d6c659c41414795c471d907bb97b396e2a32b88e20e6ff66f65fbdd6dcd?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"Contributor",
"contributor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Michael Fox | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d9849d6c659c41414795c471d907bb97b396e2a32b88e20e6ff66f65fbdd6dcd?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d9849d6c659c41414795c471d907bb97b396e2a32b88e20e6ff66f65fbdd6dcd?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/mfox"
}
},
"pagesReducer": {
"author_mfox": {
"type": "pages",
"id": "22",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "22",
"score": 6.288602,
"site": "authors"
},
"name": "Michael Fox",
"firstName": "Michael",
"lastName": "Fox",
"slug": "mfox",
"email": "foxonfilm@yahoo.com",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Michael Fox has written about film for dozens of publications since 1987. He is a founding member of the San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d9849d6c659c41414795c471d907bb97b396e2a32b88e20e6ff66f65fbdd6dcd?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"Contributor",
"contributor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Michael Fox | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d9849d6c659c41414795c471d907bb97b396e2a32b88e20e6ff66f65fbdd6dcd?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d9849d6c659c41414795c471d907bb97b396e2a32b88e20e6ff66f65fbdd6dcd?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"hasAllInfo": true,
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "kqed/staff-member",
"attrs": {
"author": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "22",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "22",
"score": 6.288602
},
"name": "Michael Fox",
"firstName": "Michael",
"lastName": "Fox",
"slug": "mfox",
"email": "foxonfilm@yahoo.com",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Michael Fox has written about film for dozens of publications since 1987. He is a founding member of the San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d9849d6c659c41414795c471d907bb97b396e2a32b88e20e6ff66f65fbdd6dcd?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"Contributor",
"contributor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Michael Fox | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d9849d6c659c41414795c471d907bb97b396e2a32b88e20e6ff66f65fbdd6dcd?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d9849d6c659c41414795c471d907bb97b396e2a32b88e20e6ff66f65fbdd6dcd?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/mfox",
"hasAllInfo": true
}
}
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/post-list",
"attrs": {
"query": "posts?author=22&authorName=Michael Fox",
"title": "By Michael Fox",
"layout": "cardArticle2",
"className": "wp-block--nomargintop",
"seeMore": true
}
}
]
}
},
"pfsSessionReducer": {},
"postsReducer": {
"stream_live": {
"type": "live",
"id": "stream_live",
"audioUrl": "https://streams.kqed.org/kqedradio",
"title": "Live Stream",
"excerpt": "Live Stream information currently unavailable.",
"link": "/radio",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "KQED Live",
"link": "/"
}
},
"stream_kqedNewscast": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stream_kqedNewscast",
"audioUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/newscast.mp3?_=1",
"title": "KQED Newscast",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "88.5 FM",
"link": "/"
}
},
"arts_13994504": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13994504",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994504",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1791486435000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "review-fjord-movie-film-religious-family-norway",
"title": "In ‘Fjord,’ a Religious Family Navigates Norway’s ‘Enlightened’ Norms",
"publishDate": 1791486435,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "In ‘Fjord,’ a Religious Family Navigates Norway’s ‘Enlightened’ Norms | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\n\u003cp>Cristian Mungiu’s 2007 neorealist masterpiece, \u003cem>4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days\u003c/em>, followed the agonizing quest of two young Romanian women seeking an illegal abortion. Set in the 1980s during the long-running dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu, the film immersed us in the desperation of ordinary people thwarted and threatened by a ruthless, repressive system.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In his riveting new film, \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> (opening Friday, Oct. 9 in the Bay Area), Mungiu again considers the threats to personal freedom posed by political structures and self-righteous bureaucrats. Instead of a communist country in the old Soviet bloc, however, the setting is socially enlightened, present-day Norway.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em>, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, unfolds within a welcoming community defined by physical proximity and relationships, where English is used to bridge any gaps. Notwithstanding its star casting, it is a low-key ensemble piece that is devoid of showcase moments. Though \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> is never less than involving, it lacks the emotional power of \u003cem>4 Months\u003c/em>, which also won the Palme d’Or.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1336\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994604\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-1536x1026.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Gheorghiu family in ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu. (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Gheorghiu clan — Mihai (Sebastian Stan, \u003cem>A Different Man\u003c/em>, \u003cem>The Apprentice\u003c/em>), Lisbet (Renate Reinsve, brilliant in last year’s \u003cem>Sentimental Value\u003c/em>) and their five young children — have just arrived in a remote Norwegian town from Mihai’s native Romania. The pristine and stark environment evokes a new beginning, and a clean slate from whatever may have impelled the IT engineer and nurse to pick up and move their family to Lisbet’s country.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The early scenes have a faintly ominous tinge, which we might attribute to the awkwardness of meeting new coworkers and the anxiousness of making new friends. The flip side of that, the feeling of otherness that colors the locals’ perception of the newcomers, is the religiosity of the Gheorghius. When Mihai idly plays a hymn on the organ in the break room, what initially seems to be harmless noodling feels uncomfortably like inappropriate evangelizing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the oldest children, Elia (Vanessa Ceban) and Emmanuel (Jonathan Ciprian Breazu), who are sheltered and therefore young for their age, fall under the sway of a neighboring teenage girl. The impulsive Noora (Henrikke Lund-Olsen) lures them on an illicit late-night motorboat ride that seems designed to foreshadow horrible tragedies of youthful bad judgement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994605\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-160x67.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-768x322.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-1536x644.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sebastian Stan in ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu. (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I guess I’m still scarred nearly three decades later by \u003cem>The Ice Storm\u003c/em>, because parental indifference and neglect is the furthest thing from Mungiu’s mind as director. On the contrary, it’s an accusation that Mihai hit Elia — a charge, perhaps, instigated by language barriers, amplified by cultural differences and inflated by religious prejudices — that turns \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> on its head.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The film’s early sequences had pointed toward dual tracks: Mihai and Lisbet on one and Elia and Emmanuel on the other. Mihai’s potentially devastating criminal problem shifts the film’s structure to a talky legal procedural (with the foreigner Mihai in the crosshairs) on the one hand and Lisbet’s struggles as a mother and neighbor on the other.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>4 Months\u003c/em> made us feel its protagonists’ nightmarish dilemma without resorting to melodrama. \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> evokes a sense of injustice, and flashes of outrage, but not much else. That’s in part due to Mungui’s avoidance of emotional outbursts, close-ups, dramatic music and other techniques of audience manipulation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994608\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve in ‘Fjord.’ (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Consequently, in lieu of a visceral emotional experience, we are given an intellectual conundrum. In trying to protect children from adults, has this enlightened Norwegian society lost its judgement and common sense? Are police and prosecutors doing their jobs diligently and properly or are they bigots who, because the Gheorghius are Christians and not Muslims, plausibly deny their xenophobia?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s possible, I suppose, to see \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> as a critique of so-called woke liberalism—the nanny state dialed up to 11 and misguidedly doing more harm than good. I doubt this is Mungiu’s intent, because it invites viewers across the political spectrum to retreat into, rather than examine, their belief systems, biases and values.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 1975, Swiss director Alain Tanner tapped into the zeitgeist with \u003cem>Jonah Who Will be 25 in the Year 2000\u003c/em>, an arthouse hit that depicted a post-hippie, post-revolutionary, quasi-utopian European society. The thirtysomething parents in the film — and by extension, their country — were messy and mistake-prone, sure, but well-intentioned, kind and optimistic.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994607\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A scene from ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu. (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Maybe \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> depicts the inevitable aftermath of that generation of permissiveness and experimentation. The instincts to nurture and protect still exist, but they are swaddled in too many regulations, rules and procedures.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mingiu aims to position the Gheorghius as victims of an implacable system with endless power and resources. They have few options, and their decisions should have us on pins and needles. Even before its curious final shot, though, \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> feels like a parable more than real life.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Fjord’ opens in Bay Area theaters on Friday, Oct. 9.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Cristian Mungiu’s 2007 neorealist masterpiece, \u003cem>4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days\u003c/em>, followed the agonizing quest of two young Romanian women seeking an illegal abortion. Set in the 1980s during the long-running dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu, the film immersed us in the desperation of ordinary people thwarted and threatened by a ruthless, repressive system.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Cristian Mungiu’s 2007 neorealist masterpiece, \u003cem>4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days\u003c/em>, followed the agonizing quest of two young Romanian women seeking an illegal abortion. Set in the 1980s during the long-running dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu, the film immersed us in the desperation of ordinary people thwarted and threatened by a ruthless, repressive system.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In his riveting new film, \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> (opening Friday, Oct. 9 in the Bay Area), Mungiu again considers the threats to personal freedom posed by political structures and self-righteous bureaucrats. Instead of a communist country in the old Soviet bloc, however, the setting is socially enlightened, present-day Norway.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In his riveting new film, \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> (opening Friday, Oct. 9 in the Bay Area), Mungiu again considers the threats to personal freedom posed by political structures and self-righteous bureaucrats. Instead of a communist country in the old Soviet bloc, however, the setting is socially enlightened, present-day Norway.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em>, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, unfolds within a welcoming community defined by physical proximity and relationships, where English is used to bridge any gaps. Notwithstanding its star casting, it is a low-key ensemble piece that is devoid of showcase moments. Though \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> is never less than involving, it lacks the emotional power of \u003cem>4 Months\u003c/em>, which also won the Palme d’Or.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em>, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, unfolds within a welcoming community defined by physical proximity and relationships, where English is used to bridge any gaps. Notwithstanding its star casting, it is a low-key ensemble piece that is devoid of showcase moments. Though \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> is never less than involving, it lacks the emotional power of \u003cem>4 Months\u003c/em>, which also won the Palme d’Or.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994604,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-1536x1026.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994604\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-1536x1026.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Gheorghiu family in ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Neon)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994604\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Gheorghiu family in ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Neon)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Gheorghiu clan — Mihai (Sebastian Stan, \u003cem>A Different Man\u003c/em>, \u003cem>The Apprentice\u003c/em>), Lisbet (Renate Reinsve, brilliant in last year’s \u003cem>Sentimental Value\u003c/em>) and their five young children — have just arrived in a remote Norwegian town from Mihai’s native Romania. The pristine and stark environment evokes a new beginning, and a clean slate from whatever may have impelled the IT engineer and nurse to pick up and move their family to Lisbet’s country.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The Gheorghiu clan — Mihai (Sebastian Stan, \u003cem>A Different Man\u003c/em>, \u003cem>The Apprentice\u003c/em>), Lisbet (Renate Reinsve, brilliant in last year’s \u003cem>Sentimental Value\u003c/em>) and their five young children — have just arrived in a remote Norwegian town from Mihai’s native Romania. The pristine and stark environment evokes a new beginning, and a clean slate from whatever may have impelled the IT engineer and nurse to pick up and move their family to Lisbet’s country.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The early scenes have a faintly ominous tinge, which we might attribute to the awkwardness of meeting new coworkers and the anxiousness of making new friends. The flip side of that, the feeling of otherness that colors the locals’ perception of the newcomers, is the religiosity of the Gheorghius. When Mihai idly plays a hymn on the organ in the break room, what initially seems to be harmless noodling feels uncomfortably like inappropriate evangelizing.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The early scenes have a faintly ominous tinge, which we might attribute to the awkwardness of meeting new coworkers and the anxiousness of making new friends. The flip side of that, the feeling of otherness that colors the locals’ perception of the newcomers, is the religiosity of the Gheorghius. When Mihai idly plays a hymn on the organ in the break room, what initially seems to be harmless noodling feels uncomfortably like inappropriate evangelizing.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the oldest children, Elia (Vanessa Ceban) and Emmanuel (Jonathan Ciprian Breazu), who are sheltered and therefore young for their age, fall under the sway of a neighboring teenage girl. The impulsive Noora (Henrikke Lund-Olsen) lures them on an illicit late-night motorboat ride that seems designed to foreshadow horrible tragedies of youthful bad judgement.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the oldest children, Elia (Vanessa Ceban) and Emmanuel (Jonathan Ciprian Breazu), who are sheltered and therefore young for their age, fall under the sway of a neighboring teenage girl. The impulsive Noora (Henrikke Lund-Olsen) lures them on an illicit late-night motorboat ride that seems designed to foreshadow horrible tragedies of youthful bad judgement.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994605,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-160x67.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-768x322.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-1536x644.png 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994605\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-160x67.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-768x322.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-1536x644.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sebastian Stan in ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Neon)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994605\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sebastian Stan in ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Neon)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I guess I’m still scarred nearly three decades later by \u003cem>The Ice Storm\u003c/em>, because parental indifference and neglect is the furthest thing from Mungiu’s mind as director. On the contrary, it’s an accusation that Mihai hit Elia — a charge, perhaps, instigated by language barriers, amplified by cultural differences and inflated by religious prejudices — that turns \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> on its head.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>I guess I’m still scarred nearly three decades later by \u003cem>The Ice Storm\u003c/em>, because parental indifference and neglect is the furthest thing from Mungiu’s mind as director. On the contrary, it’s an accusation that Mihai hit Elia — a charge, perhaps, instigated by language barriers, amplified by cultural differences and inflated by religious prejudices — that turns \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> on its head.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The film’s early sequences had pointed toward dual tracks: Mihai and Lisbet on one and Elia and Emmanuel on the other. Mihai’s potentially devastating criminal problem shifts the film’s structure to a talky legal procedural (with the foreigner Mihai in the crosshairs) on the one hand and Lisbet’s struggles as a mother and neighbor on the other.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The film’s early sequences had pointed toward dual tracks: Mihai and Lisbet on one and Elia and Emmanuel on the other. Mihai’s potentially devastating criminal problem shifts the film’s structure to a talky legal procedural (with the foreigner Mihai in the crosshairs) on the one hand and Lisbet’s struggles as a mother and neighbor on the other.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>4 Months\u003c/em> made us feel its protagonists’ nightmarish dilemma without resorting to melodrama. \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> evokes a sense of injustice, and flashes of outrage, but not much else. That’s in part due to Mungui’s avoidance of emotional outbursts, close-ups, dramatic music and other techniques of audience manipulation.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>4 Months\u003c/em> made us feel its protagonists’ nightmarish dilemma without resorting to melodrama. \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> evokes a sense of injustice, and flashes of outrage, but not much else. That’s in part due to Mungui’s avoidance of emotional outbursts, close-ups, dramatic music and other techniques of audience manipulation.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994608,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-1536x644.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994608\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve in ‘Fjord.’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Neon)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994608\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve in ‘Fjord.’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Neon)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Consequently, in lieu of a visceral emotional experience, we are given an intellectual conundrum. In trying to protect children from adults, has this enlightened Norwegian society lost its judgement and common sense? Are police and prosecutors doing their jobs diligently and properly or are they bigots who, because the Gheorghius are Christians and not Muslims, plausibly deny their xenophobia?\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Consequently, in lieu of a visceral emotional experience, we are given an intellectual conundrum. In trying to protect children from adults, has this enlightened Norwegian society lost its judgement and common sense? Are police and prosecutors doing their jobs diligently and properly or are they bigots who, because the Gheorghius are Christians and not Muslims, plausibly deny their xenophobia?\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s possible, I suppose, to see \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> as a critique of so-called woke liberalism—the nanny state dialed up to 11 and misguidedly doing more harm than good. I doubt this is Mungiu’s intent, because it invites viewers across the political spectrum to retreat into, rather than examine, their belief systems, biases and values.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>It’s possible, I suppose, to see \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> as a critique of so-called woke liberalism—the nanny state dialed up to 11 and misguidedly doing more harm than good. I doubt this is Mungiu’s intent, because it invites viewers across the political spectrum to retreat into, rather than examine, their belief systems, biases and values.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 1975, Swiss director Alain Tanner tapped into the zeitgeist with \u003cem>Jonah Who Will be 25 in the Year 2000\u003c/em>, an arthouse hit that depicted a post-hippie, post-revolutionary, quasi-utopian European society. The thirtysomething parents in the film — and by extension, their country — were messy and mistake-prone, sure, but well-intentioned, kind and optimistic.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In 1975, Swiss director Alain Tanner tapped into the zeitgeist with \u003cem>Jonah Who Will be 25 in the Year 2000\u003c/em>, an arthouse hit that depicted a post-hippie, post-revolutionary, quasi-utopian European society. The thirtysomething parents in the film — and by extension, their country — were messy and mistake-prone, sure, but well-intentioned, kind and optimistic.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994607,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-1536x644.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994607\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A scene from ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Neon)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994607\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A scene from ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Neon)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Maybe \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> depicts the inevitable aftermath of that generation of permissiveness and experimentation. The instincts to nurture and protect still exist, but they are swaddled in too many regulations, rules and procedures.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Maybe \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> depicts the inevitable aftermath of that generation of permissiveness and experimentation. The instincts to nurture and protect still exist, but they are swaddled in too many regulations, rules and procedures.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mingiu aims to position the Gheorghius as victims of an implacable system with endless power and resources. They have few options, and their decisions should have us on pins and needles. Even before its curious final shot, though, \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> feels like a parable more than real life.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Mingiu aims to position the Gheorghius as victims of an implacable system with endless power and resources. They have few options, and their decisions should have us on pins and needles. Even before its curious final shot, though, \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> feels like a parable more than real life.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/separator",
"attrs": {
"opacity": "alpha-channel",
"tagName": "hr"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Fjord’ opens in Bay Area theaters on Friday, Oct. 9.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Fjord’ opens in Bay Area theaters on Friday, Oct. 9.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "As a morality tale, the Palme d'Or-winning film falls short of director Cristian Mungiu's earlier triumphs.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1791486448,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 15,
"wordCount": 852
},
"headData": {
"title": "Film Review: ‘Fjord’ Falls Short of Cristian Mungiu's Earlier Triumphs | KQED",
"description": "A religious family navigates Norway’s ‘enlightened’ norms in this morality tale.",
"ogTitle": "In ‘Fjord,’ a Religious Family Navigates Norway’s ‘Enlightened’ Norms",
"ogDescription": "As a morality tale, the Palme d'Or-winning film falls short of director Cristian Mungiu's earlier triumphs.",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "In ‘Fjord,’ a Religious Family Navigates Norway’s ‘Enlightened’ Norms",
"twDescription": "As a morality tale, the Palme d'Or-winning film falls short of director Cristian Mungiu's earlier triumphs.",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "Film Review: ‘Fjord’ Falls Short of Cristian Mungiu's Earlier Triumphs %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"socialDescription": "A religious family navigates Norway’s ‘enlightened’ norms in this morality tale.",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "In ‘Fjord,’ a Religious Family Navigates Norway’s ‘Enlightened’ Norms",
"datePublished": "2026-10-08T12:07:15-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-10-08T12:07:28-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 74,
"slug": "movies",
"name": "Movies"
},
"source": "The Do List",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13994504",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"subhead": "Cristian Mungiu's Palme d'Or-winning drama is riveting and ambiguous.",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13994504/review-fjord-movie-film-religious-family-norway",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Cristian Mungiu’s 2007 neorealist masterpiece, \u003cem>4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days\u003c/em>, followed the agonizing quest of two young Romanian women seeking an illegal abortion. Set in the 1980s during the long-running dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu, the film immersed us in the desperation of ordinary people thwarted and threatened by a ruthless, repressive system.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In his riveting new film, \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> (opening Friday, Oct. 9 in the Bay Area), Mungiu again considers the threats to personal freedom posed by political structures and self-righteous bureaucrats. Instead of a communist country in the old Soviet bloc, however, the setting is socially enlightened, present-day Norway.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em>, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, unfolds within a welcoming community defined by physical proximity and relationships, where English is used to bridge any gaps. Notwithstanding its star casting, it is a low-key ensemble piece that is devoid of showcase moments. Though \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> is never less than involving, it lacks the emotional power of \u003cem>4 Months\u003c/em>, which also won the Palme d’Or.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1336\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994604\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-1536x1026.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Gheorghiu family in ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu. (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Gheorghiu clan — Mihai (Sebastian Stan, \u003cem>A Different Man\u003c/em>, \u003cem>The Apprentice\u003c/em>), Lisbet (Renate Reinsve, brilliant in last year’s \u003cem>Sentimental Value\u003c/em>) and their five young children — have just arrived in a remote Norwegian town from Mihai’s native Romania. The pristine and stark environment evokes a new beginning, and a clean slate from whatever may have impelled the IT engineer and nurse to pick up and move their family to Lisbet’s country.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The early scenes have a faintly ominous tinge, which we might attribute to the awkwardness of meeting new coworkers and the anxiousness of making new friends. The flip side of that, the feeling of otherness that colors the locals’ perception of the newcomers, is the religiosity of the Gheorghius. When Mihai idly plays a hymn on the organ in the break room, what initially seems to be harmless noodling feels uncomfortably like inappropriate evangelizing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the oldest children, Elia (Vanessa Ceban) and Emmanuel (Jonathan Ciprian Breazu), who are sheltered and therefore young for their age, fall under the sway of a neighboring teenage girl. The impulsive Noora (Henrikke Lund-Olsen) lures them on an illicit late-night motorboat ride that seems designed to foreshadow horrible tragedies of youthful bad judgement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994605\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-160x67.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-768x322.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-1536x644.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sebastian Stan in ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu. (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I guess I’m still scarred nearly three decades later by \u003cem>The Ice Storm\u003c/em>, because parental indifference and neglect is the furthest thing from Mungiu’s mind as director. On the contrary, it’s an accusation that Mihai hit Elia — a charge, perhaps, instigated by language barriers, amplified by cultural differences and inflated by religious prejudices — that turns \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> on its head.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The film’s early sequences had pointed toward dual tracks: Mihai and Lisbet on one and Elia and Emmanuel on the other. Mihai’s potentially devastating criminal problem shifts the film’s structure to a talky legal procedural (with the foreigner Mihai in the crosshairs) on the one hand and Lisbet’s struggles as a mother and neighbor on the other.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>4 Months\u003c/em> made us feel its protagonists’ nightmarish dilemma without resorting to melodrama. \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> evokes a sense of injustice, and flashes of outrage, but not much else. That’s in part due to Mungui’s avoidance of emotional outbursts, close-ups, dramatic music and other techniques of audience manipulation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994608\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve in ‘Fjord.’ (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Consequently, in lieu of a visceral emotional experience, we are given an intellectual conundrum. In trying to protect children from adults, has this enlightened Norwegian society lost its judgement and common sense? Are police and prosecutors doing their jobs diligently and properly or are they bigots who, because the Gheorghius are Christians and not Muslims, plausibly deny their xenophobia?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s possible, I suppose, to see \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> as a critique of so-called woke liberalism—the nanny state dialed up to 11 and misguidedly doing more harm than good. I doubt this is Mungiu’s intent, because it invites viewers across the political spectrum to retreat into, rather than examine, their belief systems, biases and values.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 1975, Swiss director Alain Tanner tapped into the zeitgeist with \u003cem>Jonah Who Will be 25 in the Year 2000\u003c/em>, an arthouse hit that depicted a post-hippie, post-revolutionary, quasi-utopian European society. The thirtysomething parents in the film — and by extension, their country — were messy and mistake-prone, sure, but well-intentioned, kind and optimistic.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994607\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A scene from ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu. (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Maybe \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> depicts the inevitable aftermath of that generation of permissiveness and experimentation. The instincts to nurture and protect still exist, but they are swaddled in too many regulations, rules and procedures.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mingiu aims to position the Gheorghius as victims of an implacable system with endless power and resources. They have few options, and their decisions should have us on pins and needles. Even before its curious final shot, though, \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> feels like a parable more than real life.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Fjord’ opens in Bay Area theaters on Friday, Oct. 9.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13994504/review-fjord-movie-film-religious-family-norway",
"authors": [
"22"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_74",
"arts_22313"
],
"tags": [
"arts_769",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13994606",
"label": "source_arts_13994504"
},
"arts_13994012": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13994012",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994012",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1789756339000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "sam-green-the-oldest-person-in-the-world-documentary",
"title": "Sam Green’s Latest Documentary Searches for Longevity and Meaning",
"publishDate": 1789756339,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Sam Green’s Latest Documentary Searches for Longevity and Meaning | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\n\u003cp>Every new Sam Green documentary is an event. It has a lot to do with his unique in-person presentation/performance of works like \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://utopiainfourmovements.com/\">Utopia in Four Movements\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2010), \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://buckminsterfullerfilm.com/\">The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2012, with live accompaniment by Yo La Tengo), \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://athousandthoughts.film/\">A Thousand Thoughts\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2018, live with Kronos Quartet) and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13931594/32-sounds-sam-green-documentary-live-film\">32 Sounds\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2022, live with JD Samson).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Another special quality of Green’s films, though, is that they proffer a genuine invitation — wide open, no obligation — into curious crannies and nooks of our life on Earth. As interviewer and narrator, Green is an empathetic and acutely nonjudgmental witness of whoever is in front of his camera. He oozes both wonder and respect at his subjects’ singular passions or off-the-wall perspectives.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>His narrator persona is Curious Everyman Philosopher, and I imagine Green’s mantra to be something like, “Life — no, \u003cem>people\u003c/em> — are stranger and deeper and richer than I could have ever imagined, and I am so lucky that I found a job that pays me to meet them.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Director-Sam-Green-in-studio_credit-Catalina-Kulczar.jpg\" alt=\"white man with gray hair smiles in front of wall covered in movie posters and photographs\" class=\"wp-image-13994033\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Director-Sam-Green-in-studio_credit-Catalina-Kulczar.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Director-Sam-Green-in-studio_credit-Catalina-Kulczar-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Director-Sam-Green-in-studio_credit-Catalina-Kulczar-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Director Sam Green in his studio. (Catalina Kulczar)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While that is the Sam Green that comes through in his films, I also knew him personally during his pivotal years in the vibrant local documentary scene after he got a master’s degree in journalism at UC Berkeley in the 1990s. He made the remarkable \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://archive.org/details/rainbowman\">The Rainbow Man/John 3:16\u003c/a>\u003c/em> and the 2004 Academy Award-nominated \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.theweatherunderground.info/\">The Weather Underground\u003c/a>\u003c/em> in the Bay Area before moving back to the East Coast, and it’s fair to say he developed his collaborative skills as well as his voice here.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One of the corollaries of Green being a lovely guy is that his films are designed and constructed to continually allow each viewer space for their own experience. That can involve a prompt (the surprising audio slices that comprise the brilliant \u003cem>32 Sounds\u003c/em>, for example) that makes us remember a departed loved one, or that triggers a free-associating reverie that (speaking from personal experience) evokes the ephemeral, mysterious sensation of being human and alive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While Green was our guide through his last several films, he casts himself as the protagonist of his latest work, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.theoldestperson.com/\">The Oldest Person in the World\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (screening around the Bay Area Sept. 20–22, with the filmmaker in person at all shows). The new film, which premiered (like nearly all his films) at Sundance and screened at SFFILM in April, is the director’s most personal work, incorporating his young son, deceased brother and nonagenarian mother. It is also, to me, his least compelling film.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For more than a decade, Green has filmed the current (and inevitably temporary) holder of the Guinness World Record for \u003ca href=\"https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/84549-oldest-person-living\">oldest person in the world\u003c/a>. He found a poignant way to insert a segment on the subject into a previous film; here he places that pursuit at the center of the proceedings, beginning with Brooklyn resident Susannah Mushatt Jones in 2015 and continuing to the present.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1026\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-3-Susannah-Mushatt-Jones-age-116_credit-Yoni-Brook.jpg\" alt=\"old Black woman faces large birthday cake with poeple around her\" class=\"wp-image-13994035\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-3-Susannah-Mushatt-Jones-age-116_credit-Yoni-Brook.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-3-Susannah-Mushatt-Jones-age-116_credit-Yoni-Brook-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-3-Susannah-Mushatt-Jones-age-116_credit-Yoni-Brook-768x492.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-3-Susannah-Mushatt-Jones-age-116_credit-Yoni-Brook-1536x985.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Susannah Mushatt Jones at 116. (Yoni Brook)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The problem is that while our first response to most Guinness records is “Yowsa! That’s incredible!,” our next thought is, “OK, but what does it actually mean? What does that cool factoid tell us about our world?” The answer, in most cases, is not much.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For some reason, Green asks the oldest living people the same pedestrian question that every TV reporter asks: “What’s your secret?” That proves to be another dead end, as nobody has an illuminating or satisfying answer.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Green realizes that he isn’t looking for lessons to live by from these folks so much as probing why the rest of us — generally in our active primes with ample possibilities to pick from—are fascinated by and seemingly envious of their longevity. (Green doesn’t comment on their frailty, diminished mobility, proximate need for round-the-clock care, the circumscribed routine of their day-to-day — none of which we look forward to.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-2-Emma-Morano-age-114_2013_credit-Roberto-Masiero.jpg\" alt=\"old smiling woman in knit shawl next to framed pictures of younger woman and baby\" class=\"wp-image-13994034\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-2-Emma-Morano-age-114_2013_credit-Roberto-Masiero.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-2-Emma-Morano-age-114_2013_credit-Roberto-Masiero-160x128.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-2-Emma-Morano-age-114_2013_credit-Roberto-Masiero-768x614.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-2-Emma-Morano-age-114_2013_credit-Roberto-Masiero-1536x1229.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Emma Morano, age 114 in 2013. (Roberto Masiero)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I think he’s reaching for our default setting that life is precious and finite and cherished. To that end, the filmmaker grapples with the loss of his brother by suicide 15 years earlier, and the arrival of his first child some 10 years ago. Green has never been a sentimentalist, though, and his voice-over, to my ears, wavers without finding the right through line between hard knocks and soft-centered.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The sticky, tricky truth about life — both living it and looking back on it — is that the profound and the banal go hand in hand. The same could be said of moviemaking. The relative success of turning a rare snippet of decades-old home-movie footage of Green and his brother, or of Green’s small kid saying the “darndest” things in response to his dad’s questions, into an emotional or dramatic moment is, for better and worse, in the eye of the beholder.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Consequently, as with all of his films, watching \u003cem>The Oldest Person in the World\u003c/em> is a personal experience. Green’s musings about presence and absence, and film’s ability to freeze moments and memorialize the dead, will speak to many people. In my case, cinematic immortality works better with Greta Garbo and Tim Curry than with my family.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘The Oldest Person in the World’ screens Sept. 19 at 2:30 pm at the \u003ca href=\"https://rialtocinemas.com/now-playing-elm/the-oldest-person-in-the-world-elm/\">Rialto Elmwood\u003c/a> (2966 College Ave., Berkeley); Sept. 20 and 22, 2026 at the \u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/the-oldest-person-in-the-world/\">Roxie Theater\u003c/a> (3116 16th St., San Francisco); and Sept. 20 at the \u003ca href=\"https://cinema.cafilm.org/film/the-oldest-person-in-the-world\">Smith Rafael Film Center\u003c/a> in (1118 Fourth St., San Rafael).\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sam Green will be in person for Q&As after each screening.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Every new Sam Green documentary is an event. It has a lot to do with his unique in-person presentation/performance of works like \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://utopiainfourmovements.com/\">Utopia in Four Movements\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2010), \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://buckminsterfullerfilm.com/\">The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2012, with live accompaniment by Yo La Tengo), \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://athousandthoughts.film/\">A Thousand Thoughts\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2018, live with Kronos Quartet) and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13931594/32-sounds-sam-green-documentary-live-film\">32 Sounds\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2022, live with JD Samson).\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Every new Sam Green documentary is an event. It has a lot to do with his unique in-person presentation/performance of works like \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://utopiainfourmovements.com/\">Utopia in Four Movements\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2010), \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://buckminsterfullerfilm.com/\">The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2012, with live accompaniment by Yo La Tengo), \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://athousandthoughts.film/\">A Thousand Thoughts\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2018, live with Kronos Quartet) and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13931594/32-sounds-sam-green-documentary-live-film\">32 Sounds\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2022, live with JD Samson).\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Another special quality of Green’s films, though, is that they proffer a genuine invitation — wide open, no obligation — into curious crannies and nooks of our life on Earth. As interviewer and narrator, Green is an empathetic and acutely nonjudgmental witness of whoever is in front of his camera. He oozes both wonder and respect at his subjects’ singular passions or off-the-wall perspectives.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Another special quality of Green’s films, though, is that they proffer a genuine invitation — wide open, no obligation — into curious crannies and nooks of our life on Earth. As interviewer and narrator, Green is an empathetic and acutely nonjudgmental witness of whoever is in front of his camera. He oozes both wonder and respect at his subjects’ singular passions or off-the-wall perspectives.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>His narrator persona is Curious Everyman Philosopher, and I imagine Green’s mantra to be something like, “Life — no, \u003cem>people\u003c/em> — are stranger and deeper and richer than I could have ever imagined, and I am so lucky that I found a job that pays me to meet them.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>His narrator persona is Curious Everyman Philosopher, and I imagine Green’s mantra to be something like, “Life — no, \u003cem>people\u003c/em> — are stranger and deeper and richer than I could have ever imagined, and I am so lucky that I found a job that pays me to meet them.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994033,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "white man with gray hair smiles in front of wall covered in movie posters and photographs",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Director-Sam-Green-in-studio_credit-Catalina-Kulczar.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Director-Sam-Green-in-studio_credit-Catalina-Kulczar-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Director-Sam-Green-in-studio_credit-Catalina-Kulczar-768x512.jpg 768w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Director-Sam-Green-in-studio_credit-Catalina-Kulczar.jpg\" alt=\"white man with gray hair smiles in front of wall covered in movie posters and photographs\" class=\"wp-image-13994033\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Director-Sam-Green-in-studio_credit-Catalina-Kulczar.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Director-Sam-Green-in-studio_credit-Catalina-Kulczar-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Director-Sam-Green-in-studio_credit-Catalina-Kulczar-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Director Sam Green in his studio.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Catalina Kulczar)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Director-Sam-Green-in-studio_credit-Catalina-Kulczar.jpg\" alt=\"white man with gray hair smiles in front of wall covered in movie posters and photographs\" class=\"wp-image-13994033\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Director Sam Green in his studio.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Catalina Kulczar)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While that is the Sam Green that comes through in his films, I also knew him personally during his pivotal years in the vibrant local documentary scene after he got a master’s degree in journalism at UC Berkeley in the 1990s. He made the remarkable \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://archive.org/details/rainbowman\">The Rainbow Man/John 3:16\u003c/a>\u003c/em> and the 2004 Academy Award-nominated \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.theweatherunderground.info/\">The Weather Underground\u003c/a>\u003c/em> in the Bay Area before moving back to the East Coast, and it’s fair to say he developed his collaborative skills as well as his voice here.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>While that is the Sam Green that comes through in his films, I also knew him personally during his pivotal years in the vibrant local documentary scene after he got a master’s degree in journalism at UC Berkeley in the 1990s. He made the remarkable \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://archive.org/details/rainbowman\">The Rainbow Man/John 3:16\u003c/a>\u003c/em> and the 2004 Academy Award-nominated \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.theweatherunderground.info/\">The Weather Underground\u003c/a>\u003c/em> in the Bay Area before moving back to the East Coast, and it’s fair to say he developed his collaborative skills as well as his voice here.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"arts_13931594"
],
"labelWasCleared": true,
"query": "",
"label": "",
"maxPosts": 3,
"showImages": true,
"heroImage": "",
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One of the corollaries of Green being a lovely guy is that his films are designed and constructed to continually allow each viewer space for their own experience. That can involve a prompt (the surprising audio slices that comprise the brilliant \u003cem>32 Sounds\u003c/em>, for example) that makes us remember a departed loved one, or that triggers a free-associating reverie that (speaking from personal experience) evokes the ephemeral, mysterious sensation of being human and alive.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>One of the corollaries of Green being a lovely guy is that his films are designed and constructed to continually allow each viewer space for their own experience. That can involve a prompt (the surprising audio slices that comprise the brilliant \u003cem>32 Sounds\u003c/em>, for example) that makes us remember a departed loved one, or that triggers a free-associating reverie that (speaking from personal experience) evokes the ephemeral, mysterious sensation of being human and alive.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While Green was our guide through his last several films, he casts himself as the protagonist of his latest work, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.theoldestperson.com/\">The Oldest Person in the World\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (screening around the Bay Area Sept. 20–22, with the filmmaker in person at all shows). The new film, which premiered (like nearly all his films) at Sundance and screened at SFFILM in April, is the director’s most personal work, incorporating his young son, deceased brother and nonagenarian mother. It is also, to me, his least compelling film.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>While Green was our guide through his last several films, he casts himself as the protagonist of his latest work, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.theoldestperson.com/\">The Oldest Person in the World\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (screening around the Bay Area Sept. 20–22, with the filmmaker in person at all shows). The new film, which premiered (like nearly all his films) at Sundance and screened at SFFILM in April, is the director’s most personal work, incorporating his young son, deceased brother and nonagenarian mother. It is also, to me, his least compelling film.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For more than a decade, Green has filmed the current (and inevitably temporary) holder of the Guinness World Record for \u003ca href=\"https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/84549-oldest-person-living\">oldest person in the world\u003c/a>. He found a poignant way to insert a segment on the subject into a previous film; here he places that pursuit at the center of the proceedings, beginning with Brooklyn resident Susannah Mushatt Jones in 2015 and continuing to the present.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>For more than a decade, Green has filmed the current (and inevitably temporary) holder of the Guinness World Record for \u003ca href=\"https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/84549-oldest-person-living\">oldest person in the world\u003c/a>. He found a poignant way to insert a segment on the subject into a previous film; here he places that pursuit at the center of the proceedings, beginning with Brooklyn resident Susannah Mushatt Jones in 2015 and continuing to the present.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994035,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "old Black woman faces large birthday cake with poeple around her",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-3-Susannah-Mushatt-Jones-age-116_credit-Yoni-Brook.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-3-Susannah-Mushatt-Jones-age-116_credit-Yoni-Brook-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-3-Susannah-Mushatt-Jones-age-116_credit-Yoni-Brook-768x492.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-3-Susannah-Mushatt-Jones-age-116_credit-Yoni-Brook-1536x985.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-3-Susannah-Mushatt-Jones-age-116_credit-Yoni-Brook.jpg\" alt=\"old Black woman faces large birthday cake with poeple around her\" class=\"wp-image-13994035\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-3-Susannah-Mushatt-Jones-age-116_credit-Yoni-Brook.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-3-Susannah-Mushatt-Jones-age-116_credit-Yoni-Brook-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-3-Susannah-Mushatt-Jones-age-116_credit-Yoni-Brook-768x492.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-3-Susannah-Mushatt-Jones-age-116_credit-Yoni-Brook-1536x985.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Susannah Mushatt Jones at 116.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Yoni Brook)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-3-Susannah-Mushatt-Jones-age-116_credit-Yoni-Brook.jpg\" alt=\"old Black woman faces large birthday cake with poeple around her\" class=\"wp-image-13994035\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Susannah Mushatt Jones at 116.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Yoni Brook)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The problem is that while our first response to most Guinness records is “Yowsa! That’s incredible!,” our next thought is, “OK, but what does it actually mean? What does that cool factoid tell us about our world?” The answer, in most cases, is not much.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The problem is that while our first response to most Guinness records is “Yowsa! That’s incredible!,” our next thought is, “OK, but what does it actually mean? What does that cool factoid tell us about our world?” The answer, in most cases, is not much.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For some reason, Green asks the oldest living people the same pedestrian question that every TV reporter asks: “What’s your secret?” That proves to be another dead end, as nobody has an illuminating or satisfying answer.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>For some reason, Green asks the oldest living people the same pedestrian question that every TV reporter asks: “What’s your secret?” That proves to be another dead end, as nobody has an illuminating or satisfying answer.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Green realizes that he isn’t looking for lessons to live by from these folks so much as probing why the rest of us — generally in our active primes with ample possibilities to pick from—are fascinated by and seemingly envious of their longevity. (Green doesn’t comment on their frailty, diminished mobility, proximate need for round-the-clock care, the circumscribed routine of their day-to-day — none of which we look forward to.)\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Green realizes that he isn’t looking for lessons to live by from these folks so much as probing why the rest of us — generally in our active primes with ample possibilities to pick from—are fascinated by and seemingly envious of their longevity. (Green doesn’t comment on their frailty, diminished mobility, proximate need for round-the-clock care, the circumscribed routine of their day-to-day — none of which we look forward to.)\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994034,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "old smiling woman in knit shawl next to framed pictures of younger woman and baby",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-2-Emma-Morano-age-114_2013_credit-Roberto-Masiero.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-2-Emma-Morano-age-114_2013_credit-Roberto-Masiero-160x128.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-2-Emma-Morano-age-114_2013_credit-Roberto-Masiero-768x614.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-2-Emma-Morano-age-114_2013_credit-Roberto-Masiero-1536x1229.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-2-Emma-Morano-age-114_2013_credit-Roberto-Masiero.jpg\" alt=\"old smiling woman in knit shawl next to framed pictures of younger woman and baby\" class=\"wp-image-13994034\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-2-Emma-Morano-age-114_2013_credit-Roberto-Masiero.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-2-Emma-Morano-age-114_2013_credit-Roberto-Masiero-160x128.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-2-Emma-Morano-age-114_2013_credit-Roberto-Masiero-768x614.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-2-Emma-Morano-age-114_2013_credit-Roberto-Masiero-1536x1229.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Emma Morano, age 114 in 2013.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Roberto Masiero)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-2-Emma-Morano-age-114_2013_credit-Roberto-Masiero.jpg\" alt=\"old smiling woman in knit shawl next to framed pictures of younger woman and baby\" class=\"wp-image-13994034\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Emma Morano, age 114 in 2013.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Roberto Masiero)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I think he’s reaching for our default setting that life is precious and finite and cherished. To that end, the filmmaker grapples with the loss of his brother by suicide 15 years earlier, and the arrival of his first child some 10 years ago. Green has never been a sentimentalist, though, and his voice-over, to my ears, wavers without finding the right through line between hard knocks and soft-centered.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>I think he’s reaching for our default setting that life is precious and finite and cherished. To that end, the filmmaker grapples with the loss of his brother by suicide 15 years earlier, and the arrival of his first child some 10 years ago. Green has never been a sentimentalist, though, and his voice-over, to my ears, wavers without finding the right through line between hard knocks and soft-centered.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The sticky, tricky truth about life — both living it and looking back on it — is that the profound and the banal go hand in hand. The same could be said of moviemaking. The relative success of turning a rare snippet of decades-old home-movie footage of Green and his brother, or of Green’s small kid saying the “darndest” things in response to his dad’s questions, into an emotional or dramatic moment is, for better and worse, in the eye of the beholder.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The sticky, tricky truth about life — both living it and looking back on it — is that the profound and the banal go hand in hand. The same could be said of moviemaking. The relative success of turning a rare snippet of decades-old home-movie footage of Green and his brother, or of Green’s small kid saying the “darndest” things in response to his dad’s questions, into an emotional or dramatic moment is, for better and worse, in the eye of the beholder.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Consequently, as with all of his films, watching \u003cem>The Oldest Person in the World\u003c/em> is a personal experience. Green’s musings about presence and absence, and film’s ability to freeze moments and memorialize the dead, will speak to many people. In my case, cinematic immortality works better with Greta Garbo and Tim Curry than with my family.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Consequently, as with all of his films, watching \u003cem>The Oldest Person in the World\u003c/em> is a personal experience. Green’s musings about presence and absence, and film’s ability to freeze moments and memorialize the dead, will speak to many people. In my case, cinematic immortality works better with Greta Garbo and Tim Curry than with my family.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/separator",
"attrs": {
"opacity": "alpha-channel",
"tagName": "hr"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘The Oldest Person in the World’ screens Sept. 19 at 2:30 pm at the \u003ca href=\"https://rialtocinemas.com/now-playing-elm/the-oldest-person-in-the-world-elm/\">Rialto Elmwood\u003c/a> (2966 College Ave., Berkeley); Sept. 20 and 22, 2026 at the \u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/the-oldest-person-in-the-world/\">Roxie Theater\u003c/a> (3116 16th St., San Francisco); and Sept. 20 at the \u003ca href=\"https://cinema.cafilm.org/film/the-oldest-person-in-the-world\">Smith Rafael Film Center\u003c/a> in (1118 Fourth St., San Rafael).\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘The Oldest Person in the World’ screens Sept. 19 at 2:30 pm at the \u003ca href=\"https://rialtocinemas.com/now-playing-elm/the-oldest-person-in-the-world-elm/\">Rialto Elmwood\u003c/a> (2966 College Ave., Berkeley); Sept. 20 and 22, 2026 at the \u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/the-oldest-person-in-the-world/\">Roxie Theater\u003c/a> (3116 16th St., San Francisco); and Sept. 20 at the \u003ca href=\"https://cinema.cafilm.org/film/the-oldest-person-in-the-world\">Smith Rafael Film Center\u003c/a> in (1118 Fourth St., San Rafael).\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sam Green will be in person for Q&As after each screening.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sam Green will be in person for Q&As after each screening.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "In ‘The Oldest Person in the World,’ the filmmaker grapples with aging, mortality and life’s other great mysteries.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1789756347,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 16,
"wordCount": 947
},
"headData": {
"title": "‘The Oldest Person in the World’ Film: A Search for Meaning | KQED",
"description": "In ‘The Oldest Person in the World,’ the filmmaker grapples with aging, mortality and life’s other great mysteries.",
"ogTitle": "Sam Green’s Latest Documentary Searches for Longevity and Meaning",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "Sam Green’s Latest Documentary Searches for Longevity and Meaning",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "‘The Oldest Person in the World’ Film: A Search for Meaning %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Sam Green’s Latest Documentary Searches for Longevity and Meaning",
"datePublished": "2026-09-18T11:32:19-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-09-18T11:32:27-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"name": "Arts"
},
"source": "The Do List",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13994012",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13994012/sam-green-the-oldest-person-in-the-world-documentary",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Every new Sam Green documentary is an event. It has a lot to do with his unique in-person presentation/performance of works like \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://utopiainfourmovements.com/\">Utopia in Four Movements\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2010), \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://buckminsterfullerfilm.com/\">The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2012, with live accompaniment by Yo La Tengo), \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://athousandthoughts.film/\">A Thousand Thoughts\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2018, live with Kronos Quartet) and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13931594/32-sounds-sam-green-documentary-live-film\">32 Sounds\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2022, live with JD Samson).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Another special quality of Green’s films, though, is that they proffer a genuine invitation — wide open, no obligation — into curious crannies and nooks of our life on Earth. As interviewer and narrator, Green is an empathetic and acutely nonjudgmental witness of whoever is in front of his camera. He oozes both wonder and respect at his subjects’ singular passions or off-the-wall perspectives.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>His narrator persona is Curious Everyman Philosopher, and I imagine Green’s mantra to be something like, “Life — no, \u003cem>people\u003c/em> — are stranger and deeper and richer than I could have ever imagined, and I am so lucky that I found a job that pays me to meet them.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Director-Sam-Green-in-studio_credit-Catalina-Kulczar.jpg\" alt=\"white man with gray hair smiles in front of wall covered in movie posters and photographs\" class=\"wp-image-13994033\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Director-Sam-Green-in-studio_credit-Catalina-Kulczar.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Director-Sam-Green-in-studio_credit-Catalina-Kulczar-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Director-Sam-Green-in-studio_credit-Catalina-Kulczar-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Director Sam Green in his studio. (Catalina Kulczar)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While that is the Sam Green that comes through in his films, I also knew him personally during his pivotal years in the vibrant local documentary scene after he got a master’s degree in journalism at UC Berkeley in the 1990s. He made the remarkable \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://archive.org/details/rainbowman\">The Rainbow Man/John 3:16\u003c/a>\u003c/em> and the 2004 Academy Award-nominated \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.theweatherunderground.info/\">The Weather Underground\u003c/a>\u003c/em> in the Bay Area before moving back to the East Coast, and it’s fair to say he developed his collaborative skills as well as his voice here.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One of the corollaries of Green being a lovely guy is that his films are designed and constructed to continually allow each viewer space for their own experience. That can involve a prompt (the surprising audio slices that comprise the brilliant \u003cem>32 Sounds\u003c/em>, for example) that makes us remember a departed loved one, or that triggers a free-associating reverie that (speaking from personal experience) evokes the ephemeral, mysterious sensation of being human and alive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While Green was our guide through his last several films, he casts himself as the protagonist of his latest work, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.theoldestperson.com/\">The Oldest Person in the World\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (screening around the Bay Area Sept. 20–22, with the filmmaker in person at all shows). The new film, which premiered (like nearly all his films) at Sundance and screened at SFFILM in April, is the director’s most personal work, incorporating his young son, deceased brother and nonagenarian mother. It is also, to me, his least compelling film.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For more than a decade, Green has filmed the current (and inevitably temporary) holder of the Guinness World Record for \u003ca href=\"https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/84549-oldest-person-living\">oldest person in the world\u003c/a>. He found a poignant way to insert a segment on the subject into a previous film; here he places that pursuit at the center of the proceedings, beginning with Brooklyn resident Susannah Mushatt Jones in 2015 and continuing to the present.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1026\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-3-Susannah-Mushatt-Jones-age-116_credit-Yoni-Brook.jpg\" alt=\"old Black woman faces large birthday cake with poeple around her\" class=\"wp-image-13994035\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-3-Susannah-Mushatt-Jones-age-116_credit-Yoni-Brook.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-3-Susannah-Mushatt-Jones-age-116_credit-Yoni-Brook-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-3-Susannah-Mushatt-Jones-age-116_credit-Yoni-Brook-768x492.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-3-Susannah-Mushatt-Jones-age-116_credit-Yoni-Brook-1536x985.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Susannah Mushatt Jones at 116. (Yoni Brook)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The problem is that while our first response to most Guinness records is “Yowsa! That’s incredible!,” our next thought is, “OK, but what does it actually mean? What does that cool factoid tell us about our world?” The answer, in most cases, is not much.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For some reason, Green asks the oldest living people the same pedestrian question that every TV reporter asks: “What’s your secret?” That proves to be another dead end, as nobody has an illuminating or satisfying answer.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Green realizes that he isn’t looking for lessons to live by from these folks so much as probing why the rest of us — generally in our active primes with ample possibilities to pick from—are fascinated by and seemingly envious of their longevity. (Green doesn’t comment on their frailty, diminished mobility, proximate need for round-the-clock care, the circumscribed routine of their day-to-day — none of which we look forward to.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-2-Emma-Morano-age-114_2013_credit-Roberto-Masiero.jpg\" alt=\"old smiling woman in knit shawl next to framed pictures of younger woman and baby\" class=\"wp-image-13994034\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-2-Emma-Morano-age-114_2013_credit-Roberto-Masiero.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-2-Emma-Morano-age-114_2013_credit-Roberto-Masiero-160x128.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-2-Emma-Morano-age-114_2013_credit-Roberto-Masiero-768x614.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Still-2-Emma-Morano-age-114_2013_credit-Roberto-Masiero-1536x1229.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Emma Morano, age 114 in 2013. (Roberto Masiero)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I think he’s reaching for our default setting that life is precious and finite and cherished. To that end, the filmmaker grapples with the loss of his brother by suicide 15 years earlier, and the arrival of his first child some 10 years ago. Green has never been a sentimentalist, though, and his voice-over, to my ears, wavers without finding the right through line between hard knocks and soft-centered.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The sticky, tricky truth about life — both living it and looking back on it — is that the profound and the banal go hand in hand. The same could be said of moviemaking. The relative success of turning a rare snippet of decades-old home-movie footage of Green and his brother, or of Green’s small kid saying the “darndest” things in response to his dad’s questions, into an emotional or dramatic moment is, for better and worse, in the eye of the beholder.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Consequently, as with all of his films, watching \u003cem>The Oldest Person in the World\u003c/em> is a personal experience. Green’s musings about presence and absence, and film’s ability to freeze moments and memorialize the dead, will speak to many people. In my case, cinematic immortality works better with Greta Garbo and Tim Curry than with my family.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘The Oldest Person in the World’ screens Sept. 19 at 2:30 pm at the \u003ca href=\"https://rialtocinemas.com/now-playing-elm/the-oldest-person-in-the-world-elm/\">Rialto Elmwood\u003c/a> (2966 College Ave., Berkeley); Sept. 20 and 22, 2026 at the \u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/the-oldest-person-in-the-world/\">Roxie Theater\u003c/a> (3116 16th St., San Francisco); and Sept. 20 at the \u003ca href=\"https://cinema.cafilm.org/film/the-oldest-person-in-the-world\">Smith Rafael Film Center\u003c/a> in (1118 Fourth St., San Rafael).\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sam Green will be in person for Q&As after each screening.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13994012/sam-green-the-oldest-person-in-the-world-documentary",
"authors": [
"22"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_74",
"arts_22313"
],
"tags": [
"arts_13672",
"arts_10278",
"arts_977",
"arts_769",
"arts_3163",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13994032",
"label": "source_arts_13994012"
},
"arts_13992827": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13992827",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13992827",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1787756400000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "best-movies-film-festivals-fall-2026-sf-bampfa-mvff",
"title": "The 11 Best Films and Festivals to See This Fall",
"publishDate": 1787756400,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "The 11 Best Films and Festivals to See This Fall | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cem>Be sure to check out our full \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/arts/tag/fall-guide-2026\">2026 Fall Arts Guide\u003c/a> to live music, movies, art, theater, festivals and more in the Bay Area.\u003c/em>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Bay Area is fertile ground for film festivals year-round, but peak harvest season arrives in September and October. Toss in a bumper crop of ambitious (and political) wide releases and some tasty revivals from cinema’s past and we have the fixings for a fabulous fall feast. And that’s before the avalanche of Oscar-touted movies arrives around the holidays.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are so many intriguing choices that the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive retrospective \u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/martin-scorsese-pictures\">Martin Scorsese Pictures\u003c/a> (Sept. 5, 2026–June 2027) and the SF Silent Film Festival’s centennial celebration of Buster Keaton’s still-astounding \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://silentfilm.org/event/buster-keatons-the-general/\">The General\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (Sept. 18 at the Orinda Theater with live musical accompaniment) didn’t make my cut. Nor did a pair of long-awaited adaptations of female-powered novels, \u003cem>Verity\u003c/em> (starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, opening Oct. 2) and \u003cem>Klara and the Sun\u003c/em> (Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams, Oct. 23). Have I whetted your appetite?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000.jpg\" alt=\"disheveled white man in medieval peasant clothes \" class=\"wp-image-13992922\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andrew Garfield stars as Ploughman in director Paul Greengrass’ ‘The Uprising.’ (Focus Features)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘The Uprising’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Opens Sept. 11, 2026\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the late 1300s, still mourning their plague deaths, England’s overtaxed farmers organized against the elites who manipulated teenage King Richard II for their own benefit. Lacking the right to vote, the populace had few options besides rebellion. (Unrelated public service announcement: Election Day is Nov. 3.) Paul Greengrass (\u003cem>The Last Bus\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Captain Phillips\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Bloody Sunday\u003c/em>) has a penchant for unlikely heroes, and casts Andrew Garfield as a slight, bearded, principled widower who emerges as one of the leaders. Kill the rich! No kings! Up the revolution! Volunteers, anyone?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1034\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WesternSnowyPlover_2000.jpg\" alt=\"small puffy shorebird on sand with foam of waves behind\" class=\"wp-image-13992927\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WesternSnowyPlover_2000.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WesternSnowyPlover_2000-160x86.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WesternSnowyPlover_2000-768x414.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WesternSnowyPlover_2000-1536x827.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from Danny Roberts’ short documentary ‘The Western Snowy Plover,’ screening as part of SF CritterFest. (Courtesy of the filmmaker)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://sfcritterfest.eventive.org/welcome\">SF CritterFest\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sept. 17–20, 2026\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>4 Star Theater, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SF IndieFest family has a new sibling in this vocal and colorful compendium of movies starring the animal kingdom, wild and domestic (with a couple human cameos). Head honcho Jeff Ross and ace programmers Chris Metzler and Jason Wolos return to the 4 Star Oct. 15–22 with the très cool \u003ca href=\"https://filmfreeway.com/sfgreenfilmfest\">Green Film Festival\u003c/a> of San Francisco and the \u003ca href=\"https://filmfreeway.com/SFShorts\">San Francisco Short Film Festival\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007.jpg\" alt=\"young man leans back against ferry railing with eyes closed and cigarette in hand\" class=\"wp-image-13992931\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from Levan Akin’s ‘Crossing,’ 2024. (BAMPFA)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/georgian-cinema-now-part-1\">Georgian Cinema Now: Part 1\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sept. 23–Oct. 2, 2026\u003cbr>Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For over a decade, Director of Film and Senior Film Curator Susan Oxtoby has shared with Bay Area audiences her affinity for the underappreciated films of the small nation of Georgia. Now, when the country’s authoritarian rulers are punishing all forms of free speech — uh, I’m talking about Georgia — BAMPFA embarks on a year-long act of cultural solidarity. In the first leg, nine filmmakers and scholars bring their art, ideas and struggle to the Bay Area for 10 days. (In addition to Georgia and \u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/martin-scorsese-pictures\">Scorsese\u003c/a>, this fall BAMPFA also showcases rare and classic \u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/hong-kong-cinema-rarities-and-restorations\">Hong Kong movies\u003c/a> and the late ’50s-early ’60s masterpieces of \u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/kobayashi\">Masaki Kobayashi\u003c/a>. Just … wow.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1036\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11.jpg\" alt=\"woman looks mysterious in round sunglasses\" class=\"wp-image-13992933\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11-160x86.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11-768x414.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11-1536x829.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from Angie Chen’s ‘My Name Ain’t Suzie (Fa gai si doi),’ 1985. (SF Film Preserve)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"Festival%20of%20Restoration%20and%20Rediscovery\">Re:Vision: Festival of Restoration and Rediscovery\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sept. 24–27, 2026\u003cbr>Roxie Theater, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Access must be the end point of all preservation initiatives,” declares the website of the San Francisco Film Preserve. The SFFP’s inaugural festival collects 14 rarely seen features — excavated treasure for cinephiles — each paired with a short. Angie Chen’s grittily affirmational 1985 drama \u003cem>My Name Ain’t Suzie\u003c/em>, set in the brothels of Hong Kong after World War II, kicks off the weekend. Every program is catnip, but none more than \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/revision-lepers-sex-aka-santo-vs-the-riders-of-terror/\">Lepers & Sex AKA Santo vs The Riders of Terror\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, Rene Cardona’s 1970 entry in the long-running El Santo franchise chronicling the action adventures of a good-guy Mexican wrestler in a silver mask. That’s entertainment!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WildHorseNine_2000.jpg\" alt=\"two men sit in grasses at foot of Easter Island head sculptures\" class=\"wp-image-13992935\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WildHorseNine_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WildHorseNine_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WildHorseNine_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WildHorseNine_2000-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich in Martin McDonagh’s ‘Wild Horse Nine,’ 2026. (Diego Araya Corvalán/Searchlight Pictures)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.mvff.com/\">Mill Valley Film Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oct. 1–11, 2026\u003cbr>Various locations\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 49th edition of Marin County’s sun-dappled autumn jewel is the first since beloved creative director Zoe Elton transitioned to a part-time role and Rose Kuo came aboard as artistic director. The lineup always boasts a fine selection of local documentaries and foreign fiction gems, as well as a tempting array of arthouse titles poised for end-of-year kudos. Irish writer-director Martin McDonagh will be on hand opening night to present \u003cem>Wild Horse Nine\u003c/em> (opening Nov. 6 in theaters), his follow-up to \u003cem>The Banshees of Inisherin\u003c/em>. Sam Rockwell, who stars opposite John Malkovich, will be honored the following night with a tribute. The festival introduces two sections this year, New Directors (first and second features) and Animation (for adults). Keep an eye out for \u003cem>Clarissa\u003c/em>, an adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s \u003cem>Mrs. Dalloway\u003c/em> set in contemporary Nigeria that opens at the end of the year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Digger_2000.jpg\" alt=\"older white man raises arms in auditorium with large crowd watching\" class=\"wp-image-13992934\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Digger_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Digger_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Digger_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Digger_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell in a scene from Alejandro Iñárritu’s ‘Digger,’ 2026. (Warner Bros. Pictures)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Digger’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Opens Oct. 2, 2026\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The gifted Alejandro G. Iñárritu (\u003cem>The Revenant\u003c/em>) is back, finally, after the critically dismissed, occasionally indulgent and altogether jaw-dropping \u003cem>Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths\u003c/em> (dive into Netflix’s depths to find it). Inspired, presumably, by the current plague of insufferable billionaire megalomaniacs, \u003cem>Digger\u003c/em> centers on a larger-than-life, louder-than-God oilman (T. Boone Pickens meets Slim Pickens) who triggers a global catastrophe that he, and only he, can thwart. Extending Iñárritu’s streak of casting Hollywood unknowns, some dude named Tom Cruise tries his hand at black comedy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.drunkenfilmfest.com/\">Drunken Film Festival Oakland\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oct. 4–9, 2026\u003cbr>Various locations\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Raise your glass, put down your phone and focus on the screen. This is an art function, not a social event. Who am I kidding? Every film festival takes creators seriously, of course, but the Drunken — by virtue of its bar-hopping ambience — encourages you to participate in a way you might not (or are frowned at) in a theater.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/SocialReckoning.jpg\" alt=\"a white man in a gray sweatshirt sits very upright at a desk with large headphones around neck\" class=\"wp-image-13993357\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/SocialReckoning.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/SocialReckoning-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/SocialReckoning-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jeremy Strong stars as Mark Zuckerberg in Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The Social Reckoning.’ (Sony Pictures)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘The Social Reckoning’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Opens Oct. 9, 2026\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sixteen years after penning \u003cem>The Social Network\u003c/em> (2010), which made the slippery Silicon Valley nebbish Mark Zuckerberg a household name, Aaron Sorkin has written and directed a sequel. This chapter revisits the fallout after the 2021 leak of an internal document describing Facebook’s adverse effects on teenage users. “Profits over people” is plainly a recurring theme this fall, though I’m most curious to see/hear Mikey Madison (\u003cem>Anora\u003c/em>), Jeremy Allen White (\u003cem>The Bear\u003c/em>) and Jeremy Strong (\u003cem>Succession\u003c/em>) deliver Sorkin’s rhythmic lines while walking in circles.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fatherland2.jpeg\" alt=\"black and white image of woman and older man, sitting at table\" class=\"wp-image-13992936\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fatherland2.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fatherland2-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fatherland2-768x432.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from Paweł Pawlikowski’s ‘Fatherland,’ 2026. (MUBI)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Fatherland’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Opens Oct. 23, 2026\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You might pigeonhole Paweł Pawlikowski (\u003cem>Ida\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Cold War\u003c/em>) as a writer-director of gorgeously shot, black-and-white travelogues through postwar Europe. That’s OK with me. \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Santayana\">Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it\u003c/a>, don’t you know. Pawlikowski received the Best Director award at Cannes for this fictionalized 1949 road trip taken by the renowned German writer Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler) and his daughter Erika (Sandra Hüller). If you are interested in the intersection of art and politics (\u003cem>and\u003c/em> history, of course), \u003cem>Fatherland\u003c/em> is a must-see.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://sffilm.org/event/doc-stories-2026/#sffilm-event-description\">Doc Stories\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nov. 5–8, 2026\u003cbr>Vogue Theatre, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>SFFILM’s stellar concentration of pithy nonfiction is invariably thought-provoking and big fun. An odd thing to say about often-dismal reality, I know. But if a subject fascinates a good filmmaker, the odds are excellent that they will convey that interest in an interesting way. A contingent of local filmmakers turns up for most programs, and you might find yourself eavesdropping on their conversations outside the theater afterward.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Madden_2000.jpg\" alt=\"two men on football field punch fists toward camera with championship rings on fingers, one holds a football\" class=\"wp-image-13992937\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Madden_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Madden_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Madden_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Madden_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Christian Bale as Al Davis and Nicolas Cage as John Madden in ‘Madden.’ (Amazon MGM Studios)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Madden’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Streaming Nov. 18, 2026\u003cbr>Prime Video\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ahoy, East Bay pirates, dig out your silver and black. The late, great John Madden, everyone’s favorite football coach and television announcer, is heading your way. The producers enlisted another unique character, Nicolas Cage, to play him. Christian Bale rekindles our love-hate relationship with Raiders owner Al Davis, while Kathryn Hahn portrays Virginia Madden. David O. Russell’s biopic is slated for an Oscar-qualifying, one-week release but not a theatrical run, which is fitting since its subject was a longtime denizen of the small screen.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cem>Be sure to check out our full \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/arts/tag/fall-guide-2026\">2026 Fall Arts Guide\u003c/a> to live music, movies, art, theater, festivals and more in the Bay Area.\u003c/em>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cem>Be sure to check out our full \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/arts/tag/fall-guide-2026\">2026 Fall Arts Guide\u003c/a> to live music, movies, art, theater, festivals and more in the Bay Area.\u003c/em>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Bay Area is fertile ground for film festivals year-round, but peak harvest season arrives in September and October. Toss in a bumper crop of ambitious (and political) wide releases and some tasty revivals from cinema’s past and we have the fixings for a fabulous fall feast. And that’s before the avalanche of Oscar-touted movies arrives around the holidays.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The Bay Area is fertile ground for film festivals year-round, but peak harvest season arrives in September and October. Toss in a bumper crop of ambitious (and political) wide releases and some tasty revivals from cinema’s past and we have the fixings for a fabulous fall feast. And that’s before the avalanche of Oscar-touted movies arrives around the holidays.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There are so many intriguing choices that the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive retrospective \u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/martin-scorsese-pictures\">Martin Scorsese Pictures\u003c/a> (Sept. 5, 2026–June 2027) and the SF Silent Film Festival’s centennial celebration of Buster Keaton’s still-astounding \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://silentfilm.org/event/buster-keatons-the-general/\">The General\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (Sept. 18 at the Orinda Theater with live musical accompaniment) didn’t make my cut. Nor did a pair of long-awaited adaptations of female-powered novels, \u003cem>Verity\u003c/em> (starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, opening Oct. 2) and \u003cem>Klara and the Sun\u003c/em> (Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams, Oct. 23). Have I whetted your appetite?\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>There are so many intriguing choices that the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive retrospective \u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/martin-scorsese-pictures\">Martin Scorsese Pictures\u003c/a> (Sept. 5, 2026–June 2027) and the SF Silent Film Festival’s centennial celebration of Buster Keaton’s still-astounding \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://silentfilm.org/event/buster-keatons-the-general/\">The General\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (Sept. 18 at the Orinda Theater with live musical accompaniment) didn’t make my cut. Nor did a pair of long-awaited adaptations of female-powered novels, \u003cem>Verity\u003c/em> (starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, opening Oct. 2) and \u003cem>Klara and the Sun\u003c/em> (Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams, Oct. 23). Have I whetted your appetite?\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13992922,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Focus Features",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000-1200x675.jpg 1200w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)",
"alt": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000.jpg\" alt=\"disheveled white man in medieval peasant clothes \" class=\"wp-image-13992922\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andrew Garfield stars as Ploughman in director Paul Greengrass’ ‘The Uprising.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000.jpg\" alt=\"disheveled white man in medieval peasant clothes \" class=\"wp-image-13992922\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andrew Garfield stars as Ploughman in director Paul Greengrass’ ‘The Uprising.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "‘The Uprising’",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘The Uprising’\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘The Uprising’\u003c/h2>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Opens Sept. 11, 2026\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Opens Sept. 11, 2026\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the late 1300s, still mourning their plague deaths, England’s overtaxed farmers organized against the elites who manipulated teenage King Richard II for their own benefit. Lacking the right to vote, the populace had few options besides rebellion. (Unrelated public service announcement: Election Day is Nov. 3.) Paul Greengrass (\u003cem>The Last Bus\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Captain Phillips\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Bloody Sunday\u003c/em>) has a penchant for unlikely heroes, and casts Andrew Garfield as a slight, bearded, principled widower who emerges as one of the leaders. Kill the rich! No kings! Up the revolution! Volunteers, anyone?\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In the late 1300s, still mourning their plague deaths, England’s overtaxed farmers organized against the elites who manipulated teenage King Richard II for their own benefit. Lacking the right to vote, the populace had few options besides rebellion. (Unrelated public service announcement: Election Day is Nov. 3.) Paul Greengrass (\u003cem>The Last Bus\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Captain Phillips\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Bloody Sunday\u003c/em>) has a penchant for unlikely heroes, and casts Andrew Garfield as a slight, bearded, principled widower who emerges as one of the leaders. Kill the rich! No kings! Up the revolution! Volunteers, anyone?\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13992927,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Courtesy of the filmmaker",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WesternSnowyPlover_2000.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WesternSnowyPlover_2000-160x86.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WesternSnowyPlover_2000-768x414.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WesternSnowyPlover_2000-1536x827.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)",
"alt": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WesternSnowyPlover_2000.jpg\" alt=\"small puffy shorebird on sand with foam of waves behind\" class=\"wp-image-13992927\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WesternSnowyPlover_2000.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WesternSnowyPlover_2000-160x86.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WesternSnowyPlover_2000-768x414.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WesternSnowyPlover_2000-1536x827.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from Danny Roberts’ short documentary ‘The Western Snowy Plover,’ screening as part of SF CritterFest.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WesternSnowyPlover_2000.jpg\" alt=\"small puffy shorebird on sand with foam of waves behind\" class=\"wp-image-13992927\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from Danny Roberts’ short documentary ‘The Western Snowy Plover,’ screening as part of SF CritterFest.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "SF CritterFest",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://sfcritterfest.eventive.org/welcome\">SF CritterFest\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://sfcritterfest.eventive.org/welcome\">SF CritterFest\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sept. 17–20, 2026\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>4 Star Theater, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sept. 17–20, 2026\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>4 Star Theater, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "fullwidth"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The SF IndieFest family has a new sibling in this vocal and colorful compendium of movies starring the animal kingdom, wild and domestic (with a couple human cameos). Head honcho Jeff Ross and ace programmers Chris Metzler and Jason Wolos return to the 4 Star Oct. 15–22 with the très cool \u003ca href=\"https://filmfreeway.com/sfgreenfilmfest\">Green Film Festival\u003c/a> of San Francisco and the \u003ca href=\"https://filmfreeway.com/SFShorts\">San Francisco Short Film Festival\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The SF IndieFest family has a new sibling in this vocal and colorful compendium of movies starring the animal kingdom, wild and domestic (with a couple human cameos). Head honcho Jeff Ross and ace programmers Chris Metzler and Jason Wolos return to the 4 Star Oct. 15–22 with the très cool \u003ca href=\"https://filmfreeway.com/sfgreenfilmfest\">Green Film Festival\u003c/a> of San Francisco and the \u003ca href=\"https://filmfreeway.com/SFShorts\">San Francisco Short Film Festival\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13992931,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "BAMPFA",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007-1200x675.jpg 1200w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)",
"alt": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007.jpg\" alt=\"young man leans back against ferry railing with eyes closed and cigarette in hand\" class=\"wp-image-13992931\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from Levan Akin’s ‘Crossing,’ 2024.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007.jpg\" alt=\"young man leans back against ferry railing with eyes closed and cigarette in hand\" class=\"wp-image-13992931\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from Levan Akin’s ‘Crossing,’ 2024.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Georgian Cinema Now: Part 1",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/georgian-cinema-now-part-1\">Georgian Cinema Now: Part 1\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/georgian-cinema-now-part-1\">Georgian Cinema Now: Part 1\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sept. 23–Oct. 2, 2026\u003cbr>Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sept. 23–Oct. 2, 2026\u003cbr>Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For over a decade, Director of Film and Senior Film Curator Susan Oxtoby has shared with Bay Area audiences her affinity for the underappreciated films of the small nation of Georgia. Now, when the country’s authoritarian rulers are punishing all forms of free speech — uh, I’m talking about Georgia — BAMPFA embarks on a year-long act of cultural solidarity. In the first leg, nine filmmakers and scholars bring their art, ideas and struggle to the Bay Area for 10 days. (In addition to Georgia and \u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/martin-scorsese-pictures\">Scorsese\u003c/a>, this fall BAMPFA also showcases rare and classic \u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/hong-kong-cinema-rarities-and-restorations\">Hong Kong movies\u003c/a> and the late ’50s-early ’60s masterpieces of \u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/kobayashi\">Masaki Kobayashi\u003c/a>. Just … wow.)\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>For over a decade, Director of Film and Senior Film Curator Susan Oxtoby has shared with Bay Area audiences her affinity for the underappreciated films of the small nation of Georgia. Now, when the country’s authoritarian rulers are punishing all forms of free speech — uh, I’m talking about Georgia — BAMPFA embarks on a year-long act of cultural solidarity. In the first leg, nine filmmakers and scholars bring their art, ideas and struggle to the Bay Area for 10 days. (In addition to Georgia and \u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/martin-scorsese-pictures\">Scorsese\u003c/a>, this fall BAMPFA also showcases rare and classic \u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/hong-kong-cinema-rarities-and-restorations\">Hong Kong movies\u003c/a> and the late ’50s-early ’60s masterpieces of \u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/kobayashi\">Masaki Kobayashi\u003c/a>. Just … wow.)\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13992933,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "SF Film Preserve",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11-160x86.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11-768x414.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11-1536x829.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)",
"alt": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11.jpg\" alt=\"woman looks mysterious in round sunglasses\" class=\"wp-image-13992933\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11-160x86.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11-768x414.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11-1536x829.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from Angie Chen’s ‘My Name Ain’t Suzie (Fa gai si doi),’ 1985.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11.jpg\" alt=\"woman looks mysterious in round sunglasses\" class=\"wp-image-13992933\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from Angie Chen’s ‘My Name Ain’t Suzie (Fa gai si doi),’ 1985.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Re:Vision: Festival of Restoration and Rediscovery",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"Festival of Restoration and Rediscovery\">Re:Vision: Festival of Restoration and Rediscovery\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"Festival of Restoration and Rediscovery\">Re:Vision: Festival of Restoration and Rediscovery\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sept. 24–27, 2026\u003cbr>Roxie Theater, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sept. 24–27, 2026\u003cbr>Roxie Theater, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Access must be the end point of all preservation initiatives,” declares the website of the San Francisco Film Preserve. The SFFP’s inaugural festival collects 14 rarely seen features — excavated treasure for cinephiles — each paired with a short. Angie Chen’s grittily affirmational 1985 drama \u003cem>My Name Ain’t Suzie\u003c/em>, set in the brothels of Hong Kong after World War II, kicks off the weekend. Every program is catnip, but none more than \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/revision-lepers-sex-aka-santo-vs-the-riders-of-terror/\">Lepers & Sex AKA Santo vs The Riders of Terror\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, Rene Cardona’s 1970 entry in the long-running El Santo franchise chronicling the action adventures of a good-guy Mexican wrestler in a silver mask. That’s entertainment!\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“Access must be the end point of all preservation initiatives,” declares the website of the San Francisco Film Preserve. The SFFP’s inaugural festival collects 14 rarely seen features — excavated treasure for cinephiles — each paired with a short. Angie Chen’s grittily affirmational 1985 drama \u003cem>My Name Ain’t Suzie\u003c/em>, set in the brothels of Hong Kong after World War II, kicks off the weekend. Every program is catnip, but none more than \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/revision-lepers-sex-aka-santo-vs-the-riders-of-terror/\">Lepers & Sex AKA Santo vs The Riders of Terror\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, Rene Cardona’s 1970 entry in the long-running El Santo franchise chronicling the action adventures of a good-guy Mexican wrestler in a silver mask. That’s entertainment!\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13992935,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Diego Araya Corvalán/Searchlight Pictures",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WildHorseNine_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WildHorseNine_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WildHorseNine_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WildHorseNine_2000-1536x1025.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)",
"alt": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WildHorseNine_2000.jpg\" alt=\"two men sit in grasses at foot of Easter Island head sculptures\" class=\"wp-image-13992935\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WildHorseNine_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WildHorseNine_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WildHorseNine_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WildHorseNine_2000-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich in Martin McDonagh’s ‘Wild Horse Nine,’ 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WildHorseNine_2000.jpg\" alt=\"two men sit in grasses at foot of Easter Island head sculptures\" class=\"wp-image-13992935\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich in Martin McDonagh’s ‘Wild Horse Nine,’ 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Mill Valley Film Festival",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.mvff.com/\">Mill Valley Film Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.mvff.com/\">Mill Valley Film Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oct. 1–11, 2026\u003cbr>Various locations\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oct. 1–11, 2026\u003cbr>Various locations\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The 49th edition of Marin County’s sun-dappled autumn jewel is the first since beloved creative director Zoe Elton transitioned to a part-time role and Rose Kuo came aboard as artistic director. The lineup always boasts a fine selection of local documentaries and foreign fiction gems, as well as a tempting array of arthouse titles poised for end-of-year kudos. Irish writer-director Martin McDonagh will be on hand opening night to present \u003cem>Wild Horse Nine\u003c/em> (opening Nov. 6 in theaters), his follow-up to \u003cem>The Banshees of Inisherin\u003c/em>. Sam Rockwell, who stars opposite John Malkovich, will be honored the following night with a tribute. The festival introduces two sections this year, New Directors (first and second features) and Animation (for adults). Keep an eye out for \u003cem>Clarissa\u003c/em>, an adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s \u003cem>Mrs. Dalloway\u003c/em> set in contemporary Nigeria that opens at the end of the year.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The 49th edition of Marin County’s sun-dappled autumn jewel is the first since beloved creative director Zoe Elton transitioned to a part-time role and Rose Kuo came aboard as artistic director. The lineup always boasts a fine selection of local documentaries and foreign fiction gems, as well as a tempting array of arthouse titles poised for end-of-year kudos. Irish writer-director Martin McDonagh will be on hand opening night to present \u003cem>Wild Horse Nine\u003c/em> (opening Nov. 6 in theaters), his follow-up to \u003cem>The Banshees of Inisherin\u003c/em>. Sam Rockwell, who stars opposite John Malkovich, will be honored the following night with a tribute. The festival introduces two sections this year, New Directors (first and second features) and Animation (for adults). Keep an eye out for \u003cem>Clarissa\u003c/em>, an adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s \u003cem>Mrs. Dalloway\u003c/em> set in contemporary Nigeria that opens at the end of the year.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13992934,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Warner Bros. Pictures",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Digger_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Digger_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Digger_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Digger_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)",
"alt": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Digger_2000.jpg\" alt=\"older white man raises arms in auditorium with large crowd watching\" class=\"wp-image-13992934\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Digger_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Digger_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Digger_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Digger_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell in a scene from Alejandro Iñárritu’s ‘Digger,’ 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Digger_2000.jpg\" alt=\"older white man raises arms in auditorium with large crowd watching\" class=\"wp-image-13992934\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell in a scene from Alejandro Iñárritu’s ‘Digger,’ 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "‘Digger’",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Digger’\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Digger’\u003c/h2>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Opens Oct. 2, 2026\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Opens Oct. 2, 2026\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The gifted Alejandro G. Iñárritu (\u003cem>The Revenant\u003c/em>) is back, finally, after the critically dismissed, occasionally indulgent and altogether jaw-dropping \u003cem>Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths\u003c/em> (dive into Netflix’s depths to find it). Inspired, presumably, by the current plague of insufferable billionaire megalomaniacs, \u003cem>Digger\u003c/em> centers on a larger-than-life, louder-than-God oilman (T. Boone Pickens meets Slim Pickens) who triggers a global catastrophe that he, and only he, can thwart. Extending Iñárritu’s streak of casting Hollywood unknowns, some dude named Tom Cruise tries his hand at black comedy.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The gifted Alejandro G. Iñárritu (\u003cem>The Revenant\u003c/em>) is back, finally, after the critically dismissed, occasionally indulgent and altogether jaw-dropping \u003cem>Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths\u003c/em> (dive into Netflix’s depths to find it). Inspired, presumably, by the current plague of insufferable billionaire megalomaniacs, \u003cem>Digger\u003c/em> centers on a larger-than-life, louder-than-God oilman (T. Boone Pickens meets Slim Pickens) who triggers a global catastrophe that he, and only he, can thwart. Extending Iñárritu’s streak of casting Hollywood unknowns, some dude named Tom Cruise tries his hand at black comedy.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Drunken Film Festival Oakland",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.drunkenfilmfest.com/\">Drunken Film Festival Oakland\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.drunkenfilmfest.com/\">Drunken Film Festival Oakland\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oct. 4–9, 2026\u003cbr>Various locations\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oct. 4–9, 2026\u003cbr>Various locations\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Raise your glass, put down your phone and focus on the screen. This is an art function, not a social event. Who am I kidding? Every film festival takes creators seriously, of course, but the Drunken — by virtue of its bar-hopping ambience — encourages you to participate in a way you might not (or are frowned at) in a theater.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Raise your glass, put down your phone and focus on the screen. This is an art function, not a social event. Who am I kidding? Every film festival takes creators seriously, of course, but the Drunken — by virtue of its bar-hopping ambience — encourages you to participate in a way you might not (or are frowned at) in a theater.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13993357,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Sony Pictures",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/SocialReckoning.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/SocialReckoning-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/SocialReckoning-768x432.jpg 768w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)",
"alt": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/SocialReckoning.jpg\" alt=\"a white man in a gray sweatshirt sits very upright at a desk with large headphones around neck\" class=\"wp-image-13993357\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/SocialReckoning.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/SocialReckoning-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/SocialReckoning-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jeremy Strong stars as Mark Zuckerberg in Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The Social Reckoning.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/SocialReckoning.jpg\" alt=\"a white man in a gray sweatshirt sits very upright at a desk with large headphones around neck\" class=\"wp-image-13993357\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jeremy Strong stars as Mark Zuckerberg in Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The Social Reckoning.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "‘The Social Reckoning’",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘The Social Reckoning’\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘The Social Reckoning’\u003c/h2>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Opens Oct. 9, 2026\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Opens Oct. 9, 2026\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sixteen years after penning \u003cem>The Social Network\u003c/em> (2010), which made the slippery Silicon Valley nebbish Mark Zuckerberg a household name, Aaron Sorkin has written and directed a sequel. This chapter revisits the fallout after the 2021 leak of an internal document describing Facebook’s adverse effects on teenage users. “Profits over people” is plainly a recurring theme this fall, though I’m most curious to see/hear Mikey Madison (\u003cem>Anora\u003c/em>), Jeremy Allen White (\u003cem>The Bear\u003c/em>) and Jeremy Strong (\u003cem>Succession\u003c/em>) deliver Sorkin’s rhythmic lines while walking in circles.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Sixteen years after penning \u003cem>The Social Network\u003c/em> (2010), which made the slippery Silicon Valley nebbish Mark Zuckerberg a household name, Aaron Sorkin has written and directed a sequel. This chapter revisits the fallout after the 2021 leak of an internal document describing Facebook’s adverse effects on teenage users. “Profits over people” is plainly a recurring theme this fall, though I’m most curious to see/hear Mikey Madison (\u003cem>Anora\u003c/em>), Jeremy Allen White (\u003cem>The Bear\u003c/em>) and Jeremy Strong (\u003cem>Succession\u003c/em>) deliver Sorkin’s rhythmic lines while walking in circles.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13992936,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "MUBI",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fatherland2.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fatherland2-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fatherland2-768x432.jpeg 768w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)",
"alt": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fatherland2.jpeg\" alt=\"black and white image of woman and older man, sitting at table\" class=\"wp-image-13992936\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fatherland2.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fatherland2-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fatherland2-768x432.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from Paweł Pawlikowski’s ‘Fatherland,’ 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fatherland2.jpeg\" alt=\"black and white image of woman and older man, sitting at table\" class=\"wp-image-13992936\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from Paweł Pawlikowski’s ‘Fatherland,’ 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "‘Fatherland’",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Fatherland’\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Fatherland’\u003c/h2>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Opens Oct. 23, 2026\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Opens Oct. 23, 2026\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>You might pigeonhole Paweł Pawlikowski (\u003cem>Ida\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Cold War\u003c/em>) as a writer-director of gorgeously shot, black-and-white travelogues through postwar Europe. That’s OK with me. \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Santayana\">Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it\u003c/a>, don’t you know. Pawlikowski received the Best Director award at Cannes for this fictionalized 1949 road trip taken by the renowned German writer Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler) and his daughter Erika (Sandra Hüller). If you are interested in the intersection of art and politics (\u003cem>and\u003c/em> history, of course), \u003cem>Fatherland\u003c/em> is a must-see.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>You might pigeonhole Paweł Pawlikowski (\u003cem>Ida\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Cold War\u003c/em>) as a writer-director of gorgeously shot, black-and-white travelogues through postwar Europe. That’s OK with me. \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Santayana\">Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it\u003c/a>, don’t you know. Pawlikowski received the Best Director award at Cannes for this fictionalized 1949 road trip taken by the renowned German writer Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler) and his daughter Erika (Sandra Hüller). If you are interested in the intersection of art and politics (\u003cem>and\u003c/em> history, of course), \u003cem>Fatherland\u003c/em> is a must-see.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Doc Stories",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://sffilm.org/event/doc-stories-2026/#sffilm-event-description\">Doc Stories\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://sffilm.org/event/doc-stories-2026/#sffilm-event-description\">Doc Stories\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nov. 5–8, 2026\u003cbr>Vogue Theatre, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nov. 5–8, 2026\u003cbr>Vogue Theatre, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>SFFILM’s stellar concentration of pithy nonfiction is invariably thought-provoking and big fun. An odd thing to say about often-dismal reality, I know. But if a subject fascinates a good filmmaker, the odds are excellent that they will convey that interest in an interesting way. A contingent of local filmmakers turns up for most programs, and you might find yourself eavesdropping on their conversations outside the theater afterward.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>SFFILM’s stellar concentration of pithy nonfiction is invariably thought-provoking and big fun. An odd thing to say about often-dismal reality, I know. But if a subject fascinates a good filmmaker, the odds are excellent that they will convey that interest in an interesting way. A contingent of local filmmakers turns up for most programs, and you might find yourself eavesdropping on their conversations outside the theater afterward.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13992937,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Amazon MGM Studios",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Madden_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Madden_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Madden_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Madden_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)",
"alt": ""
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Madden_2000.jpg\" alt=\"two men on football field punch fists toward camera with championship rings on fingers, one holds a football\" class=\"wp-image-13992937\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Madden_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Madden_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Madden_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Madden_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Christian Bale as Al Davis and Nicolas Cage as John Madden in ‘Madden.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Madden_2000.jpg\" alt=\"two men on football field punch fists toward camera with championship rings on fingers, one holds a football\" class=\"wp-image-13992937\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Christian Bale as Al Davis and Nicolas Cage as John Madden in ‘Madden.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "‘Madden’",
"level": 2
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Madden’\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Madden’\u003c/h2>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Streaming Nov. 18, 2026\u003cbr>Prime Video\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Streaming Nov. 18, 2026\u003cbr>Prime Video\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "floatright"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ahoy, East Bay pirates, dig out your silver and black. The late, great John Madden, everyone’s favorite football coach and television announcer, is heading your way. The producers enlisted another unique character, Nicolas Cage, to play him. Christian Bale rekindles our love-hate relationship with Raiders owner Al Davis, while Kathryn Hahn portrays Virginia Madden. David O. Russell’s biopic is slated for an Oscar-qualifying, one-week release but not a theatrical run, which is fitting since its subject was a longtime denizen of the small screen.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Ahoy, East Bay pirates, dig out your silver and black. The late, great John Madden, everyone’s favorite football coach and television announcer, is heading your way. The producers enlisted another unique character, Nicolas Cage, to play him. Christian Bale rekindles our love-hate relationship with Raiders owner Al Davis, while Kathryn Hahn portrays Virginia Madden. David O. Russell’s biopic is slated for an Oscar-qualifying, one-week release but not a theatrical run, which is fitting since its subject was a longtime denizen of the small screen.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "Big releases, brand-new festivals and international offerings make for a delectable fall movie schedule.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1787770529,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 27,
"wordCount": 1543
},
"headData": {
"title": "The 11 Best Films and Festivals to See This Fall | KQED",
"description": "Big releases, brand-new festivals and international offerings make for a delectable fall movie schedule.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "The 11 Best Films and Festivals to See This Fall",
"datePublished": "2026-08-26T08:00:00-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-08-26T11:55:29-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"name": "Arts"
},
"source": "Fall Guide 2026",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/fall-guide-2026",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13992827",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "none",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13992827/best-movies-film-festivals-fall-2026-sf-bampfa-mvff",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cem>Be sure to check out our full \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/arts/tag/fall-guide-2026\">2026 Fall Arts Guide\u003c/a> to live music, movies, art, theater, festivals and more in the Bay Area.\u003c/em>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Bay Area is fertile ground for film festivals year-round, but peak harvest season arrives in September and October. Toss in a bumper crop of ambitious (and political) wide releases and some tasty revivals from cinema’s past and we have the fixings for a fabulous fall feast. And that’s before the avalanche of Oscar-touted movies arrives around the holidays.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are so many intriguing choices that the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive retrospective \u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/martin-scorsese-pictures\">Martin Scorsese Pictures\u003c/a> (Sept. 5, 2026–June 2027) and the SF Silent Film Festival’s centennial celebration of Buster Keaton’s still-astounding \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://silentfilm.org/event/buster-keatons-the-general/\">The General\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (Sept. 18 at the Orinda Theater with live musical accompaniment) didn’t make my cut. Nor did a pair of long-awaited adaptations of female-powered novels, \u003cem>Verity\u003c/em> (starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, opening Oct. 2) and \u003cem>Klara and the Sun\u003c/em> (Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams, Oct. 23). Have I whetted your appetite?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000.jpg\" alt=\"disheveled white man in medieval peasant clothes \" class=\"wp-image-13992922\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/TheUprising_2000-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andrew Garfield stars as Ploughman in director Paul Greengrass’ ‘The Uprising.’ (Focus Features)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘The Uprising’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Opens Sept. 11, 2026\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the late 1300s, still mourning their plague deaths, England’s overtaxed farmers organized against the elites who manipulated teenage King Richard II for their own benefit. Lacking the right to vote, the populace had few options besides rebellion. (Unrelated public service announcement: Election Day is Nov. 3.) Paul Greengrass (\u003cem>The Last Bus\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Captain Phillips\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Bloody Sunday\u003c/em>) has a penchant for unlikely heroes, and casts Andrew Garfield as a slight, bearded, principled widower who emerges as one of the leaders. Kill the rich! No kings! Up the revolution! Volunteers, anyone?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1034\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WesternSnowyPlover_2000.jpg\" alt=\"small puffy shorebird on sand with foam of waves behind\" class=\"wp-image-13992927\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WesternSnowyPlover_2000.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WesternSnowyPlover_2000-160x86.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WesternSnowyPlover_2000-768x414.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WesternSnowyPlover_2000-1536x827.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from Danny Roberts’ short documentary ‘The Western Snowy Plover,’ screening as part of SF CritterFest. (Courtesy of the filmmaker)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://sfcritterfest.eventive.org/welcome\">SF CritterFest\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sept. 17–20, 2026\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cem>4 Star Theater, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SF IndieFest family has a new sibling in this vocal and colorful compendium of movies starring the animal kingdom, wild and domestic (with a couple human cameos). Head honcho Jeff Ross and ace programmers Chris Metzler and Jason Wolos return to the 4 Star Oct. 15–22 with the très cool \u003ca href=\"https://filmfreeway.com/sfgreenfilmfest\">Green Film Festival\u003c/a> of San Francisco and the \u003ca href=\"https://filmfreeway.com/SFShorts\">San Francisco Short Film Festival\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007.jpg\" alt=\"young man leans back against ferry railing with eyes closed and cigarette in hand\" class=\"wp-image-13992931\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Akin_Crossing_007-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from Levan Akin’s ‘Crossing,’ 2024. (BAMPFA)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/georgian-cinema-now-part-1\">Georgian Cinema Now: Part 1\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sept. 23–Oct. 2, 2026\u003cbr>Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For over a decade, Director of Film and Senior Film Curator Susan Oxtoby has shared with Bay Area audiences her affinity for the underappreciated films of the small nation of Georgia. Now, when the country’s authoritarian rulers are punishing all forms of free speech — uh, I’m talking about Georgia — BAMPFA embarks on a year-long act of cultural solidarity. In the first leg, nine filmmakers and scholars bring their art, ideas and struggle to the Bay Area for 10 days. (In addition to Georgia and \u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/martin-scorsese-pictures\">Scorsese\u003c/a>, this fall BAMPFA also showcases rare and classic \u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/hong-kong-cinema-rarities-and-restorations\">Hong Kong movies\u003c/a> and the late ’50s-early ’60s masterpieces of \u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/kobayashi\">Masaki Kobayashi\u003c/a>. Just … wow.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1036\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11.jpg\" alt=\"woman looks mysterious in round sunglasses\" class=\"wp-image-13992933\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11-160x86.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11-768x414.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/My-Name-Ain_t-Suzie11-1536x829.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from Angie Chen’s ‘My Name Ain’t Suzie (Fa gai si doi),’ 1985. (SF Film Preserve)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"Festival%20of%20Restoration%20and%20Rediscovery\">Re:Vision: Festival of Restoration and Rediscovery\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sept. 24–27, 2026\u003cbr>Roxie Theater, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Access must be the end point of all preservation initiatives,” declares the website of the San Francisco Film Preserve. The SFFP’s inaugural festival collects 14 rarely seen features — excavated treasure for cinephiles — each paired with a short. Angie Chen’s grittily affirmational 1985 drama \u003cem>My Name Ain’t Suzie\u003c/em>, set in the brothels of Hong Kong after World War II, kicks off the weekend. Every program is catnip, but none more than \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/revision-lepers-sex-aka-santo-vs-the-riders-of-terror/\">Lepers & Sex AKA Santo vs The Riders of Terror\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, Rene Cardona’s 1970 entry in the long-running El Santo franchise chronicling the action adventures of a good-guy Mexican wrestler in a silver mask. That’s entertainment!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WildHorseNine_2000.jpg\" alt=\"two men sit in grasses at foot of Easter Island head sculptures\" class=\"wp-image-13992935\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WildHorseNine_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WildHorseNine_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WildHorseNine_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/WildHorseNine_2000-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich in Martin McDonagh’s ‘Wild Horse Nine,’ 2026. (Diego Araya Corvalán/Searchlight Pictures)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.mvff.com/\">Mill Valley Film Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oct. 1–11, 2026\u003cbr>Various locations\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 49th edition of Marin County’s sun-dappled autumn jewel is the first since beloved creative director Zoe Elton transitioned to a part-time role and Rose Kuo came aboard as artistic director. The lineup always boasts a fine selection of local documentaries and foreign fiction gems, as well as a tempting array of arthouse titles poised for end-of-year kudos. Irish writer-director Martin McDonagh will be on hand opening night to present \u003cem>Wild Horse Nine\u003c/em> (opening Nov. 6 in theaters), his follow-up to \u003cem>The Banshees of Inisherin\u003c/em>. Sam Rockwell, who stars opposite John Malkovich, will be honored the following night with a tribute. The festival introduces two sections this year, New Directors (first and second features) and Animation (for adults). Keep an eye out for \u003cem>Clarissa\u003c/em>, an adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s \u003cem>Mrs. Dalloway\u003c/em> set in contemporary Nigeria that opens at the end of the year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Digger_2000.jpg\" alt=\"older white man raises arms in auditorium with large crowd watching\" class=\"wp-image-13992934\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Digger_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Digger_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Digger_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Digger_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell in a scene from Alejandro Iñárritu’s ‘Digger,’ 2026. (Warner Bros. Pictures)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Digger’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Opens Oct. 2, 2026\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The gifted Alejandro G. Iñárritu (\u003cem>The Revenant\u003c/em>) is back, finally, after the critically dismissed, occasionally indulgent and altogether jaw-dropping \u003cem>Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths\u003c/em> (dive into Netflix’s depths to find it). Inspired, presumably, by the current plague of insufferable billionaire megalomaniacs, \u003cem>Digger\u003c/em> centers on a larger-than-life, louder-than-God oilman (T. Boone Pickens meets Slim Pickens) who triggers a global catastrophe that he, and only he, can thwart. Extending Iñárritu’s streak of casting Hollywood unknowns, some dude named Tom Cruise tries his hand at black comedy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.drunkenfilmfest.com/\">Drunken Film Festival Oakland\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oct. 4–9, 2026\u003cbr>Various locations\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Raise your glass, put down your phone and focus on the screen. This is an art function, not a social event. Who am I kidding? Every film festival takes creators seriously, of course, but the Drunken — by virtue of its bar-hopping ambience — encourages you to participate in a way you might not (or are frowned at) in a theater.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/SocialReckoning.jpg\" alt=\"a white man in a gray sweatshirt sits very upright at a desk with large headphones around neck\" class=\"wp-image-13993357\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/SocialReckoning.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/SocialReckoning-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/SocialReckoning-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jeremy Strong stars as Mark Zuckerberg in Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The Social Reckoning.’ (Sony Pictures)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘The Social Reckoning’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Opens Oct. 9, 2026\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sixteen years after penning \u003cem>The Social Network\u003c/em> (2010), which made the slippery Silicon Valley nebbish Mark Zuckerberg a household name, Aaron Sorkin has written and directed a sequel. This chapter revisits the fallout after the 2021 leak of an internal document describing Facebook’s adverse effects on teenage users. “Profits over people” is plainly a recurring theme this fall, though I’m most curious to see/hear Mikey Madison (\u003cem>Anora\u003c/em>), Jeremy Allen White (\u003cem>The Bear\u003c/em>) and Jeremy Strong (\u003cem>Succession\u003c/em>) deliver Sorkin’s rhythmic lines while walking in circles.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fatherland2.jpeg\" alt=\"black and white image of woman and older man, sitting at table\" class=\"wp-image-13992936\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fatherland2.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fatherland2-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fatherland2-768x432.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from Paweł Pawlikowski’s ‘Fatherland,’ 2026. (MUBI)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Fatherland’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Opens Oct. 23, 2026\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You might pigeonhole Paweł Pawlikowski (\u003cem>Ida\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Cold War\u003c/em>) as a writer-director of gorgeously shot, black-and-white travelogues through postwar Europe. That’s OK with me. \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Santayana\">Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it\u003c/a>, don’t you know. Pawlikowski received the Best Director award at Cannes for this fictionalized 1949 road trip taken by the renowned German writer Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler) and his daughter Erika (Sandra Hüller). If you are interested in the intersection of art and politics (\u003cem>and\u003c/em> history, of course), \u003cem>Fatherland\u003c/em> is a must-see.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://sffilm.org/event/doc-stories-2026/#sffilm-event-description\">Doc Stories\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nov. 5–8, 2026\u003cbr>Vogue Theatre, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>SFFILM’s stellar concentration of pithy nonfiction is invariably thought-provoking and big fun. An odd thing to say about often-dismal reality, I know. But if a subject fascinates a good filmmaker, the odds are excellent that they will convey that interest in an interesting way. A contingent of local filmmakers turns up for most programs, and you might find yourself eavesdropping on their conversations outside the theater afterward.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Madden_2000.jpg\" alt=\"two men on football field punch fists toward camera with championship rings on fingers, one holds a football\" class=\"wp-image-13992937\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Madden_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Madden_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Madden_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Madden_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Christian Bale as Al Davis and Nicolas Cage as John Madden in ‘Madden.’ (Amazon MGM Studios)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Madden’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Streaming Nov. 18, 2026\u003cbr>Prime Video\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ahoy, East Bay pirates, dig out your silver and black. The late, great John Madden, everyone’s favorite football coach and television announcer, is heading your way. The producers enlisted another unique character, Nicolas Cage, to play him. Christian Bale rekindles our love-hate relationship with Raiders owner Al Davis, while Kathryn Hahn portrays Virginia Madden. David O. Russell’s biopic is slated for an Oscar-qualifying, one-week release but not a theatrical run, which is fitting since its subject was a longtime denizen of the small screen.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13992827/best-movies-film-festivals-fall-2026-sf-bampfa-mvff",
"authors": [
"22"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_74",
"arts_235"
],
"tags": [
"arts_2227",
"arts_22701",
"arts_10278",
"arts_977",
"arts_3465",
"arts_3772",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13992933",
"label": "source_arts_13992827"
},
"arts_13992108": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13992108",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13992108",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1785342352000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "luis-valdez-claims-the-spotlight-in-american-pachuco",
"title": "Luis Valdez Claims the Spotlight in ‘American Pachuco’",
"publishDate": 1785342352,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Luis Valdez Claims the Spotlight in ‘American Pachuco’ | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\u003cp>Luis Valdez was just a young boy when he landed his first theatrical role. Before he could join his classmates on stage, however, his family was evicted on short notice, and forced to move.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>All these years later, Valdez, one of 10 children of California migrant farmworkers, still remembers the pain. He could have slipped down the hole of disappointment. Instead, he says, “It became the hungry mouth of my creativity.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In David Alvarado’s crisply entertaining documentary \u003cem>American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez\u003c/em>, ample justice is given to a gifted artist who transcended his circumstances and carved new trails. The film, which earlier this year won an Audience Award at Sundance, opens Friday, July 31 at the Roxie Theater with director David Alvarado and Valdez himself on hand.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Delano, California-born Valdez wrote and directed plays for El Teatro Campesino (The Farm Workers Theatre), which he founded in his early 20s and led for decades. His major works include \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em> (the first Chicano play on Broadway, later adapted into a film) and \u003cem>Corridos! Tales of Passion and Revolution\u003c/em>, a hit at San Francisco’s Marines Memorial Theater in the early ’80s (and which Valdez adapted a few years later for PBS).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Valdez’s most widely seen work, however, is \u003cem>La Bamba\u003c/em>, the 1987 biopic of Chicano rock ‘n’ roller Richie Valens that Valdez researched, wrote and directed. (Among its other lasting merits, the film also yielded Los Lobos’ hit cover of the title track.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02.jpg\" alt=\"Four men, outdoors and seen from below, act out a scene dressed in simple clothes and wearing signs around their neck to indicate which group they belong to.\" class=\"wp-image-13992059\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Luis Valdez (center) performing with El Teatro Campensino with Felipe Cantu (left) and Danny Valdez (right) in a scene from the documentary ‘American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez.’ (Courtesy of the Tom & Ethel Bradley Center at California State University, Northridge)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez\u003c/em> employs two narrators. Valdez, sharp and jovial in his mid-80s, recalls his youthful stint with the San Francisco Mime Troupe before getting involved in the nascent National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) founded by Cesar Chavez in 1962. The Mime Troupe’s influence colors Valdez’s early plays like \u003cem>The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa\u003c/em>, which used absurdist comedy to depict the economic and social situation of Mexican and Mexican-American laborers and their families.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the catalytic NFWA march to Sacramento in the spring of 1966, El Teatro Campesino performed in many places along the route, attracting new participants to the cause. Chavez, meanwhile, decided he needed organizers and activists for NFWA’s expanding national campaign more than he needed actors, and Valdez and his cohorts set off on their own, making San Juan Bautista their base.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>David Alvarado illustrates this splendid oral history with acres of compelling archival footage — the young Valdez, sporting an omnipresent Che Guevara-esque cigar, is charming and charismatic. Alvarado bolsters this through interviews with NFWA luminary Dolores Huerta, as well as Valdez’s brother and wife, who performed with El Teatro Campesino.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Alvarado also makes an unexpected and rather risky choice. He invites a second narrator, a streetwise commentator, to this genially mannered affair: a pachuco, similar to the swaggering L.A. protagonist of \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em>, a 1940s “street cat with style.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For that play, Valdez drew on grim, forgotten events in Southern California history, namely the Sleepy Lagoon murder that preceded the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943. The riots consisted of servicemen and sailors attacking Mexican-American youths and ripping off their clothes – their justification being that zoot suits used an excessive and “unpatriotic” amount of fabric during wartime rationing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It was blatant racism, of course. The zoot suit, in the ’40s and in Valdez’s play, was an expression of identity and style. It was adopted by guys whose parents worked menial jobs to make a better life for their kids. (Like the fieldwork of the ’60s and the stockyard labor of today, the jobs were essential, arduous and largely performed by immigrants.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This is the quintessential American phenomenon — children of immigrants navigating racist treatment on the slow path to assimilation. The zoot suiters of the ’40s, just like the newly minted Chicanos of the ’60s, were simply trying to make their way.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03.jpg\" alt=\"An older latino man in a Black jacket and glasses sits inside a high-ceiling church-like building, with chandeliers and wooden features\" class=\"wp-image-13992061\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Luis Valdez being interviewed in a scene from the documentary ‘American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez.’ \u003cbr> (Frasier Bradshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A recurring thread of \u003cem>American Pachuco\u003c/em> is the divergent path of Luis Valdez’s older brother Frank, a science whiz who became an Air Force engineer. Frank believed that achieving the American dream was his ticket to burying and denying his roots as a child of farmworkers. No matter what he accomplished, though, the racism he encountered reminded him that many people saw him as Mexican, not American.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One of the functions of the documentary’s pachuco commentator (voiced by \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em> star Edward James Olmos) is to mirror Valdez’s affection for knocking down the fourth wall separating the audience from the performers. His early plays included improvisation and audience participation. The protagonist of \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em> famously addresses and confronts the audience directly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By including the pachuco, I think Alvarado is nodding to Valdez’s sophistication as a writer and director. He was not only well-versed in the dynamics of agitprop and commedia del’arte, but in the theory and philosophy of theater. This intellectual component of Valdez’s practice — alluded to when the visionary director Peter Brook visits El Teatro Campesino — is downplayed in the documentary, as if it might distract us from the hard lessons of the fields and the streets. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The second half of \u003cem>American Pachuco\u003c/em> walks us backstage for Valdez’s greatest hits, \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em> and \u003cem>La Bamba\u003c/em>. The L.A. triumph of \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em> is the film’s highpoint, a moment of public celebration of Chicanos as well as of Valdez, while the New York reviewers’ failure to connect with the culture and language led to them criticizing what they couldn’t understand.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the wake of the \u003cem>pachucos\u003c/em>, Richie Valens emerged in the ’50s with, as one interviewee notes, “Different threads. Different beats. But he had the same swagger.” It’s fair to say that Luis Valdez got past his devastating childhood letdown the same way: through talent and swagger.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez’ opens Friday, July 31, at the \u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/american-pachuco-the-legend-of-luis-valdez/\">Roxie Theater\u003c/a> (3116 16th St., San Francisco). Following the 6:10 p.m. screening, Roberto Hernandez moderates a Q&A with Luis Valdez and filmmakers David Alvarado, Everett Katigbak and Lauren DeFilippo.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Further Q&As with Alvarado take place on Saturday, Aug. 1 at the \u003ca href=\"https://rafaelfilm.cafilm.org/american-pachuco/\">Smith Rafael Film Center\u003c/a> in San Rafael; Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 1 and 2, at \u003ca href=\"https://rialtocinemas.com/now-playing-elm/american-pachuco-elm/\">Rialto Cinemas Elmwood\u003c/a> in Berkeley; and Sunday, Aug. 2, again at the Roxie\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Luis Valdez was just a young boy when he landed his first theatrical role. Before he could join his classmates on stage, however, his family was evicted on short notice, and forced to move.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Luis Valdez was just a young boy when he landed his first theatrical role. Before he could join his classmates on stage, however, his family was evicted on short notice, and forced to move.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>All these years later, Valdez, one of 10 children of California migrant farmworkers, still remembers the pain. He could have slipped down the hole of disappointment. Instead, he says, “It became the hungry mouth of my creativity.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>All these years later, Valdez, one of 10 children of California migrant farmworkers, still remembers the pain. He could have slipped down the hole of disappointment. Instead, he says, “It became the hungry mouth of my creativity.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In David Alvarado’s crisply entertaining documentary \u003cem>American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez\u003c/em>, ample justice is given to a gifted artist who transcended his circumstances and carved new trails. The film, which earlier this year won an Audience Award at Sundance, opens Friday, July 31 at the Roxie Theater with director David Alvarado and Valdez himself on hand.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In David Alvarado’s crisply entertaining documentary \u003cem>American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez\u003c/em>, ample justice is given to a gifted artist who transcended his circumstances and carved new trails. The film, which earlier this year won an Audience Award at Sundance, opens Friday, July 31 at the Roxie Theater with director David Alvarado and Valdez himself on hand.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Delano, California-born Valdez wrote and directed plays for El Teatro Campesino (The Farm Workers Theatre), which he founded in his early 20s and led for decades. His major works include \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em> (the first Chicano play on Broadway, later adapted into a film) and \u003cem>Corridos! Tales of Passion and Revolution\u003c/em>, a hit at San Francisco’s Marines Memorial Theater in the early ’80s (and which Valdez adapted a few years later for PBS).\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The Delano, California-born Valdez wrote and directed plays for El Teatro Campesino (The Farm Workers Theatre), which he founded in his early 20s and led for decades. His major works include \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em> (the first Chicano play on Broadway, later adapted into a film) and \u003cem>Corridos! Tales of Passion and Revolution\u003c/em>, a hit at San Francisco’s Marines Memorial Theater in the early ’80s (and which Valdez adapted a few years later for PBS).\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Valdez’s most widely seen work, however, is \u003cem>La Bamba\u003c/em>, the 1987 biopic of Chicano rock ‘n’ roller Richie Valens that Valdez researched, wrote and directed. (Among its other lasting merits, the film also yielded Los Lobos’ hit cover of the title track.)\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Valdez’s most widely seen work, however, is \u003cem>La Bamba\u003c/em>, the 1987 biopic of Chicano rock ‘n’ roller Richie Valens that Valdez researched, wrote and directed. (Among its other lasting merits, the film also yielded Los Lobos’ hit cover of the title track.)\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13992059,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Courtesy of the Tom & Ethel Bradley Center at California State University, Northridge",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02-1200x675.jpg 1200w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02.jpg\" alt=\"Four men, outdoors and seen from below, act out a scene dressed in simple clothes and wearing signs around their neck to indicate which group they belong to.\" class=\"wp-image-13992059\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Luis Valdez (center) performing with El Teatro Campensino with Felipe Cantu (left) and Danny Valdez (right) in a scene from the documentary ‘American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez.’ \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02.jpg\" alt=\"Four men, outdoors and seen from below, act out a scene dressed in simple clothes and wearing signs around their neck to indicate which group they belong to.\" class=\"wp-image-13992059\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Luis Valdez (center) performing with El Teatro Campensino with Felipe Cantu (left) and Danny Valdez (right) in a scene from the documentary ‘American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez.’ \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez\u003c/em> employs two narrators. Valdez, sharp and jovial in his mid-80s, recalls his youthful stint with the San Francisco Mime Troupe before getting involved in the nascent National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) founded by Cesar Chavez in 1962. The Mime Troupe’s influence colors Valdez’s early plays like \u003cem>The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa\u003c/em>, which used absurdist comedy to depict the economic and social situation of Mexican and Mexican-American laborers and their families.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez\u003c/em> employs two narrators. Valdez, sharp and jovial in his mid-80s, recalls his youthful stint with the San Francisco Mime Troupe before getting involved in the nascent National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) founded by Cesar Chavez in 1962. The Mime Troupe’s influence colors Valdez’s early plays like \u003cem>The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa\u003c/em>, which used absurdist comedy to depict the economic and social situation of Mexican and Mexican-American laborers and their families.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "fullwidth"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the catalytic NFWA march to Sacramento in the spring of 1966, El Teatro Campesino performed in many places along the route, attracting new participants to the cause. Chavez, meanwhile, decided he needed organizers and activists for NFWA’s expanding national campaign more than he needed actors, and Valdez and his cohorts set off on their own, making San Juan Bautista their base.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>During the catalytic NFWA march to Sacramento in the spring of 1966, El Teatro Campesino performed in many places along the route, attracting new participants to the cause. Chavez, meanwhile, decided he needed organizers and activists for NFWA’s expanding national campaign more than he needed actors, and Valdez and his cohorts set off on their own, making San Juan Bautista their base.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>David Alvarado illustrates this splendid oral history with acres of compelling archival footage — the young Valdez, sporting an omnipresent Che Guevara-esque cigar, is charming and charismatic. Alvarado bolsters this through interviews with NFWA luminary Dolores Huerta, as well as Valdez’s brother and wife, who performed with El Teatro Campesino.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>David Alvarado illustrates this splendid oral history with acres of compelling archival footage — the young Valdez, sporting an omnipresent Che Guevara-esque cigar, is charming and charismatic. Alvarado bolsters this through interviews with NFWA luminary Dolores Huerta, as well as Valdez’s brother and wife, who performed with El Teatro Campesino.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Alvarado also makes an unexpected and rather risky choice. He invites a second narrator, a streetwise commentator, to this genially mannered affair: a pachuco, similar to the swaggering L.A. protagonist of \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em>, a 1940s “street cat with style.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Alvarado also makes an unexpected and rather risky choice. He invites a second narrator, a streetwise commentator, to this genially mannered affair: a pachuco, similar to the swaggering L.A. protagonist of \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em>, a 1940s “street cat with style.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For that play, Valdez drew on grim, forgotten events in Southern California history, namely the Sleepy Lagoon murder that preceded the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943. The riots consisted of servicemen and sailors attacking Mexican-American youths and ripping off their clothes – their justification being that zoot suits used an excessive and “unpatriotic” amount of fabric during wartime rationing.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>For that play, Valdez drew on grim, forgotten events in Southern California history, namely the Sleepy Lagoon murder that preceded the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943. The riots consisted of servicemen and sailors attacking Mexican-American youths and ripping off their clothes – their justification being that zoot suits used an excessive and “unpatriotic” amount of fabric during wartime rationing.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It was blatant racism, of course. The zoot suit, in the ’40s and in Valdez’s play, was an expression of identity and style. It was adopted by guys whose parents worked menial jobs to make a better life for their kids. (Like the fieldwork of the ’60s and the stockyard labor of today, the jobs were essential, arduous and largely performed by immigrants.)\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>It was blatant racism, of course. The zoot suit, in the ’40s and in Valdez’s play, was an expression of identity and style. It was adopted by guys whose parents worked menial jobs to make a better life for their kids. (Like the fieldwork of the ’60s and the stockyard labor of today, the jobs were essential, arduous and largely performed by immigrants.)\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This is the quintessential American phenomenon — children of immigrants navigating racist treatment on the slow path to assimilation. The zoot suiters of the ’40s, just like the newly minted Chicanos of the ’60s, were simply trying to make their way.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>This is the quintessential American phenomenon — children of immigrants navigating racist treatment on the slow path to assimilation. The zoot suiters of the ’40s, just like the newly minted Chicanos of the ’60s, were simply trying to make their way.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13992061,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Frasier Bradshaw",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03-1200x675.jpg 1200w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03.jpg\" alt=\"An older latino man in a Black jacket and glasses sits inside a high-ceiling church-like building, with chandeliers and wooden features\" class=\"wp-image-13992061\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Luis Valdez being interviewed in a scene from the documentary ‘American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez.’ \u003cbr>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03.jpg\" alt=\"An older latino man in a Black jacket and glasses sits inside a high-ceiling church-like building, with chandeliers and wooden features\" class=\"wp-image-13992061\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Luis Valdez being interviewed in a scene from the documentary ‘American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez.’ \u003cbr>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A recurring thread of \u003cem>American Pachuco\u003c/em> is the divergent path of Luis Valdez’s older brother Frank, a science whiz who became an Air Force engineer. Frank believed that achieving the American dream was his ticket to burying and denying his roots as a child of farmworkers. No matter what he accomplished, though, the racism he encountered reminded him that many people saw him as Mexican, not American.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A recurring thread of \u003cem>American Pachuco\u003c/em> is the divergent path of Luis Valdez’s older brother Frank, a science whiz who became an Air Force engineer. Frank believed that achieving the American dream was his ticket to burying and denying his roots as a child of farmworkers. No matter what he accomplished, though, the racism he encountered reminded him that many people saw him as Mexican, not American.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One of the functions of the documentary’s pachuco commentator (voiced by \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em> star Edward James Olmos) is to mirror Valdez’s affection for knocking down the fourth wall separating the audience from the performers. His early plays included improvisation and audience participation. The protagonist of \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em> famously addresses and confronts the audience directly.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>One of the functions of the documentary’s pachuco commentator (voiced by \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em> star Edward James Olmos) is to mirror Valdez’s affection for knocking down the fourth wall separating the audience from the performers. His early plays included improvisation and audience participation. The protagonist of \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em> famously addresses and confronts the audience directly.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>By including the pachuco, I think Alvarado is nodding to Valdez’s sophistication as a writer and director. He was not only well-versed in the dynamics of agitprop and commedia del’arte, but in the theory and philosophy of theater. This intellectual component of Valdez’s practice — alluded to when the visionary director Peter Brook visits El Teatro Campesino — is downplayed in the documentary, as if it might distract us from the hard lessons of the fields and the streets. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>By including the pachuco, I think Alvarado is nodding to Valdez’s sophistication as a writer and director. He was not only well-versed in the dynamics of agitprop and commedia del’arte, but in the theory and philosophy of theater. This intellectual component of Valdez’s practice — alluded to when the visionary director Peter Brook visits El Teatro Campesino — is downplayed in the documentary, as if it might distract us from the hard lessons of the fields and the streets. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The second half of \u003cem>American Pachuco\u003c/em> walks us backstage for Valdez’s greatest hits, \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em> and \u003cem>La Bamba\u003c/em>. The L.A. triumph of \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em> is the film’s highpoint, a moment of public celebration of Chicanos as well as of Valdez, while the New York reviewers’ failure to connect with the culture and language led to them criticizing what they couldn’t understand.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The second half of \u003cem>American Pachuco\u003c/em> walks us backstage for Valdez’s greatest hits, \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em> and \u003cem>La Bamba\u003c/em>. The L.A. triumph of \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em> is the film’s highpoint, a moment of public celebration of Chicanos as well as of Valdez, while the New York reviewers’ failure to connect with the culture and language led to them criticizing what they couldn’t understand.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the wake of the \u003cem>pachucos\u003c/em>, Richie Valens emerged in the ’50s with, as one interviewee notes, “Different threads. Different beats. But he had the same swagger.” It’s fair to say that Luis Valdez got past his devastating childhood letdown the same way: through talent and swagger.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In the wake of the \u003cem>pachucos\u003c/em>, Richie Valens emerged in the ’50s with, as one interviewee notes, “Different threads. Different beats. But he had the same swagger.” It’s fair to say that Luis Valdez got past his devastating childhood letdown the same way: through talent and swagger.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/separator",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez’ opens Friday, July 31, at the \u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/american-pachuco-the-legend-of-luis-valdez/\">Roxie Theater\u003c/a> (3116 16th St., San Francisco). Following the 6:10 p.m. screening, Roberto Hernandez moderates a Q&A with Luis Valdez and filmmakers David Alvarado, Everett Katigbak and Lauren DeFilippo.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez’ opens Friday, July 31, at the \u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/american-pachuco-the-legend-of-luis-valdez/\">Roxie Theater\u003c/a> (3116 16th St., San Francisco). Following the 6:10 p.m. screening, Roberto Hernandez moderates a Q&A with Luis Valdez and filmmakers David Alvarado, Everett Katigbak and Lauren DeFilippo.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "floatright"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Further Q&As with Alvarado take place on Saturday, Aug. 1 at the \u003ca href=\"https://rafaelfilm.cafilm.org/american-pachuco/\">Smith Rafael Film Center\u003c/a> in San Rafael; Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 1 and 2, at \u003ca href=\"https://rialtocinemas.com/now-playing-elm/american-pachuco-elm/\">Rialto Cinemas Elmwood\u003c/a> in Berkeley; and Sunday, Aug. 2, again at the Roxie\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Further Q&As with Alvarado take place on Saturday, Aug. 1 at the \u003ca href=\"https://rafaelfilm.cafilm.org/american-pachuco/\">Smith Rafael Film Center\u003c/a> in San Rafael; Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 1 and 2, at \u003ca href=\"https://rialtocinemas.com/now-playing-elm/american-pachuco-elm/\">Rialto Cinemas Elmwood\u003c/a> in Berkeley; and Sunday, Aug. 2, again at the Roxie\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "The writer-director of ‘La Bamba’ and ‘Zoot Suit’ was also the first Chicano playwright on Broadway.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1785882229,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 21,
"wordCount": 1166
},
"headData": {
"title": "Luis Valdez Claims the Spotlight in ‘American Pachuco’ | KQED",
"description": "The writer-director of ‘La Bamba’ and ‘Zoot Suit’ was also the first Chicano playwright on Broadway.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Luis Valdez Claims the Spotlight in ‘American Pachuco’",
"datePublished": "2026-07-29T09:25:52-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-08-04T15:23:49-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"name": "Arts"
},
"source": "The Do List",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/0017bb39-8533-4359-9180-b49c01301089/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13992108",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13992108/luis-valdez-claims-the-spotlight-in-american-pachuco",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Luis Valdez was just a young boy when he landed his first theatrical role. Before he could join his classmates on stage, however, his family was evicted on short notice, and forced to move.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>All these years later, Valdez, one of 10 children of California migrant farmworkers, still remembers the pain. He could have slipped down the hole of disappointment. Instead, he says, “It became the hungry mouth of my creativity.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In David Alvarado’s crisply entertaining documentary \u003cem>American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez\u003c/em>, ample justice is given to a gifted artist who transcended his circumstances and carved new trails. The film, which earlier this year won an Audience Award at Sundance, opens Friday, July 31 at the Roxie Theater with director David Alvarado and Valdez himself on hand.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Delano, California-born Valdez wrote and directed plays for El Teatro Campesino (The Farm Workers Theatre), which he founded in his early 20s and led for decades. His major works include \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em> (the first Chicano play on Broadway, later adapted into a film) and \u003cem>Corridos! Tales of Passion and Revolution\u003c/em>, a hit at San Francisco’s Marines Memorial Theater in the early ’80s (and which Valdez adapted a few years later for PBS).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Valdez’s most widely seen work, however, is \u003cem>La Bamba\u003c/em>, the 1987 biopic of Chicano rock ‘n’ roller Richie Valens that Valdez researched, wrote and directed. (Among its other lasting merits, the film also yielded Los Lobos’ hit cover of the title track.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02.jpg\" alt=\"Four men, outdoors and seen from below, act out a scene dressed in simple clothes and wearing signs around their neck to indicate which group they belong to.\" class=\"wp-image-13992059\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_02-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Luis Valdez (center) performing with El Teatro Campensino with Felipe Cantu (left) and Danny Valdez (right) in a scene from the documentary ‘American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez.’ (Courtesy of the Tom & Ethel Bradley Center at California State University, Northridge)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez\u003c/em> employs two narrators. Valdez, sharp and jovial in his mid-80s, recalls his youthful stint with the San Francisco Mime Troupe before getting involved in the nascent National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) founded by Cesar Chavez in 1962. The Mime Troupe’s influence colors Valdez’s early plays like \u003cem>The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa\u003c/em>, which used absurdist comedy to depict the economic and social situation of Mexican and Mexican-American laborers and their families.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the catalytic NFWA march to Sacramento in the spring of 1966, El Teatro Campesino performed in many places along the route, attracting new participants to the cause. Chavez, meanwhile, decided he needed organizers and activists for NFWA’s expanding national campaign more than he needed actors, and Valdez and his cohorts set off on their own, making San Juan Bautista their base.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>David Alvarado illustrates this splendid oral history with acres of compelling archival footage — the young Valdez, sporting an omnipresent Che Guevara-esque cigar, is charming and charismatic. Alvarado bolsters this through interviews with NFWA luminary Dolores Huerta, as well as Valdez’s brother and wife, who performed with El Teatro Campesino.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Alvarado also makes an unexpected and rather risky choice. He invites a second narrator, a streetwise commentator, to this genially mannered affair: a pachuco, similar to the swaggering L.A. protagonist of \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em>, a 1940s “street cat with style.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For that play, Valdez drew on grim, forgotten events in Southern California history, namely the Sleepy Lagoon murder that preceded the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943. The riots consisted of servicemen and sailors attacking Mexican-American youths and ripping off their clothes – their justification being that zoot suits used an excessive and “unpatriotic” amount of fabric during wartime rationing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It was blatant racism, of course. The zoot suit, in the ’40s and in Valdez’s play, was an expression of identity and style. It was adopted by guys whose parents worked menial jobs to make a better life for their kids. (Like the fieldwork of the ’60s and the stockyard labor of today, the jobs were essential, arduous and largely performed by immigrants.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This is the quintessential American phenomenon — children of immigrants navigating racist treatment on the slow path to assimilation. The zoot suiters of the ’40s, just like the newly minted Chicanos of the ’60s, were simply trying to make their way.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03.jpg\" alt=\"An older latino man in a Black jacket and glasses sits inside a high-ceiling church-like building, with chandeliers and wooden features\" class=\"wp-image-13992061\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/americanpachuco_still_03-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Luis Valdez being interviewed in a scene from the documentary ‘American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez.’ \u003cbr> (Frasier Bradshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A recurring thread of \u003cem>American Pachuco\u003c/em> is the divergent path of Luis Valdez’s older brother Frank, a science whiz who became an Air Force engineer. Frank believed that achieving the American dream was his ticket to burying and denying his roots as a child of farmworkers. No matter what he accomplished, though, the racism he encountered reminded him that many people saw him as Mexican, not American.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One of the functions of the documentary’s pachuco commentator (voiced by \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em> star Edward James Olmos) is to mirror Valdez’s affection for knocking down the fourth wall separating the audience from the performers. His early plays included improvisation and audience participation. The protagonist of \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em> famously addresses and confronts the audience directly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By including the pachuco, I think Alvarado is nodding to Valdez’s sophistication as a writer and director. He was not only well-versed in the dynamics of agitprop and commedia del’arte, but in the theory and philosophy of theater. This intellectual component of Valdez’s practice — alluded to when the visionary director Peter Brook visits El Teatro Campesino — is downplayed in the documentary, as if it might distract us from the hard lessons of the fields and the streets. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The second half of \u003cem>American Pachuco\u003c/em> walks us backstage for Valdez’s greatest hits, \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em> and \u003cem>La Bamba\u003c/em>. The L.A. triumph of \u003cem>Zoot Suit\u003c/em> is the film’s highpoint, a moment of public celebration of Chicanos as well as of Valdez, while the New York reviewers’ failure to connect with the culture and language led to them criticizing what they couldn’t understand.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the wake of the \u003cem>pachucos\u003c/em>, Richie Valens emerged in the ’50s with, as one interviewee notes, “Different threads. Different beats. But he had the same swagger.” It’s fair to say that Luis Valdez got past his devastating childhood letdown the same way: through talent and swagger.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez’ opens Friday, July 31, at the \u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/american-pachuco-the-legend-of-luis-valdez/\">Roxie Theater\u003c/a> (3116 16th St., San Francisco). Following the 6:10 p.m. screening, Roberto Hernandez moderates a Q&A with Luis Valdez and filmmakers David Alvarado, Everett Katigbak and Lauren DeFilippo.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Further Q&As with Alvarado take place on Saturday, Aug. 1 at the \u003ca href=\"https://rafaelfilm.cafilm.org/american-pachuco/\">Smith Rafael Film Center\u003c/a> in San Rafael; Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 1 and 2, at \u003ca href=\"https://rialtocinemas.com/now-playing-elm/american-pachuco-elm/\">Rialto Cinemas Elmwood\u003c/a> in Berkeley; and Sunday, Aug. 2, again at the Roxie\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13992108/luis-valdez-claims-the-spotlight-in-american-pachuco",
"authors": [
"22"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_74",
"arts_22313"
],
"tags": [
"arts_3419",
"arts_13672",
"arts_22453",
"arts_10278",
"arts_1256",
"arts_3163",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13992060",
"label": "source_arts_13992108"
},
"arts_13991674": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13991674",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13991674",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1784210400000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "the-odyssey-review-christopher-nolan-matt-damon",
"title": "Thrills and Spills Highlight the Cursed Mediterranean Cruise of ‘The Odyssey’",
"publishDate": 1784210400,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Thrills and Spills Highlight the Cursed Mediterranean Cruise of ‘The Odyssey’ | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\u003cp>Classic-rock fans know by heart the ’60s super-group Blind Faith’s \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/gm7JmCSymy4?si=LJ7E6W7MPjeee2eK\">most enduring song\u003c/a>: “Come down off your throne and leave your body alone/Somebody must change/You are the reason I’ve been waiting so long/Somebody holds the key.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I don’t think Steve Winwood had the separated King Odysseus and Queen Penelope of ancient Ithaca in mind when he wrote \u003cem>Can’t Find My Way Home\u003c/em>. Nonetheless, one of writer-director Christopher Nolan’s inescapable and unsolvable challenges in adapting \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.odysseymovie.com/\">The Odyssey\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (opening Friday, July 17) is that Homer’s touchstone myths, foundational themes and indelible set pieces have inspired countless contemporary works of art and are embedded and assimilated into our stories and vocabulary.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nolan (\u003cem>Inception\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Oppenheimer\u003c/em>) is probably the best person this side of Ridley Scott to devise a three-hour, mammoth-budget commercial movie with artistic, literary and intellectual filigrees. He is adept at working on a big canvas, though I’ve never understood how a pop philosopher attained a reputation as a director of profound ideas.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Like so much of Nolan’s oeuvre, \u003cem>The Odyssey\u003c/em> is a grand-scale, masculine action-adventure bow-tied with frilly robes of Hallmark-card philosophy. The filmmaker’s ability to thrust audiences into the center of chaotic battles and frenetic dangers — abetted, as always, by a crammed (Oscar, can you hear me?) sound design turbocharged at climactic moments by a drums-and-bass assault — carries the day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-07772CC_MSG_2000.jpg\" alt=\"soldiers fight in front of burning ancient city\" class=\"wp-image-13991708\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-07772CC_MSG_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-07772CC_MSG_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-07772CC_MSG_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-07772CC_MSG_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A scene from Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’ (Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Perhaps inevitably, the movie’s power is undercut by the many expository dialogue scenes. They aren’t boring, exactly, but matinee stars of limited range (Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya) delivering lines devoid of poetry does not make for emotionally involved audiences.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, if you have any interest at all in \u003cem>The Odyssey\u003c/em>, see it now on the biggest screen you can. You will be rewarded with immersion in the spectacle and the scenery. However, if you are indifferent, I encourage you to respect Nolan’s formidable undertaking by avoiding the TV-size streaming and DVD formats down the road.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nolan’s \u003cem>The Odyssey\u003c/em> is largely structured as a series of flashbacks (and flashbacks within flashbacks) recounted by the shipwrecked Odysseus to the ageless Calypso (Charlize Theron) seven years after his army invaded and defeated Troy. The poor guy just wants to get back to his wife and dog, but the gods have arrayed a litany of life-threatening obstacles (Cyclops, Circe, Sirens) for Odysseus and his ever-dwindling battalion of ocean-traveling soldier-sailors.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-19534_2000.jpg\" alt=\"woman in blue robe and younger man stand looking out from parapet to distance\" class=\"wp-image-13991709\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-19534_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-19534_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-19534_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-19534_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Anne Hathaway is Penelope and Tom Holland is Telemachus in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’ (Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Odysseus possesses supreme confidence but dubious decision-making ability; alas, Nolan and Damon portray him as a relentlessly heroic figure — tailor-made for audience identification — rather than a man of bottomless hubris who has brought his fate (and his men’s) upon himself, with a little assistance from the gods.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, back at the palace, the queen and her son Telemachus (a doughy Tom Holland) debate the dim possibility that the king still draws breath after so many years without a sighting. The dining room overflows with suitors for the queen’s hand and the king’s crown, with the pack headed by Antinous (Robert Pattinson, resembling a young, lean and hungry Dylan McDermott).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Late in the proceedings, after so much horror and death puts Odysseus in a reflective mood, Nolan finally shows us the horrific impact of war on Troy’s civilians. The suffering of these anonymous people is a catalyst for Odysseus’ awakening to the cost of his ego and ambition. In Happy Ending Hollywood, the director wants us to take strength along with that warning, so he reminds us yet again of the merits of sacrifice, loyalty and perseverance during the final stage of Odysseus’ return.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-44304_MSG_2000.jpg\" alt=\"man in robe with full beard looks worried\" class=\"wp-image-13991710\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-44304_MSG_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-44304_MSG_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-44304_MSG_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-44304_MSG_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matt Damon as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’ (Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Odyssey\u003c/em> isn’t sufficiently rich and wise enough to accommodate more than a couple jokes (unlike your blasphemous critic), nor is it anywhere near dull or bad enough to invite you to whisper wisecracks in your neighbor’s ear. Only afterward, when I was thinking about Jack Kerouac’s \u003cem>On the Road\u003c/em> as well as the extensive, irresistible subgenre of road movies, did it dawn on me that in \u003cem>Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas\u003c/em>, the protagonist (aka Hunter S. Thompson) receives his visions from the gods via acid and speed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I invite you to come up with your own modern-day reference points during or after \u003cem>The Odyssey\u003c/em>. There’s the Coen Brothers’ \u003cem>O Brother, Where Art Thou\u003c/em>, of course, and Joseph Conrad’s \u003cem>Heart of Darkness\u003c/em> as reimagined by Francis Ford Coppola as \u003cem>Apocalypse Now\u003c/em>. Telemachus’ impatience, for that matter, may remind you of another stubborn son, \u003cem>Dune\u003c/em>’s Paul Atreides.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I do wish that Nolan had had the wit and whimsy to play Blind Faith (“I’m wasted and I can’t find my way home”) over the end credits. Or, swapping British yearning for Southern California wistfulness, Steely Dan’s \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/0Mv-zD9s58w?si=tpAn6ttMD9mjbNNk\">jazz-pop soliloquy\u003c/a>: “Well, the danger on the rocks is surely passed/Still I remain tied to the mast/Could it be that I have found my home at last/Home at last.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘The Odyssey’ opens in theaters July 17.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Classic-rock fans know by heart the ’60s super-group Blind Faith’s \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/gm7JmCSymy4?si=LJ7E6W7MPjeee2eK\">most enduring song\u003c/a>: “Come down off your throne and leave your body alone/Somebody must change/You are the reason I’ve been waiting so long/Somebody holds the key.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Classic-rock fans know by heart the ’60s super-group Blind Faith’s \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/gm7JmCSymy4?si=LJ7E6W7MPjeee2eK\">most enduring song\u003c/a>: “Come down off your throne and leave your body alone/Somebody must change/You are the reason I’ve been waiting so long/Somebody holds the key.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"arts_13989211"
],
"labelWasCleared": true
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I don’t think Steve Winwood had the separated King Odysseus and Queen Penelope of ancient Ithaca in mind when he wrote \u003cem>Can’t Find My Way Home\u003c/em>. Nonetheless, one of writer-director Christopher Nolan’s inescapable and unsolvable challenges in adapting \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.odysseymovie.com/\">The Odyssey\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (opening Friday, July 17) is that Homer’s touchstone myths, foundational themes and indelible set pieces have inspired countless contemporary works of art and are embedded and assimilated into our stories and vocabulary.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>I don’t think Steve Winwood had the separated King Odysseus and Queen Penelope of ancient Ithaca in mind when he wrote \u003cem>Can’t Find My Way Home\u003c/em>. Nonetheless, one of writer-director Christopher Nolan’s inescapable and unsolvable challenges in adapting \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.odysseymovie.com/\">The Odyssey\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (opening Friday, July 17) is that Homer’s touchstone myths, foundational themes and indelible set pieces have inspired countless contemporary works of art and are embedded and assimilated into our stories and vocabulary.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nolan (\u003cem>Inception\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Oppenheimer\u003c/em>) is probably the best person this side of Ridley Scott to devise a three-hour, mammoth-budget commercial movie with artistic, literary and intellectual filigrees. He is adept at working on a big canvas, though I’ve never understood how a pop philosopher attained a reputation as a director of profound ideas.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Nolan (\u003cem>Inception\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Oppenheimer\u003c/em>) is probably the best person this side of Ridley Scott to devise a three-hour, mammoth-budget commercial movie with artistic, literary and intellectual filigrees. He is adept at working on a big canvas, though I’ve never understood how a pop philosopher attained a reputation as a director of profound ideas.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Like so much of Nolan’s oeuvre, \u003cem>The Odyssey\u003c/em> is a grand-scale, masculine action-adventure bow-tied with frilly robes of Hallmark-card philosophy. The filmmaker’s ability to thrust audiences into the center of chaotic battles and frenetic dangers — abetted, as always, by a crammed (Oscar, can you hear me?) sound design turbocharged at climactic moments by a drums-and-bass assault — carries the day.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Like so much of Nolan’s oeuvre, \u003cem>The Odyssey\u003c/em> is a grand-scale, masculine action-adventure bow-tied with frilly robes of Hallmark-card philosophy. The filmmaker’s ability to thrust audiences into the center of chaotic battles and frenetic dangers — abetted, as always, by a crammed (Oscar, can you hear me?) sound design turbocharged at climactic moments by a drums-and-bass assault — carries the day.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13991708,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "\tMelinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-07772CC_MSG_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-07772CC_MSG_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-07772CC_MSG_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-07772CC_MSG_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-07772CC_MSG_2000.jpg\" alt=\"soldiers fight in front of burning ancient city\" class=\"wp-image-13991708\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-07772CC_MSG_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-07772CC_MSG_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-07772CC_MSG_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-07772CC_MSG_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A scene from Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-07772CC_MSG_2000.jpg\" alt=\"soldiers fight in front of burning ancient city\" class=\"wp-image-13991708\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A scene from Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Perhaps inevitably, the movie’s power is undercut by the many expository dialogue scenes. They aren’t boring, exactly, but matinee stars of limited range (Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya) delivering lines devoid of poetry does not make for emotionally involved audiences.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Perhaps inevitably, the movie’s power is undercut by the many expository dialogue scenes. They aren’t boring, exactly, but matinee stars of limited range (Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya) delivering lines devoid of poetry does not make for emotionally involved audiences.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "fullwidth"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In other words, if you have any interest at all in \u003cem>The Odyssey\u003c/em>, see it now on the biggest screen you can. You will be rewarded with immersion in the spectacle and the scenery. However, if you are indifferent, I encourage you to respect Nolan’s formidable undertaking by avoiding the TV-size streaming and DVD formats down the road.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In other words, if you have any interest at all in \u003cem>The Odyssey\u003c/em>, see it now on the biggest screen you can. You will be rewarded with immersion in the spectacle and the scenery. However, if you are indifferent, I encourage you to respect Nolan’s formidable undertaking by avoiding the TV-size streaming and DVD formats down the road.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nolan’s \u003cem>The Odyssey\u003c/em> is largely structured as a series of flashbacks (and flashbacks within flashbacks) recounted by the shipwrecked Odysseus to the ageless Calypso (Charlize Theron) seven years after his army invaded and defeated Troy. The poor guy just wants to get back to his wife and dog, but the gods have arrayed a litany of life-threatening obstacles (Cyclops, Circe, Sirens) for Odysseus and his ever-dwindling battalion of ocean-traveling soldier-sailors.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Nolan’s \u003cem>The Odyssey\u003c/em> is largely structured as a series of flashbacks (and flashbacks within flashbacks) recounted by the shipwrecked Odysseus to the ageless Calypso (Charlize Theron) seven years after his army invaded and defeated Troy. The poor guy just wants to get back to his wife and dog, but the gods have arrayed a litany of life-threatening obstacles (Cyclops, Circe, Sirens) for Odysseus and his ever-dwindling battalion of ocean-traveling soldier-sailors.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13991709,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-19534_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-19534_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-19534_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-19534_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-19534_2000.jpg\" alt=\"woman in blue robe and younger man stand looking out from parapet to distance\" class=\"wp-image-13991709\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-19534_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-19534_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-19534_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-19534_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Anne Hathaway is Penelope and Tom Holland is Telemachus in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-19534_2000.jpg\" alt=\"woman in blue robe and younger man stand looking out from parapet to distance\" class=\"wp-image-13991709\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Anne Hathaway is Penelope and Tom Holland is Telemachus in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Odysseus possesses supreme confidence but dubious decision-making ability; alas, Nolan and Damon portray him as a relentlessly heroic figure — tailor-made for audience identification — rather than a man of bottomless hubris who has brought his fate (and his men’s) upon himself, with a little assistance from the gods.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Odysseus possesses supreme confidence but dubious decision-making ability; alas, Nolan and Damon portray him as a relentlessly heroic figure — tailor-made for audience identification — rather than a man of bottomless hubris who has brought his fate (and his men’s) upon himself, with a little assistance from the gods.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, back at the palace, the queen and her son Telemachus (a doughy Tom Holland) debate the dim possibility that the king still draws breath after so many years without a sighting. The dining room overflows with suitors for the queen’s hand and the king’s crown, with the pack headed by Antinous (Robert Pattinson, resembling a young, lean and hungry Dylan McDermott).\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, back at the palace, the queen and her son Telemachus (a doughy Tom Holland) debate the dim possibility that the king still draws breath after so many years without a sighting. The dining room overflows with suitors for the queen’s hand and the king’s crown, with the pack headed by Antinous (Robert Pattinson, resembling a young, lean and hungry Dylan McDermott).\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Late in the proceedings, after so much horror and death puts Odysseus in a reflective mood, Nolan finally shows us the horrific impact of war on Troy’s civilians. The suffering of these anonymous people is a catalyst for Odysseus’ awakening to the cost of his ego and ambition. In Happy Ending Hollywood, the director wants us to take strength along with that warning, so he reminds us yet again of the merits of sacrifice, loyalty and perseverance during the final stage of Odysseus’ return.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Late in the proceedings, after so much horror and death puts Odysseus in a reflective mood, Nolan finally shows us the horrific impact of war on Troy’s civilians. The suffering of these anonymous people is a catalyst for Odysseus’ awakening to the cost of his ego and ambition. In Happy Ending Hollywood, the director wants us to take strength along with that warning, so he reminds us yet again of the merits of sacrifice, loyalty and perseverance during the final stage of Odysseus’ return.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13991710,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-44304_MSG_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-44304_MSG_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-44304_MSG_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-44304_MSG_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-44304_MSG_2000.jpg\" alt=\"man in robe with full beard looks worried\" class=\"wp-image-13991710\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-44304_MSG_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-44304_MSG_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-44304_MSG_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-44304_MSG_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matt Damon as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-44304_MSG_2000.jpg\" alt=\"man in robe with full beard looks worried\" class=\"wp-image-13991710\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matt Damon as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Odyssey\u003c/em> isn’t sufficiently rich and wise enough to accommodate more than a couple jokes (unlike your blasphemous critic), nor is it anywhere near dull or bad enough to invite you to whisper wisecracks in your neighbor’s ear. Only afterward, when I was thinking about Jack Kerouac’s \u003cem>On the Road\u003c/em> as well as the extensive, irresistible subgenre of road movies, did it dawn on me that in \u003cem>Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas\u003c/em>, the protagonist (aka Hunter S. Thompson) receives his visions from the gods via acid and speed.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Odyssey\u003c/em> isn’t sufficiently rich and wise enough to accommodate more than a couple jokes (unlike your blasphemous critic), nor is it anywhere near dull or bad enough to invite you to whisper wisecracks in your neighbor’s ear. Only afterward, when I was thinking about Jack Kerouac’s \u003cem>On the Road\u003c/em> as well as the extensive, irresistible subgenre of road movies, did it dawn on me that in \u003cem>Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas\u003c/em>, the protagonist (aka Hunter S. Thompson) receives his visions from the gods via acid and speed.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I invite you to come up with your own modern-day reference points during or after \u003cem>The Odyssey\u003c/em>. There’s the Coen Brothers’ \u003cem>O Brother, Where Art Thou\u003c/em>, of course, and Joseph Conrad’s \u003cem>Heart of Darkness\u003c/em> as reimagined by Francis Ford Coppola as \u003cem>Apocalypse Now\u003c/em>. Telemachus’ impatience, for that matter, may remind you of another stubborn son, \u003cem>Dune\u003c/em>’s Paul Atreides.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>I invite you to come up with your own modern-day reference points during or after \u003cem>The Odyssey\u003c/em>. There’s the Coen Brothers’ \u003cem>O Brother, Where Art Thou\u003c/em>, of course, and Joseph Conrad’s \u003cem>Heart of Darkness\u003c/em> as reimagined by Francis Ford Coppola as \u003cem>Apocalypse Now\u003c/em>. Telemachus’ impatience, for that matter, may remind you of another stubborn son, \u003cem>Dune\u003c/em>’s Paul Atreides.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I do wish that Nolan had had the wit and whimsy to play Blind Faith (“I’m wasted and I can’t find my way home”) over the end credits. Or, swapping British yearning for Southern California wistfulness, Steely Dan’s \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/0Mv-zD9s58w?si=tpAn6ttMD9mjbNNk\">jazz-pop soliloquy\u003c/a>: “Well, the danger on the rocks is surely passed/Still I remain tied to the mast/Could it be that I have found my home at last/Home at last.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>I do wish that Nolan had had the wit and whimsy to play Blind Faith (“I’m wasted and I can’t find my way home”) over the end credits. Or, swapping British yearning for Southern California wistfulness, Steely Dan’s \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/0Mv-zD9s58w?si=tpAn6ttMD9mjbNNk\">jazz-pop soliloquy\u003c/a>: “Well, the danger on the rocks is surely passed/Still I remain tied to the mast/Could it be that I have found my home at last/Home at last.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/separator",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "floatright"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘The Odyssey’ opens in theaters July 17.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘The Odyssey’ opens in theaters July 17.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "Christopher Nolan’s latest epic is a grand-scale action-adventure bow-tied with Hallmark-card philosophy.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1784160148,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 16,
"wordCount": 959
},
"headData": {
"title": "‘The Odyssey’ Review: Thrills and Spills Highlight Familiar Tale | KQED",
"description": "Christopher Nolan’s latest epic is a grand-scale action-adventure bow-tied with Hallmark-card philosophy.",
"ogTitle": "Thrills and Spills Highlight the Cursed Mediterranean Cruise of ‘The Odyssey’",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "Thrills and Spills Highlight the Cursed Mediterranean Cruise of ‘The Odyssey’",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "‘The Odyssey’ Review: Thrills and Spills Highlight Familiar Tale %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Thrills and Spills Highlight the Cursed Mediterranean Cruise of ‘The Odyssey’",
"datePublished": "2026-07-16T07:00:00-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-07-15T17:02:28-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"name": "Arts"
},
"source": "The Do List",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"sticky": false,
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"subhead": "Christopher Nolan's entertaining three-hour adaptation of Homer's epic should be seen on the biggest screen possible.",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13991674/the-odyssey-review-christopher-nolan-matt-damon",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Classic-rock fans know by heart the ’60s super-group Blind Faith’s \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/gm7JmCSymy4?si=LJ7E6W7MPjeee2eK\">most enduring song\u003c/a>: “Come down off your throne and leave your body alone/Somebody must change/You are the reason I’ve been waiting so long/Somebody holds the key.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I don’t think Steve Winwood had the separated King Odysseus and Queen Penelope of ancient Ithaca in mind when he wrote \u003cem>Can’t Find My Way Home\u003c/em>. Nonetheless, one of writer-director Christopher Nolan’s inescapable and unsolvable challenges in adapting \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.odysseymovie.com/\">The Odyssey\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (opening Friday, July 17) is that Homer’s touchstone myths, foundational themes and indelible set pieces have inspired countless contemporary works of art and are embedded and assimilated into our stories and vocabulary.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nolan (\u003cem>Inception\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Oppenheimer\u003c/em>) is probably the best person this side of Ridley Scott to devise a three-hour, mammoth-budget commercial movie with artistic, literary and intellectual filigrees. He is adept at working on a big canvas, though I’ve never understood how a pop philosopher attained a reputation as a director of profound ideas.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Like so much of Nolan’s oeuvre, \u003cem>The Odyssey\u003c/em> is a grand-scale, masculine action-adventure bow-tied with frilly robes of Hallmark-card philosophy. The filmmaker’s ability to thrust audiences into the center of chaotic battles and frenetic dangers — abetted, as always, by a crammed (Oscar, can you hear me?) sound design turbocharged at climactic moments by a drums-and-bass assault — carries the day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-07772CC_MSG_2000.jpg\" alt=\"soldiers fight in front of burning ancient city\" class=\"wp-image-13991708\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-07772CC_MSG_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-07772CC_MSG_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-07772CC_MSG_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-07772CC_MSG_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A scene from Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’ (Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Perhaps inevitably, the movie’s power is undercut by the many expository dialogue scenes. They aren’t boring, exactly, but matinee stars of limited range (Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya) delivering lines devoid of poetry does not make for emotionally involved audiences.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, if you have any interest at all in \u003cem>The Odyssey\u003c/em>, see it now on the biggest screen you can. You will be rewarded with immersion in the spectacle and the scenery. However, if you are indifferent, I encourage you to respect Nolan’s formidable undertaking by avoiding the TV-size streaming and DVD formats down the road.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nolan’s \u003cem>The Odyssey\u003c/em> is largely structured as a series of flashbacks (and flashbacks within flashbacks) recounted by the shipwrecked Odysseus to the ageless Calypso (Charlize Theron) seven years after his army invaded and defeated Troy. The poor guy just wants to get back to his wife and dog, but the gods have arrayed a litany of life-threatening obstacles (Cyclops, Circe, Sirens) for Odysseus and his ever-dwindling battalion of ocean-traveling soldier-sailors.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-19534_2000.jpg\" alt=\"woman in blue robe and younger man stand looking out from parapet to distance\" class=\"wp-image-13991709\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-19534_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-19534_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-19534_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-19534_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Anne Hathaway is Penelope and Tom Holland is Telemachus in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’ (Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Odysseus possesses supreme confidence but dubious decision-making ability; alas, Nolan and Damon portray him as a relentlessly heroic figure — tailor-made for audience identification — rather than a man of bottomless hubris who has brought his fate (and his men’s) upon himself, with a little assistance from the gods.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, back at the palace, the queen and her son Telemachus (a doughy Tom Holland) debate the dim possibility that the king still draws breath after so many years without a sighting. The dining room overflows with suitors for the queen’s hand and the king’s crown, with the pack headed by Antinous (Robert Pattinson, resembling a young, lean and hungry Dylan McDermott).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Late in the proceedings, after so much horror and death puts Odysseus in a reflective mood, Nolan finally shows us the horrific impact of war on Troy’s civilians. The suffering of these anonymous people is a catalyst for Odysseus’ awakening to the cost of his ego and ambition. In Happy Ending Hollywood, the director wants us to take strength along with that warning, so he reminds us yet again of the merits of sacrifice, loyalty and perseverance during the final stage of Odysseus’ return.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-44304_MSG_2000.jpg\" alt=\"man in robe with full beard looks worried\" class=\"wp-image-13991710\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-44304_MSG_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-44304_MSG_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-44304_MSG_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/CT-44304_MSG_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matt Damon as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’ (Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Odyssey\u003c/em> isn’t sufficiently rich and wise enough to accommodate more than a couple jokes (unlike your blasphemous critic), nor is it anywhere near dull or bad enough to invite you to whisper wisecracks in your neighbor’s ear. Only afterward, when I was thinking about Jack Kerouac’s \u003cem>On the Road\u003c/em> as well as the extensive, irresistible subgenre of road movies, did it dawn on me that in \u003cem>Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas\u003c/em>, the protagonist (aka Hunter S. Thompson) receives his visions from the gods via acid and speed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I invite you to come up with your own modern-day reference points during or after \u003cem>The Odyssey\u003c/em>. There’s the Coen Brothers’ \u003cem>O Brother, Where Art Thou\u003c/em>, of course, and Joseph Conrad’s \u003cem>Heart of Darkness\u003c/em> as reimagined by Francis Ford Coppola as \u003cem>Apocalypse Now\u003c/em>. Telemachus’ impatience, for that matter, may remind you of another stubborn son, \u003cem>Dune\u003c/em>’s Paul Atreides.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I do wish that Nolan had had the wit and whimsy to play Blind Faith (“I’m wasted and I can’t find my way home”) over the end credits. Or, swapping British yearning for Southern California wistfulness, Steely Dan’s \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/0Mv-zD9s58w?si=tpAn6ttMD9mjbNNk\">jazz-pop soliloquy\u003c/a>: “Well, the danger on the rocks is surely passed/Still I remain tied to the mast/Could it be that I have found my home at last/Home at last.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘The Odyssey’ opens in theaters July 17.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13991674/the-odyssey-review-christopher-nolan-matt-damon",
"authors": [
"22"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_74",
"arts_22313"
],
"tags": [
"arts_10278",
"arts_977",
"arts_769",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13991706",
"label": "source_arts_13991674"
},
"arts_13991081": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13991081",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13991081",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1782409729000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "ask-e-jean-documentary-review-roxie-theater",
"title": "‘Ask E. Jean’ Reframes a Tabloid Figure in Feminist History",
"publishDate": 1782409729,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "‘Ask E. Jean’ Reframes a Tabloid Figure in Feminist History | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\u003cp>The name E. Jean Carroll may ring a faint bell, a snowflake in the blizzard of offensive behavior that has comprised the “news” in the last decade. The protagonist and focus of the involving documentary \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.askejeanfilm.com/\">Ask E. Jean\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, however, is neither an offender nor a snowflake.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Carroll is the New York journalist and longtime \u003cem>Elle\u003c/em> advice columnist who, inspired by the women who spoke up during the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/metoo\">#MeToo movement\u003c/a>, accused Donald Trump in 2019 of sexually assaulting her in a Manhattan department store more than 20 years earlier. Carroll won a civil suit and, after Trump called her a liar on CNN and on social media, sued him for defamation and prevailed a second time, with the jury awarding damages of $83.3 million.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ask E. Jean\u003c/em> devotes ample time to the trials, but don’t be distracted by their innate political and sensationalist allure. America’s most popular 34-time felon is a minor figure in Carroll’s saga.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ivy Meeropol (\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.hbomax.com/movies/bully-coward-victim-the-story-of-roy-cohn/ed29cd0a-819e-4af9-aa88-c2b7dd71e23a\">Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn\u003c/a>\u003c/em>), greatly assisted by Ferne Pearlstein, another veteran documentary maker credited here as editor and story producer, has fashioned a later-in-life coming-of-age story that simultaneously plays as a pop-culture social history of feminism. \u003cem>Ask E. Jean\u003c/em> fits nicely on the shelf with the recent post-sexual revolution docs \u003cem>The Disappearance of Shere Hite\u003c/em> and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13953248/topless-at-the-condor-movie-review-carol-doda-documentary-north-beach-history\">Carol Doda Topless at the Condor\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, alongside the DVD box set of \u003cem>Sex and the City\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2.jpeg\" alt=\"white woman with blonde bob leans forward in magazine image\" class=\"wp-image-13991090\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2-1200x675.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A young E. Jean Carroll. (Roxie Theater)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A Midwestern girl who parlayed the personality and panache that earned her Miss Cheerleader USA of 1964, Carroll moved to New York some years later, after she started writing for major magazines and her first marriage ended. Amusingly, her assignments included a camping trip with urban icon Fran Lebowitz.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carroll had the confidence and talent not only to assert her distinctive voice in print, but to insert herself in her stories. Ambitious and driven, she was in prime position to witness and applaud the generation of women breaking into the corporate ranks in the ’80s and competing with men. Carroll became the trusted confidant for many of them in the 1990s, with her “Ask E. Jean” sex-and-advice column in \u003cem>Elle\u003c/em> and a short-lived cable TV call-in show with the same name.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The documentary uses clips from the television show as a throughline, and throwback, in a kind of call-and-response to the contemporary court proceedings. Carroll’s screen persona is flirty, dishy and inviting, like the big-city older sister you wished you had. But her empathy for her guests’ and callers’ plights is limited — she’s adamant that they stop wasting time, pursue their goals and get out of unhelpful relationships.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s standard modern romance fare, but not all of Carroll’s female-empowerment gospel has aged well. There’s a remarkable clip of Carroll on Geraldo Rivera’s show discussing Anita Hill and Paula Jones, who had accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas and President Bill Clinton, respectively, of sexual harassment. Carroll lambastes the women for being “wimps,” for not standing up for themselves and simply telling the men to shut up and scram.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These vintage clips erase some of Carroll’s halo accrued from bravely speaking the truth about a powerful man (who was re-elected President of the United States, can you believe) and wrench the film from the clutches of hagiography. More importantly, they convey the evolution of Carroll’s thinking about the ways our society treats women.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the height of her success, Carroll embodied the old Virginia Slims slogan, “You’ve come a long way, baby!” She was, after all, the first female contributing editor of \u003cem>Playboy\u003c/em>. If a woman had the ability, she could succeed on her own terms. The playing field was level, and nothing was stopping her. Equality between the sexes had been achieved.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1.jpeg\" alt=\"older white woman in suit jacket and string tie\" class=\"wp-image-13991089\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1-1200x675.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from ‘Ask E. Jean.’ (Roxie Theater)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The day Trump assaulted Carroll in 1996, she was a savvy woman who thought she knew it all, and was victimized anyway. And she blamed herself, like many people who’ve been sexually assaulted. As Carroll relates in a recorded deposition, she changed afterward. (\u003cem>Ask E. Jean\u003c/em> notes that most sexually assaulted women don’t come forward because they are “rewarded” with intrusive, insulting interrogations, a miniscule conviction rate for rape, and hate mail.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ask E. Jean\u003c/em> concludes by holding up Carroll as a heroine, and a role model. That’s a strategy for delivering a satisfying movie experience and generating good word of mouth, but I think most viewers will see past it. Particularly since the issues raised by the film are independent from, and not dependent on, whether you like or agree with or empathize with its protagonist.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ask E. Jean\u003c/em>’s contribution is that it naturally provokes the viewer into surfacing and revisiting their own experiences — including the forgotten and suppressed ones — and attitudes. From a big-picture standpoint, the film invites a deep discussion of the historical and current benefits of feminism. And, just maybe, the costs of our society’s limitations on women.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/ask-e-jean/\">Ask E. Jean\u003c/a>’ screens June 26–29, 2026 at the Roxie Theater (3125 16th St., San Francisco). Filmmaker Ivy Meeropol appears in person after the Saturday, June 27 show.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The name E. Jean Carroll may ring a faint bell, a snowflake in the blizzard of offensive behavior that has comprised the “news” in the last decade. The protagonist and focus of the involving documentary \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.askejeanfilm.com/\">Ask E. Jean\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, however, is neither an offender nor a snowflake.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The name E. Jean Carroll may ring a faint bell, a snowflake in the blizzard of offensive behavior that has comprised the “news” in the last decade. The protagonist and focus of the involving documentary \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.askejeanfilm.com/\">Ask E. Jean\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, however, is neither an offender nor a snowflake.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Carroll is the New York journalist and longtime \u003cem>Elle\u003c/em> advice columnist who, inspired by the women who spoke up during the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/metoo\">#MeToo movement\u003c/a>, accused Donald Trump in 2019 of sexually assaulting her in a Manhattan department store more than 20 years earlier. Carroll won a civil suit and, after Trump called her a liar on CNN and on social media, sued him for defamation and prevailed a second time, with the jury awarding damages of $83.3 million.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Carroll is the New York journalist and longtime \u003cem>Elle\u003c/em> advice columnist who, inspired by the women who spoke up during the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/metoo\">#MeToo movement\u003c/a>, accused Donald Trump in 2019 of sexually assaulting her in a Manhattan department store more than 20 years earlier. Carroll won a civil suit and, after Trump called her a liar on CNN and on social media, sued him for defamation and prevailed a second time, with the jury awarding damages of $83.3 million.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ask E. Jean\u003c/em> devotes ample time to the trials, but don’t be distracted by their innate political and sensationalist allure. America’s most popular 34-time felon is a minor figure in Carroll’s saga.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ask E. Jean\u003c/em> devotes ample time to the trials, but don’t be distracted by their innate political and sensationalist allure. America’s most popular 34-time felon is a minor figure in Carroll’s saga.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ivy Meeropol (\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.hbomax.com/movies/bully-coward-victim-the-story-of-roy-cohn/ed29cd0a-819e-4af9-aa88-c2b7dd71e23a\">Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn\u003c/a>\u003c/em>), greatly assisted by Ferne Pearlstein, another veteran documentary maker credited here as editor and story producer, has fashioned a later-in-life coming-of-age story that simultaneously plays as a pop-culture social history of feminism. \u003cem>Ask E. Jean\u003c/em> fits nicely on the shelf with the recent post-sexual revolution docs \u003cem>The Disappearance of Shere Hite\u003c/em> and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13953248/topless-at-the-condor-movie-review-carol-doda-documentary-north-beach-history\">Carol Doda Topless at the Condor\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, alongside the DVD box set of \u003cem>Sex and the City\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Ivy Meeropol (\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.hbomax.com/movies/bully-coward-victim-the-story-of-roy-cohn/ed29cd0a-819e-4af9-aa88-c2b7dd71e23a\">Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn\u003c/a>\u003c/em>), greatly assisted by Ferne Pearlstein, another veteran documentary maker credited here as editor and story producer, has fashioned a later-in-life coming-of-age story that simultaneously plays as a pop-culture social history of feminism. \u003cem>Ask E. Jean\u003c/em> fits nicely on the shelf with the recent post-sexual revolution docs \u003cem>The Disappearance of Shere Hite\u003c/em> and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13953248/topless-at-the-condor-movie-review-carol-doda-documentary-north-beach-history\">Carol Doda Topless at the Condor\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, alongside the DVD box set of \u003cem>Sex and the City\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13991090,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Roxie Theater",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2-1200x675.jpeg 1200w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2.jpeg\" alt=\"white woman with blonde bob leans forward in magazine image\" class=\"wp-image-13991090\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2-1200x675.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A young E. Jean Carroll.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2.jpeg\" alt=\"white woman with blonde bob leans forward in magazine image\" class=\"wp-image-13991090\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A young E. Jean Carroll.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A Midwestern girl who parlayed the personality and panache that earned her Miss Cheerleader USA of 1964, Carroll moved to New York some years later, after she started writing for major magazines and her first marriage ended. Amusingly, her assignments included a camping trip with urban icon Fran Lebowitz.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A Midwestern girl who parlayed the personality and panache that earned her Miss Cheerleader USA of 1964, Carroll moved to New York some years later, after she started writing for major magazines and her first marriage ended. Amusingly, her assignments included a camping trip with urban icon Fran Lebowitz.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "fullwidth"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Carroll had the confidence and talent not only to assert her distinctive voice in print, but to insert herself in her stories. Ambitious and driven, she was in prime position to witness and applaud the generation of women breaking into the corporate ranks in the ’80s and competing with men. Carroll became the trusted confidant for many of them in the 1990s, with her “Ask E. Jean” sex-and-advice column in \u003cem>Elle\u003c/em> and a short-lived cable TV call-in show with the same name.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Carroll had the confidence and talent not only to assert her distinctive voice in print, but to insert herself in her stories. Ambitious and driven, she was in prime position to witness and applaud the generation of women breaking into the corporate ranks in the ’80s and competing with men. Carroll became the trusted confidant for many of them in the 1990s, with her “Ask E. Jean” sex-and-advice column in \u003cem>Elle\u003c/em> and a short-lived cable TV call-in show with the same name.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The documentary uses clips from the television show as a throughline, and throwback, in a kind of call-and-response to the contemporary court proceedings. Carroll’s screen persona is flirty, dishy and inviting, like the big-city older sister you wished you had. But her empathy for her guests’ and callers’ plights is limited — she’s adamant that they stop wasting time, pursue their goals and get out of unhelpful relationships.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The documentary uses clips from the television show as a throughline, and throwback, in a kind of call-and-response to the contemporary court proceedings. Carroll’s screen persona is flirty, dishy and inviting, like the big-city older sister you wished you had. But her empathy for her guests’ and callers’ plights is limited — she’s adamant that they stop wasting time, pursue their goals and get out of unhelpful relationships.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s standard modern romance fare, but not all of Carroll’s female-empowerment gospel has aged well. There’s a remarkable clip of Carroll on Geraldo Rivera’s show discussing Anita Hill and Paula Jones, who had accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas and President Bill Clinton, respectively, of sexual harassment. Carroll lambastes the women for being “wimps,” for not standing up for themselves and simply telling the men to shut up and scram.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>It’s standard modern romance fare, but not all of Carroll’s female-empowerment gospel has aged well. There’s a remarkable clip of Carroll on Geraldo Rivera’s show discussing Anita Hill and Paula Jones, who had accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas and President Bill Clinton, respectively, of sexual harassment. Carroll lambastes the women for being “wimps,” for not standing up for themselves and simply telling the men to shut up and scram.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>These vintage clips erase some of Carroll’s halo accrued from bravely speaking the truth about a powerful man (who was re-elected President of the United States, can you believe) and wrench the film from the clutches of hagiography. More importantly, they convey the evolution of Carroll’s thinking about the ways our society treats women.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>These vintage clips erase some of Carroll’s halo accrued from bravely speaking the truth about a powerful man (who was re-elected President of the United States, can you believe) and wrench the film from the clutches of hagiography. More importantly, they convey the evolution of Carroll’s thinking about the ways our society treats women.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the height of her success, Carroll embodied the old Virginia Slims slogan, “You’ve come a long way, baby!” She was, after all, the first female contributing editor of \u003cem>Playboy\u003c/em>. If a woman had the ability, she could succeed on her own terms. The playing field was level, and nothing was stopping her. Equality between the sexes had been achieved.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>At the height of her success, Carroll embodied the old Virginia Slims slogan, “You’ve come a long way, baby!” She was, after all, the first female contributing editor of \u003cem>Playboy\u003c/em>. If a woman had the ability, she could succeed on her own terms. The playing field was level, and nothing was stopping her. Equality between the sexes had been achieved.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13991089,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"imageCredit": "Roxie Theater",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1-1200x675.jpeg 1200w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1.jpeg\" alt=\"older white woman in suit jacket and string tie\" class=\"wp-image-13991089\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1-1200x675.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from ‘Ask E. Jean.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1.jpeg\" alt=\"older white woman in suit jacket and string tie\" class=\"wp-image-13991089\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from ‘Ask E. Jean.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The day Trump assaulted Carroll in 1996, she was a savvy woman who thought she knew it all, and was victimized anyway. And she blamed herself, like many people who’ve been sexually assaulted. As Carroll relates in a recorded deposition, she changed afterward. (\u003cem>Ask E. Jean\u003c/em> notes that most sexually assaulted women don’t come forward because they are “rewarded” with intrusive, insulting interrogations, a miniscule conviction rate for rape, and hate mail.)\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The day Trump assaulted Carroll in 1996, she was a savvy woman who thought she knew it all, and was victimized anyway. And she blamed herself, like many people who’ve been sexually assaulted. As Carroll relates in a recorded deposition, she changed afterward. (\u003cem>Ask E. Jean\u003c/em> notes that most sexually assaulted women don’t come forward because they are “rewarded” with intrusive, insulting interrogations, a miniscule conviction rate for rape, and hate mail.)\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ask E. Jean\u003c/em> concludes by holding up Carroll as a heroine, and a role model. That’s a strategy for delivering a satisfying movie experience and generating good word of mouth, but I think most viewers will see past it. Particularly since the issues raised by the film are independent from, and not dependent on, whether you like or agree with or empathize with its protagonist.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ask E. Jean\u003c/em> concludes by holding up Carroll as a heroine, and a role model. That’s a strategy for delivering a satisfying movie experience and generating good word of mouth, but I think most viewers will see past it. Particularly since the issues raised by the film are independent from, and not dependent on, whether you like or agree with or empathize with its protagonist.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ask E. Jean\u003c/em>’s contribution is that it naturally provokes the viewer into surfacing and revisiting their own experiences — including the forgotten and suppressed ones — and attitudes. From a big-picture standpoint, the film invites a deep discussion of the historical and current benefits of feminism. And, just maybe, the costs of our society’s limitations on women.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ask E. Jean\u003c/em>’s contribution is that it naturally provokes the viewer into surfacing and revisiting their own experiences — including the forgotten and suppressed ones — and attitudes. From a big-picture standpoint, the film invites a deep discussion of the historical and current benefits of feminism. And, just maybe, the costs of our society’s limitations on women.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/separator",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad",
"attrs": {
"format": "floatright"
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/ask-e-jean/\">Ask E. Jean\u003c/a>’ screens June 26–29, 2026 at the Roxie Theater (3125 16th St., San Francisco). Filmmaker Ivy Meeropol appears in person after the Saturday, June 27 show.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/ask-e-jean/\">Ask E. Jean\u003c/a>’ screens June 26–29, 2026 at the Roxie Theater (3125 16th St., San Francisco). Filmmaker Ivy Meeropol appears in person after the Saturday, June 27 show.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "Ivy Meeropol’s documentary tells the story of the journalist who won two cases against Donald Trump.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1782409737,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 16,
"wordCount": 926
},
"headData": {
"title": "‘Ask E. Jean’ Reframes a Tabloid Figure in Feminist History | KQED",
"description": "Ivy Meeropol’s documentary tells the story of the journalist who won two cases against Donald Trump.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "‘Ask E. Jean’ Reframes a Tabloid Figure in Feminist History",
"datePublished": "2026-06-25T10:48:49-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-06-25T10:48:57-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"name": "Arts"
},
"source": "The Do List",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13991081",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"subhead": "Ivy Meeropol's portrait of NYC writer E. Jean Carroll goes beyond sexual assault.",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13991081/ask-e-jean-documentary-review-roxie-theater",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The name E. Jean Carroll may ring a faint bell, a snowflake in the blizzard of offensive behavior that has comprised the “news” in the last decade. The protagonist and focus of the involving documentary \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.askejeanfilm.com/\">Ask E. Jean\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, however, is neither an offender nor a snowflake.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Carroll is the New York journalist and longtime \u003cem>Elle\u003c/em> advice columnist who, inspired by the women who spoke up during the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/metoo\">#MeToo movement\u003c/a>, accused Donald Trump in 2019 of sexually assaulting her in a Manhattan department store more than 20 years earlier. Carroll won a civil suit and, after Trump called her a liar on CNN and on social media, sued him for defamation and prevailed a second time, with the jury awarding damages of $83.3 million.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ask E. Jean\u003c/em> devotes ample time to the trials, but don’t be distracted by their innate political and sensationalist allure. America’s most popular 34-time felon is a minor figure in Carroll’s saga.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ivy Meeropol (\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.hbomax.com/movies/bully-coward-victim-the-story-of-roy-cohn/ed29cd0a-819e-4af9-aa88-c2b7dd71e23a\">Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn\u003c/a>\u003c/em>), greatly assisted by Ferne Pearlstein, another veteran documentary maker credited here as editor and story producer, has fashioned a later-in-life coming-of-age story that simultaneously plays as a pop-culture social history of feminism. \u003cem>Ask E. Jean\u003c/em> fits nicely on the shelf with the recent post-sexual revolution docs \u003cem>The Disappearance of Shere Hite\u003c/em> and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13953248/topless-at-the-condor-movie-review-carol-doda-documentary-north-beach-history\">Carol Doda Topless at the Condor\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, alongside the DVD box set of \u003cem>Sex and the City\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2.jpeg\" alt=\"white woman with blonde bob leans forward in magazine image\" class=\"wp-image-13991090\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-2-1200x675.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A young E. Jean Carroll. (Roxie Theater)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A Midwestern girl who parlayed the personality and panache that earned her Miss Cheerleader USA of 1964, Carroll moved to New York some years later, after she started writing for major magazines and her first marriage ended. Amusingly, her assignments included a camping trip with urban icon Fran Lebowitz.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carroll had the confidence and talent not only to assert her distinctive voice in print, but to insert herself in her stories. Ambitious and driven, she was in prime position to witness and applaud the generation of women breaking into the corporate ranks in the ’80s and competing with men. Carroll became the trusted confidant for many of them in the 1990s, with her “Ask E. Jean” sex-and-advice column in \u003cem>Elle\u003c/em> and a short-lived cable TV call-in show with the same name.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The documentary uses clips from the television show as a throughline, and throwback, in a kind of call-and-response to the contemporary court proceedings. Carroll’s screen persona is flirty, dishy and inviting, like the big-city older sister you wished you had. But her empathy for her guests’ and callers’ plights is limited — she’s adamant that they stop wasting time, pursue their goals and get out of unhelpful relationships.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s standard modern romance fare, but not all of Carroll’s female-empowerment gospel has aged well. There’s a remarkable clip of Carroll on Geraldo Rivera’s show discussing Anita Hill and Paula Jones, who had accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas and President Bill Clinton, respectively, of sexual harassment. Carroll lambastes the women for being “wimps,” for not standing up for themselves and simply telling the men to shut up and scram.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These vintage clips erase some of Carroll’s halo accrued from bravely speaking the truth about a powerful man (who was re-elected President of the United States, can you believe) and wrench the film from the clutches of hagiography. More importantly, they convey the evolution of Carroll’s thinking about the ways our society treats women.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the height of her success, Carroll embodied the old Virginia Slims slogan, “You’ve come a long way, baby!” She was, after all, the first female contributing editor of \u003cem>Playboy\u003c/em>. If a woman had the ability, she could succeed on her own terms. The playing field was level, and nothing was stopping her. Equality between the sexes had been achieved.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1.jpeg\" alt=\"older white woman in suit jacket and string tie\" class=\"wp-image-13991089\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Ask-E.-Jean-1-1200x675.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A still from ‘Ask E. Jean.’ (Roxie Theater)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The day Trump assaulted Carroll in 1996, she was a savvy woman who thought she knew it all, and was victimized anyway. And she blamed herself, like many people who’ve been sexually assaulted. As Carroll relates in a recorded deposition, she changed afterward. (\u003cem>Ask E. Jean\u003c/em> notes that most sexually assaulted women don’t come forward because they are “rewarded” with intrusive, insulting interrogations, a miniscule conviction rate for rape, and hate mail.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ask E. Jean\u003c/em> concludes by holding up Carroll as a heroine, and a role model. That’s a strategy for delivering a satisfying movie experience and generating good word of mouth, but I think most viewers will see past it. Particularly since the issues raised by the film are independent from, and not dependent on, whether you like or agree with or empathize with its protagonist.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ask E. Jean\u003c/em>’s contribution is that it naturally provokes the viewer into surfacing and revisiting their own experiences — including the forgotten and suppressed ones — and attitudes. From a big-picture standpoint, the film invites a deep discussion of the historical and current benefits of feminism. And, just maybe, the costs of our society’s limitations on women.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/ask-e-jean/\">Ask E. Jean\u003c/a>’ screens June 26–29, 2026 at the Roxie Theater (3125 16th St., San Francisco). Filmmaker Ivy Meeropol appears in person after the Saturday, June 27 show.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13991081/ask-e-jean-documentary-review-roxie-theater",
"authors": [
"22"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_74",
"arts_22313"
],
"tags": [
"arts_10278",
"arts_769",
"arts_1146",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13991091",
"label": "source_arts_13991081"
},
"arts_13989211": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13989211",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13989211",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1779199240000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "best-summer-movies-film-festivals-sf-berkeley-2026",
"title": "11 of the Best Movies and Film Festivals to See This Summer",
"publishDate": 1779199240,
"format": "aside",
"headTitle": "11 of the Best Movies and Film Festivals to See This Summer | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Be sure to check out our full \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/summer-guide-2026\">2026 Summer Arts Guide to live music, movies, art, theater, festivals and more\u003c/a> in the Bay Area.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After 10 years of unbridled lunacy on a national scale, I am reminded of a pleasurable childhood lesson: Movies are a fantastic means of escape. I confess I have sniffed, scoffed and sneered at mainstream flicks — an occupational hazard — for a good long while, but now I comprehend the need to tune out the news for (at least) a couple hours. I suspect you have reached that point as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So you have my blessing to submerge yourself in any of the blithering, blubbering, eardrum-blasting flicks that Hollywood has lined up for our summer entertainment. Nerve-plucking horror, adolescent superhero shtick, impossible action-adventure, implausible romantic fantasy — live it up, friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, if you’re looking for a deep dive into the shlock de la saison, you walked into the wrong bistro, er, soapbox. Although I’ve included a few tentpoles below, if you own a television the studios will make sure you see the menu. So here are suggestions for lower-profile, higher-order escapism.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989704\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989704\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Anarchy-in-High-Heels_2000.jpg\" alt=\"women in costumes with signs\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1361\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Anarchy-in-High-Heels_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Anarchy-in-High-Heels_2000-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Anarchy-in-High-Heels_2000-768x523.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Anarchy-in-High-Heels_2000-1536x1045.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Nickelettes in June 1974. \u003ccite>(Betsy Newman)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://sfdocfest2026.eventive.org/welcome\">DocFest\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>May 28–June 7, 2026\u003cbr>\nRoxie Theater, San Francisco\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nonfiction is the pathway to vicariously living other lives — some more precarious – for a little while. The expansive 25th edition of DocFest hosts the world premieres of a pair of prison-themed films by Oakland filmmakers, \u003ca href=\"https://sfdocfest2026.eventive.org/schedule/69c2b1f04f4f536bedc7cc8e\">\u003cem>The Surrender of Waymond Hall\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://sfdocfest2026.eventive.org/schedule/69c2b2ce7d35348a5d1e4455\">\u003cem>The End of Isolation\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. Hitting a lighter musical note, the festival opens with the NOFX doc \u003ca href=\"https://sfdocfest2026.eventive.org/schedule/69c801087edb042bb5e3975a\">\u003cem>40 Years of Fuckin’ Up\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and debuts \u003ca href=\"https://sfdocfest2026.eventive.org/schedule/69e22e22e5214d1cb3267a32\">\u003cem>Anarchy in High Heels: The Story of Les Nickelettes\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. DocFest revisits its roots, and the immortal \u003ca href=\"https://sfdocfest2026.eventive.org/films/69ace874858aeadeab6936b4\">Atomic Ed\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://sfdocfest2026.eventive.org/films/69ad97cc66714431517e6eaf\">Cynthia Plaster Caster\u003c/a>, with a trio of films from the festival’s inaugural 2001 year (with tickets at 2001 prices!).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989708\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/P_11544_R_rgb_2000.jpg\" alt=\"two men face each other over typewriter\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989708\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/P_11544_R_rgb_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/P_11544_R_rgb_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/P_11544_R_rgb_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/P_11544_R_rgb_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrew Scott as Captain James Stagg and Chris Messina as Irving P. Krick in director Anthony Maras’ ‘Pressure.’ \u003ccite>(Alex Bailey/Focus Features/STUDIOCANAL)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘Pressure’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Opens May 29, 2026\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anthony Maras’s behind-the-scenes World War II drama is of particular interest to history buffs and tech workers. Meteorologists Scottish (a splendid Andrew Scott) and American (Chris Messina, as the erstwhile villain of the piece) square off in a high-stakes, digital v. analog debate over the optimal date for D-Day. Brendan Fraser and Kerry Condon (as Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and his personal secretary Kay Summersby) round out the cast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13919010\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/19-130.jpg\" alt=\"A teenage girl, green light glowing across her eyes, looks at something off in the distance with great horror.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13919010\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/19-130.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/19-130-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/19-130-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/19-130-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/19-130-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Winona Ryder in Tim Burton’s 1988 film ‘Beetlejuice,’ playing Oct 16. at Crane Cove Park.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://sfstandard.com/sundown-cinema/\">Sundown Cinema\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>June 12–Oct. 16, 2026\u003cbr>\nVarious San Francisco locations\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following last year’s truncated schedule, the free outdoor screening series returns with a full slate. The lineup won’t get your pulse racing — it’s geared toward families rather than the date crowd — which is what it takes sometimes to spend a summer evening in the elements hereabouts. The late Rob Reiner’s \u003cem>The Princess Bride\u003c/em> is the curtain-raiser, with Pixar’s \u003cem>Inside Out\u003c/em>, \u003cem>The Parent Trap\u003c/em>, \u003cem>School of Rock\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Beetlejuice\u003c/em> in the wings. Bundle up, kiddos!\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989703\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989703\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Kubrick_The-Shining_003_2000.jpg\" alt=\"woman screams as axe head comes through door\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1360\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Kubrick_The-Shining_003_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Kubrick_The-Shining_003_2000-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Kubrick_The-Shining_003_2000-768x522.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Kubrick_The-Shining_003_2000-1536x1044.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shelley Duvall in a scene from Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film ‘The Shining,’ playing July 26 and 31 at BAMPFA. \u003ccite>(BAMPFA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/complete-stanley-kubrick\">A Complete Stanley Kubrick\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>June 12–Aug. 30, 2026\u003cbr>\nBerkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coincidentally, Steven Spielberg’s latest hunk of speculative pulp fiction, \u003cem>Disclosure Day\u003c/em>, opens the same day this monumental retrospective begins. The directors are inextricably linked by \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/ai-artificial-intelligence\">A.I. Artificial Intelligence\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (Aug. 20) which Kubrick developed and Spielberg directed in 2001. Resist the tempting timeliness of that title and catch up instead with the former photojournalist’s black-and-white masterpieces \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/killing\">The Killing\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/paths-glory\">Paths of Glory\u003c/a>\u003c/em> and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/dr-strangelove-or-how-i-learned-stop-worrying-and-love-bomb\">Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. Actually, see everything on the big screen that the brilliant perfectionist made.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989714\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Lady-Champagne-2_D_Arcy-Drollinger_2000.jpg\" alt=\"blonde person in heavy makeup peers through jungle foliage\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989714\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Lady-Champagne-2_D_Arcy-Drollinger_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Lady-Champagne-2_D_Arcy-Drollinger_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Lady-Champagne-2_D_Arcy-Drollinger_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Lady-Champagne-2_D_Arcy-Drollinger_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">D’Arcy Drollinger in ‘Lady Champagne,’ playing June 17 as Frameline’s opening night film. \u003ccite>(Frameline)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frameline.org/festival\">Frameline50\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>June 17–27, 2026\u003cbr>\nVarious locations\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Queer summer launches in theaters with the campy disaster comedy \u003cem>Stop! That! Train!\u003c/em> (opening June 12) and Hayley Kiyoko’s coming-of-age saga \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frameline.org/films/frameline50/girls-like-girls\">Girls Like Girls\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (June 19). Then the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival rolls out the gold carpet with a massive celebration of the present and past of gay and lesbian cinema. Local multihyphenate D’Arcy Drollinger kick-starts the festivities with the hoot-and-holler drag comedy \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frameline.org/films/frameline50/lady-champagne\">Lady Champagne\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, while documentary ace Jennifer M. Kroot launches Pride weekend with \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frameline.org/films/frameline50/hunky-jesus\">Hunky Jesus\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, a profile of San Francisco’s altogether wonderful Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. (If you’ve somehow never seen the landmark doc \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/times-harvey-milk\">The Times of Harvey Milk\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, BAMPFA shows it July 10.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989713\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/TOY-STORY5-2000.jpg\" alt=\"toy cowboy and toy astronaut crawl on flood of child's bedroom looking anxious\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1074\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989713\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/TOY-STORY5-2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/TOY-STORY5-2000-160x86.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/TOY-STORY5-2000-768x412.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/TOY-STORY5-2000-1536x825.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Woody and Buzz Lightyear in Disney and Pixar’s ‘Toy Story 5.’ \u003ccite>(Pixar)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘Toy Story 5’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Opens June 19, 2026\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emeryville’s Disney House has already scored one hit this year with \u003cem>Hoppers\u003c/em>. This Buzz and Woody and Bonnie and Jessie sequel to the sequel to the sequel, etc., arriving seven years to the weekend after the last installment, will rake in even more moolah. First, because it’s good, and second because it really might mark the end of the beloved animated franchise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989865\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/get-out_2000.jpg\" alt=\"Black man frozen in terror with tears in eyes\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989865\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/get-out_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/get-out_2000-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/get-out_2000-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/get-out_2000-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/get-out_2000-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Daniel Kaluuya in a scene from Jordan Peele’s 2017 film ‘Get Out,’ playing July 9 at the Roxie. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Fraenkel Gallery)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/series/fraenkel-film-festival-2026/\">Fraenkel Film Festival 2026\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>July 8–18, 2026\u003cbr>\nRoxie Theater, San Francisco\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Curated by visual artists represented by San Francisco’s Fraenkel Gallery, this now-annual program is refreshingly unpredictable and eclectic. Brian De Palma’s timeless shocker \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/carrie/\">Carrie\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, chosen by Christian Marclay, kicks off the series with a scream while Jim Jarmusch’s haunted \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/mystery-train-35mm/\">Mystery Train\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (Alec Soth’s pick) wraps things up with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. Sandwiched in between you’ll find savory treats like Ingmar Bergman’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/persona/\">Persona\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (selected by Robert Adams), Claude Chabrol’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/la-ceremonie/\">La Cérémonie\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (Katy Grannan) and Alfred Hitchcock’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/north-by-northwest-35mm/\">North by Northwest\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (Lee Friedlander).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989711\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Still_Dust_Bowls_and_Jewish_Souls_Another_Side_of_Woody_Guthrie.jpg\" alt=\"close-up of man with tipped back hat and plaid shirt\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989711\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Still_Dust_Bowls_and_Jewish_Souls_Another_Side_of_Woody_Guthrie.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Still_Dust_Bowls_and_Jewish_Souls_Another_Side_of_Woody_Guthrie-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Still_Dust_Bowls_and_Jewish_Souls_Another_Side_of_Woody_Guthrie-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Still_Dust_Bowls_and_Jewish_Souls_Another_Side_of_Woody_Guthrie-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Still_Dust_Bowls_and_Jewish_Souls_Another_Side_of_Woody_Guthrie-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Still from ‘Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls: Another Side of Woody Guthrie,’ directed by Steven Pressman. \u003ccite>(SFJFF)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://jfi.org/2026-film-festival\">San Francisco Jewish Film Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>July 16–Aug. 2, 2026\u003cbr>\nVarious locations\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the gutsiest film festivals in this time zone — by mission, by choice and by the circumstances of current events — SFJFF cultivates a space for discussion, debate and, yes, co-existence. It’s trickier to predict the program this year with Israeli filmmakers dealing with unprecedented levels of government opposition, but we can still expect a couple gut-punching documentaries along with French rom-coms and American explorations of identity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/f_bKjZeJBBI?si=3PD3G_YorquA3mnl\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘The Odyssey’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Opens July 17, 2026\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Christopher Nolan (\u003cem>Oppenheimer\u003c/em>), the self-anointed Philosopher King of Blockbuster Cinema, spent a quarter of a billion dollars of Universal’s money to adapt Homer’s epic. Bland-as-beans Matt Damon plays the Greek king Odysseus with an American accent and a natural beard. Anne Hathaway portrays Queen Penelope with an American accent and (presumably) no musical numbers. I’m rooting for Nolan’s turgid sword-and-sandal saga to resolve the historical mystery of how and where beach volleyball was invented, but I fear my hopes shall be dashed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989706\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989706\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IWYS_2000.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1081\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IWYS_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IWYS_2000-160x86.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IWYS_2000-768x415.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IWYS_2000-1536x830.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman in a scene from Gregg Araki’s ‘I Want Your Sex.’ \u003ccite>(Magnolia Pictures)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘I Want Your Sex’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Opens July 31, 2026\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Its come-hither title notwithstanding, Gregg Araki’s return to the big screen isn’t destined to be a multiplex phenomenon. Or maybe I’m completely off base, for LA’s gutter-glorious punk provocateur of the ’90s describes his new film as “a sex-positive love letter for Gen Z.” Cooper Hoffman plays a newbie hired by artist Olivia Wilde to be her quote-unquote sexual muse. Our hero embarks on an odyssey that presumably encompasses the siren call of lust, the rocky shoals of love, the green-eyed beast of jealousy and other mythic creatures. Daveed Diggs, Margaret Cho and Charli xcx join the tongue-in-cheek fun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989709\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Riggs_Tongues-Untied_003_2000.jpg\" alt=\"close group of Black men pose together\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1287\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989709\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Riggs_Tongues-Untied_003_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Riggs_Tongues-Untied_003_2000-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Riggs_Tongues-Untied_003_2000-768x494.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Riggs_Tongues-Untied_003_2000-1536x988.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marlon Riggs, ‘Tongues Untied,’ 1989, playing Aug. 29 at BAMPFA. \u003ccite>(BAMPFA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/made-berkeley-house-zaentz-built\">Made in Berkeley: The House That Zaentz Built\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Aug. 1–30, 2026\u003cbr>\nBerkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in the 1980s, Creedence Clearwater Revival leader John Fogerty wrote a song called “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeMlRzw1saw\">Zanz Kant Danz\u003c/a>” inspired by his furious legal battles with Fantasy Records owner Saul Zaentz. You may remember Zaentz as the Oscar-winning producer of \u003cem>Amadeus\u003c/em> and \u003cem>One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest\u003c/em>. The countless local documentary filmmakers with offices in the Fantasy Building saw Zaentz as a generally beneficent figure. This succinct series, co-presented with the Berkeley Film Foundation and featuring Marlon Riggs’ \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/tongues-untied\">Tongues Untied\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, Steven Okazaki’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/white-light-black-rain\">White Light/Black Rain\u003c/a>\u003c/em> and Vivian Kleiman’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/no-straight-lines\">No Straight Lines\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, honors the legacies of an erstwhile patron and singular artists.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "From Bay Area festivals to retrospectives to big-budget blockbusters, here are the not-to-miss movies. ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1779227740,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 28,
"wordCount": 1577
},
"headData": {
"title": "Bay Area Summer Movie Guide: Films and Fests Not to Miss | KQED",
"description": "From Bay Area festivals to retrospectives to big-budget blockbusters, here are the not-to-miss movies. ",
"ogTitle": "11 of the Best Movies and Film Festivals to See This Summer",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "11 of the Best Movies and Film Festivals to See This Summer",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "Bay Area Summer Movie Guide: Films and Fests Not to Miss %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "11 of the Best Movies and Film Festivals to See This Summer",
"datePublished": "2026-05-19T07:00:40-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-05-19T14:55:40-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 74,
"slug": "movies",
"name": "Movies"
},
"source": "Summer Guide 2026",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/summer-guide-2026",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13989211",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13989211/best-summer-movies-film-festivals-sf-berkeley-2026",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Be sure to check out our full \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/summer-guide-2026\">2026 Summer Arts Guide to live music, movies, art, theater, festivals and more\u003c/a> in the Bay Area.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After 10 years of unbridled lunacy on a national scale, I am reminded of a pleasurable childhood lesson: Movies are a fantastic means of escape. I confess I have sniffed, scoffed and sneered at mainstream flicks — an occupational hazard — for a good long while, but now I comprehend the need to tune out the news for (at least) a couple hours. I suspect you have reached that point as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So you have my blessing to submerge yourself in any of the blithering, blubbering, eardrum-blasting flicks that Hollywood has lined up for our summer entertainment. Nerve-plucking horror, adolescent superhero shtick, impossible action-adventure, implausible romantic fantasy — live it up, friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, if you’re looking for a deep dive into the shlock de la saison, you walked into the wrong bistro, er, soapbox. Although I’ve included a few tentpoles below, if you own a television the studios will make sure you see the menu. So here are suggestions for lower-profile, higher-order escapism.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989704\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989704\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Anarchy-in-High-Heels_2000.jpg\" alt=\"women in costumes with signs\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1361\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Anarchy-in-High-Heels_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Anarchy-in-High-Heels_2000-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Anarchy-in-High-Heels_2000-768x523.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Anarchy-in-High-Heels_2000-1536x1045.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Nickelettes in June 1974. \u003ccite>(Betsy Newman)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://sfdocfest2026.eventive.org/welcome\">DocFest\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>May 28–June 7, 2026\u003cbr>\nRoxie Theater, San Francisco\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nonfiction is the pathway to vicariously living other lives — some more precarious – for a little while. The expansive 25th edition of DocFest hosts the world premieres of a pair of prison-themed films by Oakland filmmakers, \u003ca href=\"https://sfdocfest2026.eventive.org/schedule/69c2b1f04f4f536bedc7cc8e\">\u003cem>The Surrender of Waymond Hall\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://sfdocfest2026.eventive.org/schedule/69c2b2ce7d35348a5d1e4455\">\u003cem>The End of Isolation\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. Hitting a lighter musical note, the festival opens with the NOFX doc \u003ca href=\"https://sfdocfest2026.eventive.org/schedule/69c801087edb042bb5e3975a\">\u003cem>40 Years of Fuckin’ Up\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and debuts \u003ca href=\"https://sfdocfest2026.eventive.org/schedule/69e22e22e5214d1cb3267a32\">\u003cem>Anarchy in High Heels: The Story of Les Nickelettes\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. DocFest revisits its roots, and the immortal \u003ca href=\"https://sfdocfest2026.eventive.org/films/69ace874858aeadeab6936b4\">Atomic Ed\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://sfdocfest2026.eventive.org/films/69ad97cc66714431517e6eaf\">Cynthia Plaster Caster\u003c/a>, with a trio of films from the festival’s inaugural 2001 year (with tickets at 2001 prices!).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989708\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/P_11544_R_rgb_2000.jpg\" alt=\"two men face each other over typewriter\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989708\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/P_11544_R_rgb_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/P_11544_R_rgb_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/P_11544_R_rgb_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/P_11544_R_rgb_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrew Scott as Captain James Stagg and Chris Messina as Irving P. Krick in director Anthony Maras’ ‘Pressure.’ \u003ccite>(Alex Bailey/Focus Features/STUDIOCANAL)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘Pressure’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Opens May 29, 2026\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anthony Maras’s behind-the-scenes World War II drama is of particular interest to history buffs and tech workers. Meteorologists Scottish (a splendid Andrew Scott) and American (Chris Messina, as the erstwhile villain of the piece) square off in a high-stakes, digital v. analog debate over the optimal date for D-Day. Brendan Fraser and Kerry Condon (as Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and his personal secretary Kay Summersby) round out the cast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13919010\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/19-130.jpg\" alt=\"A teenage girl, green light glowing across her eyes, looks at something off in the distance with great horror.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13919010\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/19-130.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/19-130-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/19-130-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/19-130-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/19-130-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Winona Ryder in Tim Burton’s 1988 film ‘Beetlejuice,’ playing Oct 16. at Crane Cove Park.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://sfstandard.com/sundown-cinema/\">Sundown Cinema\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>June 12–Oct. 16, 2026\u003cbr>\nVarious San Francisco locations\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following last year’s truncated schedule, the free outdoor screening series returns with a full slate. The lineup won’t get your pulse racing — it’s geared toward families rather than the date crowd — which is what it takes sometimes to spend a summer evening in the elements hereabouts. The late Rob Reiner’s \u003cem>The Princess Bride\u003c/em> is the curtain-raiser, with Pixar’s \u003cem>Inside Out\u003c/em>, \u003cem>The Parent Trap\u003c/em>, \u003cem>School of Rock\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Beetlejuice\u003c/em> in the wings. Bundle up, kiddos!\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989703\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989703\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Kubrick_The-Shining_003_2000.jpg\" alt=\"woman screams as axe head comes through door\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1360\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Kubrick_The-Shining_003_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Kubrick_The-Shining_003_2000-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Kubrick_The-Shining_003_2000-768x522.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Kubrick_The-Shining_003_2000-1536x1044.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shelley Duvall in a scene from Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film ‘The Shining,’ playing July 26 and 31 at BAMPFA. \u003ccite>(BAMPFA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/complete-stanley-kubrick\">A Complete Stanley Kubrick\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>June 12–Aug. 30, 2026\u003cbr>\nBerkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coincidentally, Steven Spielberg’s latest hunk of speculative pulp fiction, \u003cem>Disclosure Day\u003c/em>, opens the same day this monumental retrospective begins. The directors are inextricably linked by \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/ai-artificial-intelligence\">A.I. Artificial Intelligence\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (Aug. 20) which Kubrick developed and Spielberg directed in 2001. Resist the tempting timeliness of that title and catch up instead with the former photojournalist’s black-and-white masterpieces \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/killing\">The Killing\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/paths-glory\">Paths of Glory\u003c/a>\u003c/em> and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/dr-strangelove-or-how-i-learned-stop-worrying-and-love-bomb\">Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. Actually, see everything on the big screen that the brilliant perfectionist made.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989714\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Lady-Champagne-2_D_Arcy-Drollinger_2000.jpg\" alt=\"blonde person in heavy makeup peers through jungle foliage\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989714\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Lady-Champagne-2_D_Arcy-Drollinger_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Lady-Champagne-2_D_Arcy-Drollinger_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Lady-Champagne-2_D_Arcy-Drollinger_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Lady-Champagne-2_D_Arcy-Drollinger_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">D’Arcy Drollinger in ‘Lady Champagne,’ playing June 17 as Frameline’s opening night film. \u003ccite>(Frameline)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frameline.org/festival\">Frameline50\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>June 17–27, 2026\u003cbr>\nVarious locations\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Queer summer launches in theaters with the campy disaster comedy \u003cem>Stop! That! Train!\u003c/em> (opening June 12) and Hayley Kiyoko’s coming-of-age saga \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frameline.org/films/frameline50/girls-like-girls\">Girls Like Girls\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (June 19). Then the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival rolls out the gold carpet with a massive celebration of the present and past of gay and lesbian cinema. Local multihyphenate D’Arcy Drollinger kick-starts the festivities with the hoot-and-holler drag comedy \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frameline.org/films/frameline50/lady-champagne\">Lady Champagne\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, while documentary ace Jennifer M. Kroot launches Pride weekend with \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frameline.org/films/frameline50/hunky-jesus\">Hunky Jesus\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, a profile of San Francisco’s altogether wonderful Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. (If you’ve somehow never seen the landmark doc \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/times-harvey-milk\">The Times of Harvey Milk\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, BAMPFA shows it July 10.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989713\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/TOY-STORY5-2000.jpg\" alt=\"toy cowboy and toy astronaut crawl on flood of child's bedroom looking anxious\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1074\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989713\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/TOY-STORY5-2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/TOY-STORY5-2000-160x86.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/TOY-STORY5-2000-768x412.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/TOY-STORY5-2000-1536x825.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Woody and Buzz Lightyear in Disney and Pixar’s ‘Toy Story 5.’ \u003ccite>(Pixar)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘Toy Story 5’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Opens June 19, 2026\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emeryville’s Disney House has already scored one hit this year with \u003cem>Hoppers\u003c/em>. This Buzz and Woody and Bonnie and Jessie sequel to the sequel to the sequel, etc., arriving seven years to the weekend after the last installment, will rake in even more moolah. First, because it’s good, and second because it really might mark the end of the beloved animated franchise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989865\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/get-out_2000.jpg\" alt=\"Black man frozen in terror with tears in eyes\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989865\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/get-out_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/get-out_2000-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/get-out_2000-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/get-out_2000-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/get-out_2000-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Daniel Kaluuya in a scene from Jordan Peele’s 2017 film ‘Get Out,’ playing July 9 at the Roxie. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Fraenkel Gallery)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/series/fraenkel-film-festival-2026/\">Fraenkel Film Festival 2026\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>July 8–18, 2026\u003cbr>\nRoxie Theater, San Francisco\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Curated by visual artists represented by San Francisco’s Fraenkel Gallery, this now-annual program is refreshingly unpredictable and eclectic. Brian De Palma’s timeless shocker \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/carrie/\">Carrie\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, chosen by Christian Marclay, kicks off the series with a scream while Jim Jarmusch’s haunted \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/mystery-train-35mm/\">Mystery Train\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (Alec Soth’s pick) wraps things up with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. Sandwiched in between you’ll find savory treats like Ingmar Bergman’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/persona/\">Persona\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (selected by Robert Adams), Claude Chabrol’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/la-ceremonie/\">La Cérémonie\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (Katy Grannan) and Alfred Hitchcock’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/north-by-northwest-35mm/\">North by Northwest\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (Lee Friedlander).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989711\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Still_Dust_Bowls_and_Jewish_Souls_Another_Side_of_Woody_Guthrie.jpg\" alt=\"close-up of man with tipped back hat and plaid shirt\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989711\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Still_Dust_Bowls_and_Jewish_Souls_Another_Side_of_Woody_Guthrie.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Still_Dust_Bowls_and_Jewish_Souls_Another_Side_of_Woody_Guthrie-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Still_Dust_Bowls_and_Jewish_Souls_Another_Side_of_Woody_Guthrie-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Still_Dust_Bowls_and_Jewish_Souls_Another_Side_of_Woody_Guthrie-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Still_Dust_Bowls_and_Jewish_Souls_Another_Side_of_Woody_Guthrie-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Still from ‘Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls: Another Side of Woody Guthrie,’ directed by Steven Pressman. \u003ccite>(SFJFF)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://jfi.org/2026-film-festival\">San Francisco Jewish Film Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>July 16–Aug. 2, 2026\u003cbr>\nVarious locations\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the gutsiest film festivals in this time zone — by mission, by choice and by the circumstances of current events — SFJFF cultivates a space for discussion, debate and, yes, co-existence. It’s trickier to predict the program this year with Israeli filmmakers dealing with unprecedented levels of government opposition, but we can still expect a couple gut-punching documentaries along with French rom-coms and American explorations of identity.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/f_bKjZeJBBI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/f_bKjZeJBBI'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ch2>‘The Odyssey’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Opens July 17, 2026\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Christopher Nolan (\u003cem>Oppenheimer\u003c/em>), the self-anointed Philosopher King of Blockbuster Cinema, spent a quarter of a billion dollars of Universal’s money to adapt Homer’s epic. Bland-as-beans Matt Damon plays the Greek king Odysseus with an American accent and a natural beard. Anne Hathaway portrays Queen Penelope with an American accent and (presumably) no musical numbers. I’m rooting for Nolan’s turgid sword-and-sandal saga to resolve the historical mystery of how and where beach volleyball was invented, but I fear my hopes shall be dashed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989706\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989706\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IWYS_2000.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1081\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IWYS_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IWYS_2000-160x86.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IWYS_2000-768x415.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IWYS_2000-1536x830.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman in a scene from Gregg Araki’s ‘I Want Your Sex.’ \u003ccite>(Magnolia Pictures)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘I Want Your Sex’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Opens July 31, 2026\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Its come-hither title notwithstanding, Gregg Araki’s return to the big screen isn’t destined to be a multiplex phenomenon. Or maybe I’m completely off base, for LA’s gutter-glorious punk provocateur of the ’90s describes his new film as “a sex-positive love letter for Gen Z.” Cooper Hoffman plays a newbie hired by artist Olivia Wilde to be her quote-unquote sexual muse. Our hero embarks on an odyssey that presumably encompasses the siren call of lust, the rocky shoals of love, the green-eyed beast of jealousy and other mythic creatures. Daveed Diggs, Margaret Cho and Charli xcx join the tongue-in-cheek fun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989709\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Riggs_Tongues-Untied_003_2000.jpg\" alt=\"close group of Black men pose together\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1287\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13989709\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Riggs_Tongues-Untied_003_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Riggs_Tongues-Untied_003_2000-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Riggs_Tongues-Untied_003_2000-768x494.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Riggs_Tongues-Untied_003_2000-1536x988.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marlon Riggs, ‘Tongues Untied,’ 1989, playing Aug. 29 at BAMPFA. \u003ccite>(BAMPFA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/made-berkeley-house-zaentz-built\">Made in Berkeley: The House That Zaentz Built\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Aug. 1–30, 2026\u003cbr>\nBerkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in the 1980s, Creedence Clearwater Revival leader John Fogerty wrote a song called “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeMlRzw1saw\">Zanz Kant Danz\u003c/a>” inspired by his furious legal battles with Fantasy Records owner Saul Zaentz. You may remember Zaentz as the Oscar-winning producer of \u003cem>Amadeus\u003c/em> and \u003cem>One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest\u003c/em>. The countless local documentary filmmakers with offices in the Fantasy Building saw Zaentz as a generally beneficent figure. This succinct series, co-presented with the Berkeley Film Foundation and featuring Marlon Riggs’ \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/tongues-untied\">Tongues Untied\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, Steven Okazaki’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/white-light-black-rain\">White Light/Black Rain\u003c/a>\u003c/em> and Vivian Kleiman’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/no-straight-lines\">No Straight Lines\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, honors the legacies of an erstwhile patron and singular artists.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13989211/best-summer-movies-film-festivals-sf-berkeley-2026",
"authors": [
"22"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_74"
],
"tags": [
"arts_2227",
"arts_22642",
"arts_1270",
"arts_3465",
"arts_3163",
"arts_1146",
"arts_5305",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13989706",
"label": "source_arts_13989211"
},
"arts_13988241": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13988241",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13988241",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1775272126000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "bampfa-lucrecia-martel-un-destino-comun-film",
"title": "BAMPFA Spotlights Lucrecia Martel’s Parables of Middle-Class Desperation",
"publishDate": 1775272126,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "BAMPFA Spotlights Lucrecia Martel’s Parables of Middle-Class Desperation | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/headless-woman\">The Headless Woman\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2008), Argentine writer-director Lucrecia Martel’s disturbing third feature, opens on three boys and a dog running and playing in the sun alongside a semi-rural two-lane highway. From the very first frame — there are 24 in a second, remember — the filmmaker thrusts us into the heightened immediacy of \u003cem>now\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nothing of particular importance seems to be taking place, or maybe we’re not attuned to it. The soundtrack pops with shouts and barks and, on a subliminal wavelength, also unnerves us. Our antennae detect a danger in the vicinity, or on the horizon, that makes us shift uncomfortably in our seat. We are already immersed and, to Martel’s way of thinking, complicit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the most acclaimed and unsettling filmmakers working today, Martel is the focus of a Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive career retrospective timed to her current residency at UC Berkeley. \u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/lucrecia-martel-un-destino-comun\">Lucrecia Martel: Un destino común\u003c/a> opens Saturday, April 4 with her stunning debut \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/cienaga\">La ciénaga\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2001) and concludes Sunday, April 19 with her most recent feature \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/zama\">Zama\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2017), the odd and fascinating tale of a frustrated Spanish functionary losing his bearings in colonial Paraguay. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13988252\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Nuestra-Tierra_001_2000.jpg\" alt=\"small crowd looks down hillside at white tent\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13988252\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Nuestra-Tierra_001_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Nuestra-Tierra_001_2000-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Nuestra-Tierra_001_2000-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Nuestra-Tierra_001_2000-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Nuestra-Tierra_001_2000-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A still from Lucrecia Martel’s ‘Our Land/Nuestra Tierra,’ 2025. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of BAMPFA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The series also includes a sold-out screening of Martel’s 2025 documentary \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/our-land-nuestra-tierra\">Our Land/Nuestra Tierra\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, which plays April 16 at the \u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/our-land-nuestra-tierra/\">Roxie\u003c/a> and opens May 1 in the Bay Area. This comparatively straightforward saga of crime and injustice documents the 2018 trial of the killers of unarmed activist Javier Chocobar in Argentina’s Tucumán Province. By way of rebutting their attorneys’ claim that the defendants had the right to access the disputed land and the Indigenous Chuschagasta community had no legal claim, Martel assembles acres of photographic, anecdotal and moral evidence to the contrary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In her fiction features, Martel typically provides just enough context and bones of a story to give the viewer some footing. Her insistence that we interpret the perceptions and responses of the characters, along with her propensity to compress and elongate time, results in ambiguous, open-ended films whose pleasure correlates with the viewer’s willingness to be challenged. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cinephiles said similar things about the then-radical films of Michelangelo Antonioni and Alain Resnais. They also spent hours, if you can imagine, discussing the movies’ meanings and themes. Martel’s films invite equally intense conversations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13988248\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2015px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Headless-Woman_009.jpg\" alt=\"older woman caresses younger woman's face as they sit on bed\" width=\"2015\" height=\"835\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13988248\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Headless-Woman_009.jpg 2015w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Headless-Woman_009-2000x829.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Headless-Woman_009-160x66.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Headless-Woman_009-768x318.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Headless-Woman_009-1536x637.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2015px) 100vw, 2015px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">María Onetto and Inés Efron in a scene from Lucrecia Martel’s ‘The Headless Woman,’ 2008. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of BAMPFA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Whenever you manage, through cinema, to cast doubt on the assumed nature of things, you might be approaching something really interesting,” Martel said in a 2019 interview with the Museum of Modern Art’s online journal \u003ca href=\"https://post.moma.org/to-cast-doubt-on-the-assumed-nature-of-things-an-interview-with-lucrecia-martel/\">post: notes on art in a global context\u003c/a>. “And when you have done that once, there’s no way back. Because once you become aware of what makes no sense, never again can reality manage to completely hide its quality of disguise.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>La ciénaga\u003c/em> (\u003cem>The Swamp\u003c/em>) is a fraught, impressionistic portrait of two decaying middle-class families. \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/holy-girl\">The Holy Girl\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2004) explores the twisted entanglement between a doctor attending a conference, a confused-by-religion teenager and her divorced mother. \u003cem>The Headless Woman\u003c/em> (2008) follows a well-off woman in the aftermath of a hit-and-run accident. \u003cem>Zama\u003c/em> (adapted from Antonio di Benedetto’s 1956 novel) is likewise a portrait of privilege, stasis and desperation, although it more explicitly acknowledges colonial and (by extension) contemporary prejudice and exploitation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because Martel resists convention, plot summaries only convey the surface of her movies. Nor can synopses convey the importance of the outdoors — the natural world, certainly, but the land as identification, inheritance, history — as an embedded theme. The recurring presence of Indigenous people in various roles (employees, servants, children on the side of a highway), whether acknowledged by the characters or not, is a reminder to audiences of Argentina’s past and present.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13988249\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1440px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Holy-Girl_003.jpg\" alt=\"two girls swim on their backs in blue pool\" width=\"1440\" height=\"960\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13988249\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Holy-Girl_003.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Holy-Girl_003-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Holy-Girl_003-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from Lucrecia Martel’s ‘The Holy Girl,’ 2004. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of BAMPFA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Martel’s films are populated with adults so enmeshed in lives of pointless desperation that they lose touch with their children. If they can deny reality to the degree that their kids aren’t a priority, they are surely indifferent to a larger historical and geographic perspective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is an immediacy and energy to Martel’s work that hooks us and commands our attention, and feels completely of the moment. And although her films are rooted in specific Argentine experience and history, their invocations of the intersection of power and gender, and power and class, feel especially relevant now to (North) American audiences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have heard it described as cognitive dissonance. The comfort and complacency that has long existed in a certain strata of American society can’t continue, not in the same way and with the same obliviousness, in a tidal wave of increasing inequality, reduced rights, ICE detention centers, ongoing war, bottomless lies and a collapse of the moral code.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If we can recognize ourselves in Lucrecia Martel’s characters — selfish, ridiculous, dumbstruck, unmoored, committed to a failed system — we might begin to live in the urgency of \u003cem>now\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>‘\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/lucrecia-martel-un-destino-comun\">Lucrecia Martel: Un destino común\u003c/a>’ plays April 4–19, 2026 at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (2155 Center St., Berkeley).\u003c/i> \u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "The Argentine filmmaker is in town for a program of seven screenings of her ‘completely of the moment’ work.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1775511988,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 16,
"wordCount": 941
},
"headData": {
"title": "Lucrecia Martel Films at BAMPFA: The Urgency of Now | KQED",
"description": "The Argentine filmmaker is in town for a program of seven screenings of her ‘completely of the moment’ work.",
"ogTitle": "BAMPFA Spotlights Lucrecia Martel’s Parables of Middle-Class Desperation",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "BAMPFA Spotlights Lucrecia Martel’s Parables of Middle-Class Desperation",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "Lucrecia Martel Films at BAMPFA: The Urgency of Now %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "BAMPFA Spotlights Lucrecia Martel’s Parables of Middle-Class Desperation",
"datePublished": "2026-04-03T20:08:46-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-04-06T14:46:28-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"name": "Arts"
},
"source": "The Do List",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13988241",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"subhead": "The Argentine filmmaker's intense dramas explore power, gender and class.",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13988241/bampfa-lucrecia-martel-un-destino-comun-film",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/headless-woman\">The Headless Woman\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2008), Argentine writer-director Lucrecia Martel’s disturbing third feature, opens on three boys and a dog running and playing in the sun alongside a semi-rural two-lane highway. From the very first frame — there are 24 in a second, remember — the filmmaker thrusts us into the heightened immediacy of \u003cem>now\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nothing of particular importance seems to be taking place, or maybe we’re not attuned to it. The soundtrack pops with shouts and barks and, on a subliminal wavelength, also unnerves us. Our antennae detect a danger in the vicinity, or on the horizon, that makes us shift uncomfortably in our seat. We are already immersed and, to Martel’s way of thinking, complicit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the most acclaimed and unsettling filmmakers working today, Martel is the focus of a Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive career retrospective timed to her current residency at UC Berkeley. \u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/lucrecia-martel-un-destino-comun\">Lucrecia Martel: Un destino común\u003c/a> opens Saturday, April 4 with her stunning debut \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/cienaga\">La ciénaga\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2001) and concludes Sunday, April 19 with her most recent feature \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/zama\">Zama\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2017), the odd and fascinating tale of a frustrated Spanish functionary losing his bearings in colonial Paraguay. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13988252\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Nuestra-Tierra_001_2000.jpg\" alt=\"small crowd looks down hillside at white tent\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13988252\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Nuestra-Tierra_001_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Nuestra-Tierra_001_2000-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Nuestra-Tierra_001_2000-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Nuestra-Tierra_001_2000-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Nuestra-Tierra_001_2000-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A still from Lucrecia Martel’s ‘Our Land/Nuestra Tierra,’ 2025. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of BAMPFA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The series also includes a sold-out screening of Martel’s 2025 documentary \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/our-land-nuestra-tierra\">Our Land/Nuestra Tierra\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, which plays April 16 at the \u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/our-land-nuestra-tierra/\">Roxie\u003c/a> and opens May 1 in the Bay Area. This comparatively straightforward saga of crime and injustice documents the 2018 trial of the killers of unarmed activist Javier Chocobar in Argentina’s Tucumán Province. By way of rebutting their attorneys’ claim that the defendants had the right to access the disputed land and the Indigenous Chuschagasta community had no legal claim, Martel assembles acres of photographic, anecdotal and moral evidence to the contrary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In her fiction features, Martel typically provides just enough context and bones of a story to give the viewer some footing. Her insistence that we interpret the perceptions and responses of the characters, along with her propensity to compress and elongate time, results in ambiguous, open-ended films whose pleasure correlates with the viewer’s willingness to be challenged. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cinephiles said similar things about the then-radical films of Michelangelo Antonioni and Alain Resnais. They also spent hours, if you can imagine, discussing the movies’ meanings and themes. Martel’s films invite equally intense conversations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13988248\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2015px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Headless-Woman_009.jpg\" alt=\"older woman caresses younger woman's face as they sit on bed\" width=\"2015\" height=\"835\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13988248\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Headless-Woman_009.jpg 2015w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Headless-Woman_009-2000x829.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Headless-Woman_009-160x66.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Headless-Woman_009-768x318.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Headless-Woman_009-1536x637.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2015px) 100vw, 2015px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">María Onetto and Inés Efron in a scene from Lucrecia Martel’s ‘The Headless Woman,’ 2008. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of BAMPFA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Whenever you manage, through cinema, to cast doubt on the assumed nature of things, you might be approaching something really interesting,” Martel said in a 2019 interview with the Museum of Modern Art’s online journal \u003ca href=\"https://post.moma.org/to-cast-doubt-on-the-assumed-nature-of-things-an-interview-with-lucrecia-martel/\">post: notes on art in a global context\u003c/a>. “And when you have done that once, there’s no way back. Because once you become aware of what makes no sense, never again can reality manage to completely hide its quality of disguise.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>La ciénaga\u003c/em> (\u003cem>The Swamp\u003c/em>) is a fraught, impressionistic portrait of two decaying middle-class families. \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/holy-girl\">The Holy Girl\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2004) explores the twisted entanglement between a doctor attending a conference, a confused-by-religion teenager and her divorced mother. \u003cem>The Headless Woman\u003c/em> (2008) follows a well-off woman in the aftermath of a hit-and-run accident. \u003cem>Zama\u003c/em> (adapted from Antonio di Benedetto’s 1956 novel) is likewise a portrait of privilege, stasis and desperation, although it more explicitly acknowledges colonial and (by extension) contemporary prejudice and exploitation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because Martel resists convention, plot summaries only convey the surface of her movies. Nor can synopses convey the importance of the outdoors — the natural world, certainly, but the land as identification, inheritance, history — as an embedded theme. The recurring presence of Indigenous people in various roles (employees, servants, children on the side of a highway), whether acknowledged by the characters or not, is a reminder to audiences of Argentina’s past and present.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13988249\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1440px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Holy-Girl_003.jpg\" alt=\"two girls swim on their backs in blue pool\" width=\"1440\" height=\"960\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13988249\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Holy-Girl_003.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Holy-Girl_003-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Martel_Holy-Girl_003-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from Lucrecia Martel’s ‘The Holy Girl,’ 2004. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of BAMPFA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Martel’s films are populated with adults so enmeshed in lives of pointless desperation that they lose touch with their children. If they can deny reality to the degree that their kids aren’t a priority, they are surely indifferent to a larger historical and geographic perspective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is an immediacy and energy to Martel’s work that hooks us and commands our attention, and feels completely of the moment. And although her films are rooted in specific Argentine experience and history, their invocations of the intersection of power and gender, and power and class, feel especially relevant now to (North) American audiences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have heard it described as cognitive dissonance. The comfort and complacency that has long existed in a certain strata of American society can’t continue, not in the same way and with the same obliviousness, in a tidal wave of increasing inequality, reduced rights, ICE detention centers, ongoing war, bottomless lies and a collapse of the moral code.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If we can recognize ourselves in Lucrecia Martel’s characters — selfish, ridiculous, dumbstruck, unmoored, committed to a failed system — we might begin to live in the urgency of \u003cem>now\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>‘\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/lucrecia-martel-un-destino-comun\">Lucrecia Martel: Un destino común\u003c/a>’ plays April 4–19, 2026 at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (2155 Center St., Berkeley).\u003c/i> \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13988241/bampfa-lucrecia-martel-un-destino-comun-film",
"authors": [
"22"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_74",
"arts_22313"
],
"tags": [
"arts_2227",
"arts_977",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13988250",
"label": "source_arts_13988241"
},
"arts_13987956": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13987956",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13987956",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1774473131000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "palestine-36-movie-review-arab-british-empire",
"title": "Heartfelt Epic ‘Palestine ’36’ Revisits Arab Blows Against the British Empire",
"publishDate": 1774473131,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Heartfelt Epic ‘Palestine ’36’ Revisits Arab Blows Against the British Empire | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\u003cp>The Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir’s fourth and most ambitious feature, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.watermelonpictures.com/films/palestine-36\">Palestine ’36\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (opening Friday, March 27 at several Bay Area theaters), is the kind of movie that critics like to say nobody makes anymore: an expensive, expansive period piece that movingly depicts the impossible sacrifices of everyday people against a backdrop of geopolitical events whose consequences reverberate to this very minute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Palestine’s submission for the Best International Feature Oscar (it was shortlisted but not nominated), \u003cem>Palestine ’36\u003c/em> has both the virtues and flaws of the typical historical epic in that it necessarily compresses multiple perspectives into two hours. While the stakes are made palpable and our emotional connections to the characters are solid, key dramatic events come and go in a flash and some of the dialogue is overly succinct and on the nose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Your land is where your people are buried,” a grandmother instructs her granddaughter. “You have something more powerful than the entire British Empire. You come from a line of brave people who love their land.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13987961\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_2.jpg\" alt=\"two children run through flowering field\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13987961\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_2-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_2-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_2-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A still from ‘Palestine ’36,’ featuring Wardi Eilabouni as Afra (left). \u003ccite>(Watermelon Pictures)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A speech underscoring the values of home, identity and ownership comes with the territory, pardon the pun. Jacir’s great contribution is immersing us in pre-World War II Palestine through careful attention to clothes and settings, augmented with restored and colorized archival footage. It is a pleasure to inhabit a physical, analog world where you can practically taste the dust and the grape leaves, and a 19th-century single-shot pistol has the weight of the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shot on location in Palestine and Jordan, \u003cem>Palestine ’36\u003c/em> is at heart a multi-generational mosaic of profiles in radicalization. Surely you aren’t surprised to hear that this is a politically charged film, although (for better or worse) it never stops in its tracks for a utopian debate of principles and tactics à la English filmmaker Ken Loach (\u003cem>Land and Freedom\u003c/em>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The story begins in 1936 when a young villager, Yusuf (Karim Daoud Anaya), comes to Jerusalem to be the assistant to a well-off publisher whose independent wife, Khouloud (Yasmine Al Massri), is an accomplished journalist. The traditional agrarian life of the nearby villages is conveyed through the aforementioned grandmother (a fierce Hiam Abbas), her widowed daughter Rabab (Yafa Bakri) and granddaughter Afra (Wardi Eilabouni).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13987962\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_3.jpg\" alt=\"three military men drive in open-topped car\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13987962\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_3-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_3-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_3-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A still from ‘Palestine ’36,’ featuring Robert Aramayo as Captain Wingate (far right). \u003ccite>(Watermelon Pictures)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Great Britain has been in charge of Palestine since the end of World War I, and the Brits are represented here by doddering High Commissioner Wauchope (Jeremy Irons), idealistic young diplomat Thomas (Billy Howle) and the singularly brutal Captain Wingate (Robert Aramayo).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although there have been Jews in Palestine for centuries — with tensions and violence between Jews and Palestinians simmering for a while and the Jewish population increasing as Europeans flee anti-Semitism — it’s important to note that \u003cem>Palestine ’36\u003c/em> is a saga of the conflict between the indigenous Arabs and the occupying British. The Jewish settlers are almost entirely off-screen, although their presence and influence is referenced throughout the film.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Arabs see the British as siding with the Zionists through a mix of condescension, prejudice and the calculations of out-of-touch London politicians. Yet not all the Arabs have thrown in with the armed rebels living in the mountains; some of the old-line, land-owning establishment types are hedging their bets by staying aligned with the British.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13987963\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine-36_4.jpg\" alt=\"suited women march with banners\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13987963\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine-36_4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine-36_4-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine-36_4-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine-36_4-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A still from ‘Palestine ’36,’ featuring Yasmine Al Massri as Khouloud (second from right). \u003ccite>(Watermelon Pictures)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While the story centers on colonialists and insurgents of another time, it’s impossible to miss the contemporary echoes in some of Jacir’s compositions. Women throwing stones at fleeing British soldiers call to mind the images of children throwing stones at Israeli soldiers during the first intifada. The British army blowing up stone Palestinian houses inevitably calls down through the years to the Israeli army destroying Palestinian houses on various dubious premises.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Roger Ebert defined the movies as a great empathy machine, in that we see and identify with people whose lives are not ours. As we sit here today, the hideous crimes perpetuated against Palestinians and Israelis by each other in the last few years have had the additional effect of hardening everyone’s attitudes and positions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Palestine ’36\u003c/em> may not be a film that wins or changes hearts and minds. It does offer an opening, for those who want to take it, to step into the realm of compassion, if only for two hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>‘Palestine ’36’ opens Friday, March 27 at \u003ca href=\"https://www.watermelonpictures.com/films/palestine-36\">select Bay Area theaters\u003c/a>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Annemarie Jacir’s fourth feature has both the virtues and flaws of an expansive historical film.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1774552861,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 15,
"wordCount": 804
},
"headData": {
"title": "‘Palestine ’36’ Review: A Heartfelt Historical Epic | KQED",
"description": "Annemarie Jacir’s fourth feature has both the virtues and flaws of an expansive historical film.",
"ogTitle": "Heartfelt Epic ‘Palestine ’36’ Revisits Arab Blows Against the British Empire",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "Heartfelt Epic ‘Palestine ’36’ Revisits Arab Blows Against the British Empire",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "‘Palestine ’36’ Review: A Heartfelt Historical Epic %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Heartfelt Epic ‘Palestine ’36’ Revisits Arab Blows Against the British Empire",
"datePublished": "2026-03-25T14:12:11-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-03-26T12:21:01-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"name": "Arts"
},
"source": "The Do List",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13987956",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13987956/palestine-36-movie-review-arab-british-empire",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir’s fourth and most ambitious feature, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.watermelonpictures.com/films/palestine-36\">Palestine ’36\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (opening Friday, March 27 at several Bay Area theaters), is the kind of movie that critics like to say nobody makes anymore: an expensive, expansive period piece that movingly depicts the impossible sacrifices of everyday people against a backdrop of geopolitical events whose consequences reverberate to this very minute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Palestine’s submission for the Best International Feature Oscar (it was shortlisted but not nominated), \u003cem>Palestine ’36\u003c/em> has both the virtues and flaws of the typical historical epic in that it necessarily compresses multiple perspectives into two hours. While the stakes are made palpable and our emotional connections to the characters are solid, key dramatic events come and go in a flash and some of the dialogue is overly succinct and on the nose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Your land is where your people are buried,” a grandmother instructs her granddaughter. “You have something more powerful than the entire British Empire. You come from a line of brave people who love their land.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13987961\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_2.jpg\" alt=\"two children run through flowering field\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13987961\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_2-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_2-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_2-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A still from ‘Palestine ’36,’ featuring Wardi Eilabouni as Afra (left). \u003ccite>(Watermelon Pictures)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A speech underscoring the values of home, identity and ownership comes with the territory, pardon the pun. Jacir’s great contribution is immersing us in pre-World War II Palestine through careful attention to clothes and settings, augmented with restored and colorized archival footage. It is a pleasure to inhabit a physical, analog world where you can practically taste the dust and the grape leaves, and a 19th-century single-shot pistol has the weight of the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shot on location in Palestine and Jordan, \u003cem>Palestine ’36\u003c/em> is at heart a multi-generational mosaic of profiles in radicalization. Surely you aren’t surprised to hear that this is a politically charged film, although (for better or worse) it never stops in its tracks for a utopian debate of principles and tactics à la English filmmaker Ken Loach (\u003cem>Land and Freedom\u003c/em>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The story begins in 1936 when a young villager, Yusuf (Karim Daoud Anaya), comes to Jerusalem to be the assistant to a well-off publisher whose independent wife, Khouloud (Yasmine Al Massri), is an accomplished journalist. The traditional agrarian life of the nearby villages is conveyed through the aforementioned grandmother (a fierce Hiam Abbas), her widowed daughter Rabab (Yafa Bakri) and granddaughter Afra (Wardi Eilabouni).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13987962\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_3.jpg\" alt=\"three military men drive in open-topped car\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13987962\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_3-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_3-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine36_3-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A still from ‘Palestine ’36,’ featuring Robert Aramayo as Captain Wingate (far right). \u003ccite>(Watermelon Pictures)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Great Britain has been in charge of Palestine since the end of World War I, and the Brits are represented here by doddering High Commissioner Wauchope (Jeremy Irons), idealistic young diplomat Thomas (Billy Howle) and the singularly brutal Captain Wingate (Robert Aramayo).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although there have been Jews in Palestine for centuries — with tensions and violence between Jews and Palestinians simmering for a while and the Jewish population increasing as Europeans flee anti-Semitism — it’s important to note that \u003cem>Palestine ’36\u003c/em> is a saga of the conflict between the indigenous Arabs and the occupying British. The Jewish settlers are almost entirely off-screen, although their presence and influence is referenced throughout the film.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Arabs see the British as siding with the Zionists through a mix of condescension, prejudice and the calculations of out-of-touch London politicians. Yet not all the Arabs have thrown in with the armed rebels living in the mountains; some of the old-line, land-owning establishment types are hedging their bets by staying aligned with the British.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13987963\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine-36_4.jpg\" alt=\"suited women march with banners\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13987963\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine-36_4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine-36_4-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine-36_4-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/Palestine-36_4-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A still from ‘Palestine ’36,’ featuring Yasmine Al Massri as Khouloud (second from right). \u003ccite>(Watermelon Pictures)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While the story centers on colonialists and insurgents of another time, it’s impossible to miss the contemporary echoes in some of Jacir’s compositions. Women throwing stones at fleeing British soldiers call to mind the images of children throwing stones at Israeli soldiers during the first intifada. The British army blowing up stone Palestinian houses inevitably calls down through the years to the Israeli army destroying Palestinian houses on various dubious premises.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Roger Ebert defined the movies as a great empathy machine, in that we see and identify with people whose lives are not ours. As we sit here today, the hideous crimes perpetuated against Palestinians and Israelis by each other in the last few years have had the additional effect of hardening everyone’s attitudes and positions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Palestine ’36\u003c/em> may not be a film that wins or changes hearts and minds. It does offer an opening, for those who want to take it, to step into the realm of compassion, if only for two hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>‘Palestine ’36’ opens Friday, March 27 at \u003ca href=\"https://www.watermelonpictures.com/films/palestine-36\">select Bay Area theaters\u003c/a>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13987956/palestine-36-movie-review-arab-british-empire",
"authors": [
"22"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_74",
"arts_22313"
],
"tags": [
"arts_977",
"arts_769",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13987960",
"label": "source_arts_13987956"
},
"arts_13986622": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13986622",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13986622",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1770921220000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "a-useful-ghost-review-thai-film-vacuum-cleaner-romance",
"title": "For Valentine’s, a Thai Fantasy About a Ghost in a (Vacuum) Machine",
"publishDate": 1770921220,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "For Valentine’s, a Thai Fantasy About a Ghost in a (Vacuum) Machine | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\u003cp>Beneath its placid and gorgeously manicured surface, the quasi-supernatural Thai romantic fantasy \u003cem>A Useful Ghost\u003c/em> conceals a deep well of weirdness. A reserved yet occasionally ribald rendering of omnisexual love, longing and belonging, the Roxie’s Valentine’s weekend offering (\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/a-useful-ghost/#showtimes\">playing Feb. 13–16 and 19\u003c/a>) should find plenty of admirers in what used to be called Babylon by the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13986620']Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke begins his Cannes prizewinning debut feature with an arresting tableau of Indigenous and historical figures posing for an artist. The completed frieze has only a short life in a public square, however, before it is removed, damaged, discarded and dissipated into dust — albeit not the same particles that make Academic Ladyboy (yes, that is the name of the shyly endearing character played by Wisarut Homhuan) sneeze, and prompt him to buy a vacuum cleaner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dust has many meanings in \u003cem>A Useful Ghost\u003c/em>, primarily as the physical and psychological residue of memories. On the personal level, dust suggests the lingering presence of deceased lovers. The filmmaker also laments the loss of historical memory, represented by the destroyed artwork (and its forgotten subjects) and the 2010 massacre of protestors by Thai soldiers that he explicitly references much later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986672\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986672\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-04_2000.jpg\" alt=\"woman embraces man from behind\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-04_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-04_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-04_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-04_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s ‘A Useful Ghost.’ \u003ccite>(Cineverse)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Politics and history are not on Ladyboy’s mind, though, when a hiccup in his new appliance necessitates a visit from a repairman. The preternaturally composed Krong (Wanlop Rungkumjad) explains, possibly as a means of seduction, that there’s a ghost in Ladyboy’s machine, and he begins to recount the drolly haunted fable that comprises the heart of \u003cem>A Useful Ghost\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The film is a compendium of unorthodox choices, starting with a gay romance as the frame for a heterosexual love story. Two more homosexual couples will join the proceedings; the audience discovers one of those relationships in flagrante. Partial spoiler alert: Three of the four couples share the same obstacle, namely, that one partner is dead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The movie gets to the central relationship much, much faster than I have, patient reader. March (Witsarut Himmarat), mourning a loss, has contracted a respiratory illness. His late wife, Nat (Davika Hoorne), takes up residence in a vacuum cleaner to help cure him. This is not quite as random as you may think because Nat’s perennially disapproving mother-in-law Suman (Apasiri Nitibhon) owns the vacuum cleaner factory at the center of all the paranormal shenanigans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986669\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986669\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-0_2000.jpg\" alt=\"group of six older people face a vacuum cleaner\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-0_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-0_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-0_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-0_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s ‘A Useful Ghost.’ \u003ccite>(Cineverse)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Boonbunchachoke’s precise compositions reminded me of absurdist Swedish filmmaker and Roxie favorite Roy Andersson (\u003cem>A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence\u003c/em>), so I expected oddball behavior passing as normal. The machine (that is, Nat) waiting patiently in line to get on an elevator at the hospital has the anthropomorphic pathos of a Pixar sequence. Suman’s dead-serious admonishment of March, “Please stop screwing your vacuum,” is a pretty good laugh line. (If you’re wondering if a vacuum cleaner can give consent, the answer is “Yes, please.”)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other bits are more jarring than funny, like the monks commissioned by Suman to dispel Nat whose vitriol includes the c-word. The electroconvulsive therapy used to erase March’s memories of Nat — and which is subsequently employed for political purposes — isn’t intended to be funny but it certainly puts a chill on the light comedy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986670\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986670\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-03_2000.jpg\" alt=\"medical staff around a man in a chair, gagged with soundproofing on walls\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-03_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-03_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-03_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-03_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s ‘A Useful Ghost.’ \u003ccite>(Cineverse)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While it’s understandable, though not ideal, that the tone of a writer-director’s first feature wavers from time to time, it’s harder to accept the variability of the performances. The pretty young couple playing Nat and March don’t display much more emotional range than the vacuum cleaner — though it’s certainly possible that’s another joke I missed. (For the record, the machine is exceedingly well cast.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13986658']\u003cem>A Useful Ghost\u003c/em> manages to be both earnest and transgressive, thoughtful and snotty. It’s an impeccably designed argument for “the force of love” (as March tells his mother) and against the curse of loneliness, with a political hand grenade tucked inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rather unexpectedly, given its basic premise of a ghost inhabiting a vacuum cleaner, \u003cem>A Useful Ghost\u003c/em> is a deeply moralistic film and a comedy of conscience. In Boonbunchachoke’s view, there’s a place for everyone, even ghosts.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>‘\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/a-useful-ghost/#showtimes\">A Useful Ghost\u003c/a>’ plays at the Roxie Theater (3125 16th St., San Francisco) Feb. 13–16 and 19, 2026.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s omnisexual comedy of conscience hides deep weirdness under a manicured surface.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1770960635,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 14,
"wordCount": 794
},
"headData": {
"title": "‘A Useful Ghost’ Review: Haunted Vacuum Cleaner in Love | KQED",
"description": "Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s omnisexual comedy of conscience hides deep weirdness under a manicured surface.",
"ogTitle": "For Valentine’s, a Thai Fantasy About a Ghost in a (Vacuum) Machine",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "For Valentine’s, a Thai Fantasy About a Ghost in a (Vacuum) Machine",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "‘A Useful Ghost’ Review: Haunted Vacuum Cleaner in Love %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "For Valentine’s, a Thai Fantasy About a Ghost in a (Vacuum) Machine",
"datePublished": "2026-02-12T10:33:40-08:00",
"dateModified": "2026-02-12T21:30:35-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 74,
"slug": "movies",
"name": "Movies"
},
"source": "The Do List",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13986622",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13986622/a-useful-ghost-review-thai-film-vacuum-cleaner-romance",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Beneath its placid and gorgeously manicured surface, the quasi-supernatural Thai romantic fantasy \u003cem>A Useful Ghost\u003c/em> conceals a deep well of weirdness. A reserved yet occasionally ribald rendering of omnisexual love, longing and belonging, the Roxie’s Valentine’s weekend offering (\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/a-useful-ghost/#showtimes\">playing Feb. 13–16 and 19\u003c/a>) should find plenty of admirers in what used to be called Babylon by the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13986620",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke begins his Cannes prizewinning debut feature with an arresting tableau of Indigenous and historical figures posing for an artist. The completed frieze has only a short life in a public square, however, before it is removed, damaged, discarded and dissipated into dust — albeit not the same particles that make Academic Ladyboy (yes, that is the name of the shyly endearing character played by Wisarut Homhuan) sneeze, and prompt him to buy a vacuum cleaner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dust has many meanings in \u003cem>A Useful Ghost\u003c/em>, primarily as the physical and psychological residue of memories. On the personal level, dust suggests the lingering presence of deceased lovers. The filmmaker also laments the loss of historical memory, represented by the destroyed artwork (and its forgotten subjects) and the 2010 massacre of protestors by Thai soldiers that he explicitly references much later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986672\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986672\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-04_2000.jpg\" alt=\"woman embraces man from behind\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-04_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-04_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-04_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-04_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s ‘A Useful Ghost.’ \u003ccite>(Cineverse)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Politics and history are not on Ladyboy’s mind, though, when a hiccup in his new appliance necessitates a visit from a repairman. The preternaturally composed Krong (Wanlop Rungkumjad) explains, possibly as a means of seduction, that there’s a ghost in Ladyboy’s machine, and he begins to recount the drolly haunted fable that comprises the heart of \u003cem>A Useful Ghost\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The film is a compendium of unorthodox choices, starting with a gay romance as the frame for a heterosexual love story. Two more homosexual couples will join the proceedings; the audience discovers one of those relationships in flagrante. Partial spoiler alert: Three of the four couples share the same obstacle, namely, that one partner is dead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The movie gets to the central relationship much, much faster than I have, patient reader. March (Witsarut Himmarat), mourning a loss, has contracted a respiratory illness. His late wife, Nat (Davika Hoorne), takes up residence in a vacuum cleaner to help cure him. This is not quite as random as you may think because Nat’s perennially disapproving mother-in-law Suman (Apasiri Nitibhon) owns the vacuum cleaner factory at the center of all the paranormal shenanigans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986669\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986669\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-0_2000.jpg\" alt=\"group of six older people face a vacuum cleaner\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-0_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-0_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-0_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-0_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s ‘A Useful Ghost.’ \u003ccite>(Cineverse)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Boonbunchachoke’s precise compositions reminded me of absurdist Swedish filmmaker and Roxie favorite Roy Andersson (\u003cem>A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence\u003c/em>), so I expected oddball behavior passing as normal. The machine (that is, Nat) waiting patiently in line to get on an elevator at the hospital has the anthropomorphic pathos of a Pixar sequence. Suman’s dead-serious admonishment of March, “Please stop screwing your vacuum,” is a pretty good laugh line. (If you’re wondering if a vacuum cleaner can give consent, the answer is “Yes, please.”)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other bits are more jarring than funny, like the monks commissioned by Suman to dispel Nat whose vitriol includes the c-word. The electroconvulsive therapy used to erase March’s memories of Nat — and which is subsequently employed for political purposes — isn’t intended to be funny but it certainly puts a chill on the light comedy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986670\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986670\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-03_2000.jpg\" alt=\"medical staff around a man in a chair, gagged with soundproofing on walls\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-03_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-03_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-03_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-03_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s ‘A Useful Ghost.’ \u003ccite>(Cineverse)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While it’s understandable, though not ideal, that the tone of a writer-director’s first feature wavers from time to time, it’s harder to accept the variability of the performances. The pretty young couple playing Nat and March don’t display much more emotional range than the vacuum cleaner — though it’s certainly possible that’s another joke I missed. (For the record, the machine is exceedingly well cast.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13986658",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cem>A Useful Ghost\u003c/em> manages to be both earnest and transgressive, thoughtful and snotty. It’s an impeccably designed argument for “the force of love” (as March tells his mother) and against the curse of loneliness, with a political hand grenade tucked inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rather unexpectedly, given its basic premise of a ghost inhabiting a vacuum cleaner, \u003cem>A Useful Ghost\u003c/em> is a deeply moralistic film and a comedy of conscience. In Boonbunchachoke’s view, there’s a place for everyone, even ghosts.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>‘\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/a-useful-ghost/#showtimes\">A Useful Ghost\u003c/a>’ plays at the Roxie Theater (3125 16th St., San Francisco) Feb. 13–16 and 19, 2026.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13986622/a-useful-ghost-review-thai-film-vacuum-cleaner-romance",
"authors": [
"22"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_74",
"arts_22313"
],
"tags": [
"arts_769",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13986668",
"label": "source_arts_13986622"
},
"arts_13985662": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13985662",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13985662",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1769032958000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "the-testament-of-ann-lee-movie-review-shakers-amanda-seyfried",
"title": "Entrancing ‘Testament of Ann Lee’ Relays the Shakers’ Saga in Song and Dance",
"publishDate": 1769032958,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Entrancing ‘Testament of Ann Lee’ Relays the Shakers’ Saga in Song and Dance | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\u003cp>A film about faith and other leaps, Mona Fastvold’s remarkable \u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> does not ask us to endorse or embrace the tenets of the 18th-century English sect called United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Coming, aka Shaking Quakers, aka the Shakers. Given that an important principle of co-founder Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried) was celibacy, many viewers would find that a bridge too far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13985705']Several of the Shakers’ other core values, like cooperation, collaboration, ecstasy and equality among genders resonate clearly, especially for anyone who can recall the Northern California communes of the 1960s and 70s. The pleasure and power of \u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> (opening Jan. 23), though, is not to be found in the utopian speeches but in surrendering to the selfless exhibition of true believers believing. If you are willing to be entranced — to accede from time to time to a trance state — you will have a uniquely thrilling time at the movies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The story opens in the 1740s in Manchester, England, where the child Ann labors in a textile factory. As she grows up, her spiritual journey takes her to Jane and James Wardley (Stacy Martin and Scott Handy), through whose fervid Quaker prayer group she meets her husband Abraham Standerin (Christopher Abbott) and develops her specific philosophy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985686\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985686\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00144_v2_2000.jpg\" alt=\"man and woman face each other in room of people\" width=\"2000\" height=\"827\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00144_v2_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00144_v2_2000-160x66.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00144_v2_2000-768x318.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00144_v2_2000-1536x635.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Christopher Abbott and Amanda Seyfried in ‘The Testament of Ann Lee.’ \u003ccite>(Searchlight Pictures)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Marriage brings physical and psychic pain, and Ann’s crucible is further forged in the fire of family tragedy. Even as she is accepted by many of the Wardley circle and her stalwart brother William (Lewis Pullman) as the true leader, Mother Ann (as she is now called) captures the unwelcome attention of the powers-that-be and is incarcerated for a couple weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Shakers’ saga comes into focus as a familiar dynamic of nonconformity and determination, fueled by the certainty of religious faith, running into both official and street opposition, with blood being spilled. We judge for ourselves how much of the animosity is an overreaction to noisy praying and how much is fear and hatred of a powerful woman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The departure of the Shakers by boat to America in 1774, trading the Old World for the New, is a hugely important development for the sect. The movie opens up as well, with Manchester’s drab, chilly confines replaced by America’s broad vistas and natural light.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fastvold and Brady Corbet’s literate script, brought to pulsing life by a committed cast led by Seyfried, carries \u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> a long way. But a wholly unexpected element puts the film over the top.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985685\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985685\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00063_v2_2000.jpg\" alt=\"woman and man on deck of sailing ship\" width=\"2000\" height=\"828\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00063_v2_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00063_v2_2000-160x66.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00063_v2_2000-768x318.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00063_v2_2000-1536x636.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amanda Seyfried and Lewis Pullman journey to America in ‘The Testament of Ann Lee.’ \u003ccite>(Searchlight Pictures)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As Vincent Minnelli and Bob Fosse artfully demonstrated, music and movement — song and dance — are powerful vehicles for not only conveying deep emotions but enrolling audiences in leaps of joy and amazement and flights of mind. Daring to dare is the sentiment at the heart of a movie musical, and the quality that moviegoers respond to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> isn’t exactly a musical in the sense that the songs don’t tell the story. Fastvold and composer Daniel Blumberg (whose score for Fastvold and Corbet’s \u003cem>The Brutalist\u003c/em> won the Oscar last year) chose a dozen melodies from the Shaker hymnal archive, and Celia Rowlson-Hall choreographed a mix of individual and ensemble numbers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13985320']These dances don’t just prevent \u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> from succumbing to the stuck-in-wax fate of a lot of standard biopics and period pieces. They bring the magic, and the entrancement, without feeling anachronistic and pulling us out of the 18th century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> is set in a world very different from ours and also not so different, a world of mysteries and dangers where people fear new ideas and are made to fear newcomers. Where superstitions or religious dogma or conspiracy theories are cited to soothe our uncertainty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perhaps every utopian endeavor is fated to come to an end, whether from internal dynamics or external forces. Maybe our task is to take inspiration from the faith and the effort. \u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> asks us to consider whether we are on the side of the creators or the destroyers.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ opens Jan. 23, 2026 in Bay Area theaters.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Mona Fastvold‘s drama with songs is an inspired recounting of the Shakers’ 18th-century religious sect.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1769042923,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 15,
"wordCount": 764
},
"headData": {
"title": "‘Testament of Ann Lee’ Review: Shaker History Entrances | KQED",
"description": "Mona Fastvold‘s drama with songs is an inspired recounting of the Shakers’ 18th-century religious sect.",
"ogTitle": "Entrancing ‘Testament of Ann Lee’ Relays the Shakers’ Saga in Song and Dance",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "Entrancing ‘Testament of Ann Lee’ Relays the Shakers’ Saga in Song and Dance",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "‘Testament of Ann Lee’ Review: Shaker History Entrances %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Entrancing ‘Testament of Ann Lee’ Relays the Shakers’ Saga in Song and Dance",
"datePublished": "2026-01-21T14:02:38-08:00",
"dateModified": "2026-01-21T16:48:43-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"name": "Arts"
},
"source": "The Do List",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13985662",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13985662/the-testament-of-ann-lee-movie-review-shakers-amanda-seyfried",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A film about faith and other leaps, Mona Fastvold’s remarkable \u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> does not ask us to endorse or embrace the tenets of the 18th-century English sect called United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Coming, aka Shaking Quakers, aka the Shakers. Given that an important principle of co-founder Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried) was celibacy, many viewers would find that a bridge too far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13985705",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Several of the Shakers’ other core values, like cooperation, collaboration, ecstasy and equality among genders resonate clearly, especially for anyone who can recall the Northern California communes of the 1960s and 70s. The pleasure and power of \u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> (opening Jan. 23), though, is not to be found in the utopian speeches but in surrendering to the selfless exhibition of true believers believing. If you are willing to be entranced — to accede from time to time to a trance state — you will have a uniquely thrilling time at the movies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The story opens in the 1740s in Manchester, England, where the child Ann labors in a textile factory. As she grows up, her spiritual journey takes her to Jane and James Wardley (Stacy Martin and Scott Handy), through whose fervid Quaker prayer group she meets her husband Abraham Standerin (Christopher Abbott) and develops her specific philosophy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985686\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985686\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00144_v2_2000.jpg\" alt=\"man and woman face each other in room of people\" width=\"2000\" height=\"827\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00144_v2_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00144_v2_2000-160x66.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00144_v2_2000-768x318.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00144_v2_2000-1536x635.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Christopher Abbott and Amanda Seyfried in ‘The Testament of Ann Lee.’ \u003ccite>(Searchlight Pictures)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Marriage brings physical and psychic pain, and Ann’s crucible is further forged in the fire of family tragedy. Even as she is accepted by many of the Wardley circle and her stalwart brother William (Lewis Pullman) as the true leader, Mother Ann (as she is now called) captures the unwelcome attention of the powers-that-be and is incarcerated for a couple weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Shakers’ saga comes into focus as a familiar dynamic of nonconformity and determination, fueled by the certainty of religious faith, running into both official and street opposition, with blood being spilled. We judge for ourselves how much of the animosity is an overreaction to noisy praying and how much is fear and hatred of a powerful woman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The departure of the Shakers by boat to America in 1774, trading the Old World for the New, is a hugely important development for the sect. The movie opens up as well, with Manchester’s drab, chilly confines replaced by America’s broad vistas and natural light.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fastvold and Brady Corbet’s literate script, brought to pulsing life by a committed cast led by Seyfried, carries \u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> a long way. But a wholly unexpected element puts the film over the top.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985685\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985685\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00063_v2_2000.jpg\" alt=\"woman and man on deck of sailing ship\" width=\"2000\" height=\"828\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00063_v2_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00063_v2_2000-160x66.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00063_v2_2000-768x318.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00063_v2_2000-1536x636.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amanda Seyfried and Lewis Pullman journey to America in ‘The Testament of Ann Lee.’ \u003ccite>(Searchlight Pictures)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As Vincent Minnelli and Bob Fosse artfully demonstrated, music and movement — song and dance — are powerful vehicles for not only conveying deep emotions but enrolling audiences in leaps of joy and amazement and flights of mind. Daring to dare is the sentiment at the heart of a movie musical, and the quality that moviegoers respond to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> isn’t exactly a musical in the sense that the songs don’t tell the story. Fastvold and composer Daniel Blumberg (whose score for Fastvold and Corbet’s \u003cem>The Brutalist\u003c/em> won the Oscar last year) chose a dozen melodies from the Shaker hymnal archive, and Celia Rowlson-Hall choreographed a mix of individual and ensemble numbers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13985320",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>These dances don’t just prevent \u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> from succumbing to the stuck-in-wax fate of a lot of standard biopics and period pieces. They bring the magic, and the entrancement, without feeling anachronistic and pulling us out of the 18th century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> is set in a world very different from ours and also not so different, a world of mysteries and dangers where people fear new ideas and are made to fear newcomers. Where superstitions or religious dogma or conspiracy theories are cited to soothe our uncertainty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perhaps every utopian endeavor is fated to come to an end, whether from internal dynamics or external forces. Maybe our task is to take inspiration from the faith and the effort. \u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> asks us to consider whether we are on the side of the creators or the destroyers.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ opens Jan. 23, 2026 in Bay Area theaters.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13985662/the-testament-of-ann-lee-movie-review-shakers-amanda-seyfried",
"authors": [
"22"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_74",
"arts_22313"
],
"tags": [
"arts_10278",
"arts_977",
"arts_769",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13985683",
"label": "source_arts_13985662"
},
"arts_13984991": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13984991",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13984991",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1765996430000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "marty-supreme-review-timothee-chalamet-josh-safdie",
"title": "Manic ‘Marty Supreme’ Smashes the American Dream",
"publishDate": 1765996430,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Manic ‘Marty Supreme’ Smashes the American Dream | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\u003cp>Rooting for the underdog, on the field or in a movie, is one of America’s greatest traditions. You can trace it all the way back to our time-honored, tea-stained origin story of a ragtag band of farmers and shopkeepers taking on the British Empire. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13984386']\u003cem>Marty Supreme\u003c/em> (opening Dec. 25), Josh Safdie’s beautifully crafted runaway train with an astonishing Timothée Chalamet as its pedal-to-the-metal engineer, turns the basic underdog dynamic, with all its brio and bravery and desperation and bullshit, into a feverish exposé of the fury and folly of the American Dream. If that isn’t your cup of mead, friend, what kind of patriot are you?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Josh Safdie’s best films (\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13872331/uncut-gems-glittering-darkly\">Uncut Gems\u003c/a>\u003c/em> and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2017/08/11/542423079/stylishly-gritty-this-chase-thriller-really-is-a-good-time\">Good Time\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, co-directed with his brother Bennie, who also directed a sports movie on his own this year, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13982077/smashing-machine-movie-review-mark-kerr-biopic-mma-dwayne-rock-johnson\">The Smashing Machine\u003c/a>\u003c/em>) center on men who know only one direction (forward) and one speed (faster). Are those protagonists (played by Adam Sandler and Robert Pattinson) and Marty running toward something or away from something? It’s a trick question, of course.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984493\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/r3_1.1.1_2000.jpg\" alt=\"blurry image of man running down busy city street with valise\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984493\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/r3_1.1.1_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/r3_1.1.1_2000-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/r3_1.1.1_2000-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/r3_1.1.1_2000-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Timothée Chalamet in ‘Marty Supreme.’ \u003ccite>(A24)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Chalamet’s Marty Mauser is inspired by the late Marty Reisman, who titled his (ghostwritten) 1974 autobiography \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://archive.org/details/moneyplayercon00reis\">The Money Player: The Confessions of America’s Greatest Table Tennis Champion and Hustler\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. But we have no clue this skinny kid is an athlete when we are introduced to him in the early 1950s. He’s conning a customer in his uncle’s Lower East Side shoe store into buying the too-tight pair he’s passing off as her size.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s too savvy to fall for Marty’s spiel — much of the tension in \u003cem>Marty Supreme\u003c/em> derives from whether people will fold or stiffen in the face of his high-speed verbal onslaughts — but she’s instantly displaced by the arrival of a young woman who has some urgent footwear business with Marty that takes them downstairs to the storeroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Marty Supreme\u003c/em>’s early scenes, set in confined spaces, convey the claustrophobia driving its namesake to exceed the world’s expectations and escape the crummy, anonymous life everyone around him seems fated to. But we aren’t prepared for Marty’s lunatic ambition, and his off-putting brand of American exceptionalism in which he effortlessly shifts from hero to victim to suit his schemes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985002\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeScene_2000.jpg\" alt=\"black man and white man gesture over ping pong table in bowling alley\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985002\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeScene_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeScene_2000-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeScene_2000-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeScene_2000-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tyler, the Creator and Timothée Chalamet in a scene from ‘Marty Supreme.’ \u003ccite>(A24)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We are both charmed by and leery of this showman, gambler and flamboyant self-promoter who, we come to see, is indifferent to the damage he leaves in his wake. If Marty is a kind of forerunner for larger-than-life competitors like Muhammad Ali, Evel Knievel, Pete Rose and John McEnroe, he’s also cut from the same cloth as the “pal” who borrowed your car and lied about the scratches and dents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most filmmakers would be content to highlight the working-class desolation of Marty’s milieu, and let the high-stakes drama of far-flung table-tennis tournaments and New Jersey bowling alley scams rivet the viewer. Safdie and co-writer Ronald Bronstein bravely go further, repeatedly reminding us of Marty’s Jewishness in ways that are edgy and shocking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In one scene, Marty cajoles fellow player Béla (Hungarian actor Géza Rohrig of the shattering 2015 concentration-camp saga \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/11241009/shallow-focus-creates-depth-of-feeling-in-son-of-saul\">Son of Saul\u003c/a>\u003c/em>) to reveal the tattooed numbers on his arm to a stranger. Later, on a trip to the Middle East, Marty shamelessly chips off a piece from a pyramid that he gifts to his mother with the line, “We built it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985003\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeGwen_2000.jpg\" alt=\"blond woman in hat looking up\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985003\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeGwen_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeGwen_2000-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeGwen_2000-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeGwen_2000-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gwyneth Paltrow in ‘Marty Supreme.’ \u003ccite>(A24)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It isn’t enough for Marty to make some money, get his picture in the papers and travel abroad. Nor is it enough to capture the attention of a one-time movie star (Gwyneth Paltrow) with a rich husband. Sadly, he isn’t satisfied with success.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If I were a lousy psychotherapist, I might see \u003cem>Marty Supreme\u003c/em> as a Holocaust-revenge movie. Marty’s taking (back) what’s his (or what he sees as the Jewish people’s). The problem with that interpretation is that Marty directs his white-hot frenzy at anyone in his path, including erstwhile friends and supporters. He combines the ambition of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ADWjL42OGc\">Duddy Kravitz\u003c/a>, the zero-to-60 acceleration of the Roadrunner and the relentlessness of the Terminator with their accompanying lack of scruples.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Marty Supreme\u003c/em> is far and away one of the best movies of 2025, and its brilliant execution extends to the way it guides your feelings toward its anti-hero. There comes a point, sooner or later, where you will stop taking Marty’s side. You may even hope for his comeuppance, as I did. And then there’s a turn where Safdie and Chalamet will likely make you root for Marty again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>American movies typically encourage us to cheer for the underdog. \u003cem>Marty Supreme\u003c/em> makes you question that simple loyalty, and ponder how much a child of immigrants who seeks to prove that the streets are paved with gold is allowed to get away with.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Josh Safdie and Timothée Chalamet deliver a kinetic portrait of a gambler betting on himself.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1767834095,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 15,
"wordCount": 905
},
"headData": {
"title": "Manic ‘Marty Supreme’ Smashes the American Dream | KQED",
"description": "Josh Safdie and Timothée Chalamet deliver a kinetic portrait of a gambler betting on himself.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Manic ‘Marty Supreme’ Smashes the American Dream",
"datePublished": "2025-12-17T10:33:50-08:00",
"dateModified": "2026-01-07T17:01:35-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"name": "Arts"
},
"source": "The Do List",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13984991",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13984991/marty-supreme-review-timothee-chalamet-josh-safdie",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Rooting for the underdog, on the field or in a movie, is one of America’s greatest traditions. You can trace it all the way back to our time-honored, tea-stained origin story of a ragtag band of farmers and shopkeepers taking on the British Empire. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13984386",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cem>Marty Supreme\u003c/em> (opening Dec. 25), Josh Safdie’s beautifully crafted runaway train with an astonishing Timothée Chalamet as its pedal-to-the-metal engineer, turns the basic underdog dynamic, with all its brio and bravery and desperation and bullshit, into a feverish exposé of the fury and folly of the American Dream. If that isn’t your cup of mead, friend, what kind of patriot are you?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Josh Safdie’s best films (\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13872331/uncut-gems-glittering-darkly\">Uncut Gems\u003c/a>\u003c/em> and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2017/08/11/542423079/stylishly-gritty-this-chase-thriller-really-is-a-good-time\">Good Time\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, co-directed with his brother Bennie, who also directed a sports movie on his own this year, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13982077/smashing-machine-movie-review-mark-kerr-biopic-mma-dwayne-rock-johnson\">The Smashing Machine\u003c/a>\u003c/em>) center on men who know only one direction (forward) and one speed (faster). Are those protagonists (played by Adam Sandler and Robert Pattinson) and Marty running toward something or away from something? It’s a trick question, of course.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984493\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/r3_1.1.1_2000.jpg\" alt=\"blurry image of man running down busy city street with valise\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984493\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/r3_1.1.1_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/r3_1.1.1_2000-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/r3_1.1.1_2000-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/r3_1.1.1_2000-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Timothée Chalamet in ‘Marty Supreme.’ \u003ccite>(A24)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Chalamet’s Marty Mauser is inspired by the late Marty Reisman, who titled his (ghostwritten) 1974 autobiography \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://archive.org/details/moneyplayercon00reis\">The Money Player: The Confessions of America’s Greatest Table Tennis Champion and Hustler\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. But we have no clue this skinny kid is an athlete when we are introduced to him in the early 1950s. He’s conning a customer in his uncle’s Lower East Side shoe store into buying the too-tight pair he’s passing off as her size.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s too savvy to fall for Marty’s spiel — much of the tension in \u003cem>Marty Supreme\u003c/em> derives from whether people will fold or stiffen in the face of his high-speed verbal onslaughts — but she’s instantly displaced by the arrival of a young woman who has some urgent footwear business with Marty that takes them downstairs to the storeroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Marty Supreme\u003c/em>’s early scenes, set in confined spaces, convey the claustrophobia driving its namesake to exceed the world’s expectations and escape the crummy, anonymous life everyone around him seems fated to. But we aren’t prepared for Marty’s lunatic ambition, and his off-putting brand of American exceptionalism in which he effortlessly shifts from hero to victim to suit his schemes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985002\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeScene_2000.jpg\" alt=\"black man and white man gesture over ping pong table in bowling alley\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985002\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeScene_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeScene_2000-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeScene_2000-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeScene_2000-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tyler, the Creator and Timothée Chalamet in a scene from ‘Marty Supreme.’ \u003ccite>(A24)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We are both charmed by and leery of this showman, gambler and flamboyant self-promoter who, we come to see, is indifferent to the damage he leaves in his wake. If Marty is a kind of forerunner for larger-than-life competitors like Muhammad Ali, Evel Knievel, Pete Rose and John McEnroe, he’s also cut from the same cloth as the “pal” who borrowed your car and lied about the scratches and dents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most filmmakers would be content to highlight the working-class desolation of Marty’s milieu, and let the high-stakes drama of far-flung table-tennis tournaments and New Jersey bowling alley scams rivet the viewer. Safdie and co-writer Ronald Bronstein bravely go further, repeatedly reminding us of Marty’s Jewishness in ways that are edgy and shocking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In one scene, Marty cajoles fellow player Béla (Hungarian actor Géza Rohrig of the shattering 2015 concentration-camp saga \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/11241009/shallow-focus-creates-depth-of-feeling-in-son-of-saul\">Son of Saul\u003c/a>\u003c/em>) to reveal the tattooed numbers on his arm to a stranger. Later, on a trip to the Middle East, Marty shamelessly chips off a piece from a pyramid that he gifts to his mother with the line, “We built it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985003\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeGwen_2000.jpg\" alt=\"blond woman in hat looking up\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985003\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeGwen_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeGwen_2000-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeGwen_2000-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MartySupremeGwen_2000-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gwyneth Paltrow in ‘Marty Supreme.’ \u003ccite>(A24)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It isn’t enough for Marty to make some money, get his picture in the papers and travel abroad. Nor is it enough to capture the attention of a one-time movie star (Gwyneth Paltrow) with a rich husband. Sadly, he isn’t satisfied with success.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If I were a lousy psychotherapist, I might see \u003cem>Marty Supreme\u003c/em> as a Holocaust-revenge movie. Marty’s taking (back) what’s his (or what he sees as the Jewish people’s). The problem with that interpretation is that Marty directs his white-hot frenzy at anyone in his path, including erstwhile friends and supporters. He combines the ambition of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ADWjL42OGc\">Duddy Kravitz\u003c/a>, the zero-to-60 acceleration of the Roadrunner and the relentlessness of the Terminator with their accompanying lack of scruples.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Marty Supreme\u003c/em> is far and away one of the best movies of 2025, and its brilliant execution extends to the way it guides your feelings toward its anti-hero. There comes a point, sooner or later, where you will stop taking Marty’s side. You may even hope for his comeuppance, as I did. And then there’s a turn where Safdie and Chalamet will likely make you root for Marty again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>American movies typically encourage us to cheer for the underdog. \u003cem>Marty Supreme\u003c/em> makes you question that simple loyalty, and ponder how much a child of immigrants who seeks to prove that the streets are paved with gold is allowed to get away with.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13984991/marty-supreme-review-timothee-chalamet-josh-safdie",
"authors": [
"22"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_74",
"arts_22313"
],
"tags": [
"arts_10342",
"arts_10278",
"arts_977",
"arts_769",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13985001",
"label": "source_arts_13984991"
}
},
"podcastsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"podcasts": {}
},
"radioProgramsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"radioPrograms": {}
},
"radioSearchSegmentsReducer": {},
"programsReducer": {
"all-things-considered": {
"id": "all-things-considered",
"title": "All Things Considered",
"info": "Every weekday, \u003cem>All Things Considered\u003c/em> hosts Robert Siegel, Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, and Kelly McEvers present the program's trademark mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features. Michel Martin hosts on the weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 1pm-2pm, 4:30pm-6:30pm\u003cbr />SAT-SUN 5pm-6pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/All-Things-Considered-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/all-things-considered"
},
"american-suburb-podcast": {
"id": "american-suburb-podcast",
"title": "American Suburb: The Podcast",
"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
"info": "Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/American-Suburb-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 19
},
"link": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=1287748328",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/American-Suburb-p1086805/",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/feed/podcast",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMzMDExODgxNjA5"
}
},
"baycurious": {
"id": "baycurious",
"title": "Bay Curious",
"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Bay Curious",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/baycurious",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
"link": "/podcasts/baycurious",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/category/bay-curious-podcast/feed/podcast",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9a90d476-aa04-455d-9a4c-0871ed6216d4/bay-curious",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/bay-curious",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6O76IdmhixfijmhTZLIJ8k"
}
},
"bbc-world-service": {
"id": "bbc-world-service",
"title": "BBC World Service",
"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/",
"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-the-california-report/id79681292",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/26099305-72af-4542-9dde-ac1807fe36d5/kqed-s-the-california-report",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432285393/the-california-report",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-the-california-report-podcast-8838",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcram/feed/podcast"
}
},
"californiareportmagazine": {
"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Magazine-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report Magazine",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 10
},
"link": "/californiareportmagazine",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/564733126/the-california-report-magazine",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-california-report-magazine",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/feed/podcast"
}
},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
"title": "Close All Tabs",
"tagline": "Your irreverent guide to the trends redefining our world",
"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAT_2_Tile-scaled.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Close All Tabs",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/close-all-tabs/id214663465",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC6993880386",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/92d9d4ac-67a3-4eed-b10a-fb45d45b1ef2/close-all-tabs",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6LAJFHnGK1pYXYzv6SIol6?si=deb0cae19813417c"
}
},
"code-switch-life-kit": {
"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Code-Switch-Life-Kit-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/1112190608?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3bExJ9JQpkwNhoHvaIIuyV",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"
}
},
"commonwealth-club": {
"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Commonwealth-Club-of-California-p1060/"
}
},
"forum": {
"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/forum",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-forum/id73329719",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432307980/forum",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-forum-podcast",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9557381633"
}
},
"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Fresh-Air-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Fresh-Air-p17/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
}
},
"here-and-now": {
"id": "here-and-now",
"title": "Here & Now",
"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
"airtime": "MON-THU 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Here-And-Now-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/here-and-now",
"subsdcribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=426698661",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Here--Now-p211/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/How-I-Built-This-p910896/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hyphenaci%C3%B3n/id1191591838",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
"youtube": "https://www.youtube.com/c/kqedarts",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/790253322/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/jerrybrown/feed/podcast/",
"tuneIn": "http://tun.in/pjGcK",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/54C1dmuyFyKMFttY6X2j6r?si=K8SgRCoISNK6ZbjpXrX5-w",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/44420f75-3b0e-4301-ab3b-16da6b09e543/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown"
}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Latino-USA-p621/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201853034&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/APM-Marketplace-p88/",
"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"
}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/onourwatch",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0OLWoyizopu6tY1XiuX70x",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-Our-Watch-p1436229/",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
}
},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-breakdown/id1327641087",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/political-breakdown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/07RVyIjIdk2WDuVehvBMoN",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/political-breakdown/feed/podcast"
}
},
"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/possible/id1677184070",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
}
},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pri.org/programs/the-world",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "PRI"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pri-the-world",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pris-the-world-latest-edition/id278196007?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/PRIs-The-World-p24/",
"rss": "http://feeds.feedburner.com/pri/theworld"
}
},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
"airtime": "SUN 12am-1am, SAT 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/radiolab1400.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolab/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/radiolab",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/RadioLab-p68032/",
"rss": "https://feeds.wnyc.org/radiolab"
}
},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/reveal",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reveal/id886009669",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Reveal-p679597/",
"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
}
},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rightnowish-Podcast-Tile-500x500-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Rightnowish with Pendarvis Harshaw",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 16
},
"link": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/programs/rightnowish/feed/podcast",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMxMjU5MTY3NDc4",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I"
}
},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
"title": "Science Friday",
"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
"airtime": "FRI 11am-1pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Science-Friday-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/science-friday",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/science-friday",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=73329284&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Science-Friday-p394/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/science-friday"
}
},
"snap-judgment": {
"id": "snap-judgment",
"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
"airtime": "SAT 1pm-2pm, 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Snap-Judgment-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Snap Judgment",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 4
},
"link": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/snap-judgment/id283657561",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/449018144/snap-judgment",
"stitcher": "https://www.pandora.com/podcast/snap-judgment/PC:241?source=stitcher-sunset",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cct7ZWmxHNAtLgBTqjC5v",
"rss": "https://snap.feed.snapjudgment.org/"
}
},
"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sold-Out-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/soldout",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 13
},
"link": "/podcasts/soldout",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/911586047/s-o-l-d-o-u-t-a-new-future-for-housing",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america/id1531354937",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/soldout",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/38dTBSk2ISFoPiyYNoKn1X",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america",
"tunein": "https://tunein.com/radio/SOLD-OUT-Rethinking-Housing-in-America-p1365871/"
}
},
"spooked": {
"id": "spooked",
"title": "Spooked",
"tagline": "True-life supernatural stories",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spooked-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Spooked",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 7
},
"link": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spooked/id1279361017",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/549547848/snap-judgment-presents-spooked",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/76571Rfl3m7PLJQZKQIGCT",
"rss": "https://feeds.simplecast.com/TBotaapn"
}
},
"tech-nation": {
"id": "tech-nation",
"title": "Tech Nation Radio Podcast",
"info": "Tech Nation is a weekly public radio program, hosted by Dr. Moira Gunn. Founded in 1993, it has grown from a simple interview show to a multi-faceted production, featuring conversations with noted technology and science leaders, and a weekly science and technology-related commentary.",
"airtime": "FRI 10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Tech-Nation-Radio-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://technation.podomatic.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "Tech Nation Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tech-nation",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://technation.podomatic.com/rss2.xml"
}
},
"ted-radio-hour": {
"id": "ted-radio-hour",
"title": "TED Radio Hour",
"info": "The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ways to think and create.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm, SAT 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/tedRadioHour.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2018-06-22",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/ted-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/8vsS",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=523121474&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/TED-Radio-Hour-p418021/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510298/podcast.xml"
}
},
"thebay": {
"id": "thebay",
"title": "The Bay",
"tagline": "Local news to keep you rooted",
"info": "Host Devin Katayama walks you through the biggest story of the day with reporters and newsmakers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Bay-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Bay",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/thebay",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 2
},
"link": "/podcasts/thebay",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d800ea4c-7a2c-42f2-b861-edaf78a5db0b/the-bay",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/586725995/the-bay",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-bay",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/4BIKBKIujizLHlIlBNaAqQ",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC8259786327"
}
},
"thelatest": {
"id": "thelatest",
"title": "The Latest",
"tagline": "Trusted local news in real time",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Latest-2025-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Latest",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/thelatest",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 6
},
"link": "/thelatest",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-latest-from-kqed/id1197721799",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1257949365/the-latest-from-k-q-e-d",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/5KIIXMgM9GTi5AepwOYvIZ?si=bd3053fec7244dba",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9137121918"
}
},
"theleap": {
"id": "theleap",
"title": "The Leap",
"tagline": "What if you closed your eyes, and jumped?",
"info": "Stories about people making dramatic, risky changes, told by award-winning public radio reporter Judy Campbell.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Leap-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Leap",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/theleap",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 17
},
"link": "/podcasts/theleap",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leap/id1046668171",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/447248267/the-leap",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-leap",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3sSlVHHzU0ytLwuGs1SD1U",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/programs/the-leap/feed/podcast"
}
},
"the-moth-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-moth-radio-hour",
"title": "The Moth Radio Hour",
"info": "Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating. Since 2008, The Moth podcast has featured many of our favorite stories told live on Moth stages around the country. For information on all of our programs and live events, visit themoth.org.",
"airtime": "SAT 8pm-9pm and SUN 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/theMoth.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://themoth.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "prx"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-moth-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moth-podcast/id275699983?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/The-Moth-p273888/",
"rss": "http://feeds.themoth.org/themothpodcast"
}
},
"the-new-yorker-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"title": "The New Yorker Radio Hour",
"info": "The New Yorker Radio Hour is a weekly program presented by the magazine's editor, David Remnick, and produced by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Each episode features a diverse mix of interviews, profiles, storytelling, and an occasional burst of humor inspired by the magazine, and shaped by its writers, artists, and editors. This isn't a radio version of a magazine, but something all its own, reflecting the rich possibilities of audio storytelling and conversation. Theme music for the show was composed and performed by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YArDs.",
"airtime": "SAT 10am-11am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-New-Yorker-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/tnyradiohour",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1050430296",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/New-Yorker-Radio-Hour-p803804/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/newyorkerradiohour"
}
},
"the-sam-sanders-show": {
"id": "the-sam-sanders-show",
"title": "The Sam Sanders Show",
"info": "One of public radio's most dynamic voices, Sam Sanders helped launch The NPR Politics Podcast and hosted NPR's hit show It's Been A Minute. Now, the award-winning host returns with something brand new, The Sam Sanders Show. Every week, Sam Sanders and friends dig into the culture that shapes our lives: what's driving the biggest trends, how artists really think, and even the memes you can't stop scrolling past. Sam is beloved for his way of unpacking the world and bringing you up close to fresh currents and engaging conversations. The Sam Sanders Show is smart, funny and always a good time.",
"airtime": "FRI 12-1pm AND SAT 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Sam-Sanders-Show-Podcast-Tile-400x400-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "KCRW"
},
"link": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feed.cdnstream1.com/zjb/feed/download/ac/28/59/ac28594c-e1d0-4231-8728-61865cdc80e8.xml"
}
},
"the-splendid-table": {
"id": "the-splendid-table",
"title": "The Splendid Table",
"info": "\u003cem>The Splendid Table\u003c/em> hosts our nation's conversations about cooking, sustainability and food culture.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Splendid-Table-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.splendidtable.org/",
"airtime": "SUN 10-11 pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-splendid-table"
},
"this-american-life": {
"id": "this-american-life",
"title": "This American Life",
"info": "This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.",
"airtime": "SAT 12pm-1pm, 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/thisAmericanLife.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wbez"
},
"link": "/radio/program/this-american-life",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201671138&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"rss": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/rss.xml"
}
},
"tinydeskradio": {
"id": "tinydeskradio",
"title": "Tiny Desk Radio",
"info": "We're bringing the best of Tiny Desk to the airwaves, only on public radio.",
"airtime": "SUN 8pm and SAT 9pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/300x300-For-Member-Station-Logo-Tiny-Desk-Radio-@2x.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-52030/tiny-desk-radio",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tinydeskradio",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/g-s1-52030/rss.xml"
}
},
"wait-wait-dont-tell-me": {
"id": "wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"title": "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!",
"info": "Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis host the weekly NPR News quiz show alongside some of the best and brightest news and entertainment personalities.",
"airtime": "SUN 10am-11am, SAT 11am-12pm, SAT 6pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Wait-Wait-Podcast-Tile-300x300-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/Xogv",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=121493804&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Wait-Wait-Dont-Tell-Me-p46/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/344098539/podcast.xml"
}
},
"weekend-edition-saturday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-saturday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Saturday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Saturday wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.",
"airtime": "SAT 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-saturday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-saturday"
},
"weekend-edition-sunday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-sunday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Sunday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Sunday features interviews with newsmakers, artists, scientists, politicians, musicians, writers, theologians and historians. The program has covered news events from Nelson Mandela's 1990 release from a South African prison to the capture of Saddam Hussein.",
"airtime": "SUN 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-sunday"
}
},
"racesReducer": {},
"racesGenElectionReducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026Reducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026PresidentialReducer": {},
"radioSchedulesReducer": {},
"listsReducer": {
"posts?author=22&authorName=Michael Fox": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 0,
"size": 12
},
"vitalsOnly": false,
"totalRequested": 12,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 598,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"arts_13994504",
"arts_13994012",
"arts_13992827",
"arts_13992108",
"arts_13991674",
"arts_13991081",
"arts_13989211",
"arts_13988241",
"arts_13987956",
"arts_13986622",
"arts_13985662",
"arts_13984991"
],
"complete": true
}
},
"recallGuideReducer": {
"intros": {},
"policy": {},
"candidates": {}
},
"savedArticleReducer": {
"articles": [],
"status": {}
},
"newslettersReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"newsletters": {},
"isSubscribing": false,
"isUnsubscribing": false,
"subscribedNewsletters": {}
},
"termsReducer": {
"about": {
"name": "About",
"type": "terms",
"id": "about",
"slug": "about",
"link": "/about",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"arts": {
"name": "Arts & Culture",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"description": "KQED Arts provides daily in-depth coverage of the Bay Area's music, art, film, performing arts, literature and arts news, as well as cultural commentary and criticism.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts",
"slug": "arts",
"link": "/arts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"artschool": {
"name": "Art School",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "artschool",
"slug": "artschool",
"link": "/artschool",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareabites": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareabites",
"slug": "bayareabites",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareahiphop": {
"name": "Bay Area Hiphop",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareahiphop",
"slug": "bayareahiphop",
"link": "/bayareahiphop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"campaign21": {
"name": "Campaign 21",
"type": "terms",
"id": "campaign21",
"slug": "campaign21",
"link": "/campaign21",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"careers": {
"name": "Careers",
"type": "terms",
"id": "careers",
"slug": "careers",
"link": "/careers",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"checkplease": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "checkplease",
"slug": "checkplease",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"education": {
"name": "Education",
"grouping": [
"education"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "education",
"slug": "education",
"link": "/education",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"elections": {
"name": "Elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "elections",
"slug": "elections",
"link": "/elections",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"events": {
"name": "Events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "events",
"slug": "events",
"link": "/events",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"event": {
"name": "Event",
"alias": "events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "event",
"slug": "event",
"link": "/event",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"filmschoolshorts": {
"name": "Film School Shorts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "filmschoolshorts",
"slug": "filmschoolshorts",
"link": "/filmschoolshorts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"food": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "food",
"slug": "food",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"forum": {
"name": "Forum",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/forum?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "forum",
"slug": "forum",
"link": "/forum",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"futureofyou": {
"name": "Future of You",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "futureofyou",
"slug": "futureofyou",
"link": "/futureofyou",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"jpepinheart": {
"name": "KQED food",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/food,bayareabites,checkplease",
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "jpepinheart",
"slug": "jpepinheart",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"liveblog": {
"name": "Live Blog",
"type": "terms",
"id": "liveblog",
"slug": "liveblog",
"link": "/liveblog",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"livetv": {
"name": "Live TV",
"parent": "tv",
"type": "terms",
"id": "livetv",
"slug": "livetv",
"link": "/livetv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"lowdown": {
"name": "The Lowdown",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/lowdown?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "lowdown",
"slug": "lowdown",
"link": "/lowdown",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"mindshift": {
"name": "Mindshift",
"parent": "news",
"description": "MindShift explores the future of education by highlighting the innovative – and sometimes counterintuitive – ways educators and parents are helping all children succeed.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift",
"slug": "mindshift",
"link": "/mindshift",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news": {
"name": "News",
"grouping": [
"news",
"forum"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "news",
"slug": "news",
"link": "/news",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"newsletters": {
"name": "newsletters",
"type": "terms",
"id": "newsletters",
"slug": "newsletters",
"link": "/newsletters",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"perspectives": {
"name": "Perspectives",
"parent": "radio",
"type": "terms",
"id": "perspectives",
"slug": "perspectives",
"link": "/perspectives",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"podcasts": {
"name": "Podcasts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "podcasts",
"slug": "podcasts",
"link": "/podcasts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pop": {
"name": "Pop",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pop",
"slug": "pop",
"link": "/pop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pressroom": {
"name": "Pressroom",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pressroom",
"slug": "pressroom",
"link": "/pressroom",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"quest": {
"name": "Quest",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "quest",
"slug": "quest",
"link": "/quest",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"radio": {
"name": "Radio",
"grouping": [
"forum",
"perspectives"
],
"description": "Listen to KQED Public Radio – home of Forum and The California Report – on 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento, 88.3 FM in Santa Rosa and 88.1 FM in Martinez.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "radio",
"slug": "radio",
"link": "/radio",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"root": {
"name": "KQED",
"image": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"imageWidth": 1200,
"imageHeight": 630,
"headData": {
"title": "KQED | News, Radio, Podcasts, TV | Public Media for Northern California",
"description": "KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California."
},
"type": "terms",
"id": "root",
"slug": "root",
"link": "/root",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science": {
"name": "Science",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"description": "KQED Science brings you award-winning science and environment coverage from the Bay Area and beyond.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "science",
"slug": "science",
"link": "/science",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"stateofhealth": {
"name": "State of Health",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth",
"slug": "stateofhealth",
"link": "/stateofhealth",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"support": {
"name": "Support",
"type": "terms",
"id": "support",
"slug": "support",
"link": "/support",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"thedolist": {
"name": "The Do List",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "thedolist",
"slug": "thedolist",
"link": "/thedolist",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"trulyca": {
"name": "Truly CA",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "trulyca",
"slug": "trulyca",
"link": "/trulyca",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"tv": {
"name": "TV",
"type": "terms",
"id": "tv",
"slug": "tv",
"link": "/tv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"voterguide": {
"name": "Voter Guide",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "voterguide",
"slug": "voterguide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"guiaelectoral": {
"name": "Guia Electoral",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "guiaelectoral",
"slug": "guiaelectoral",
"link": "/guiaelectoral",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"source_arts_13994504": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13994504",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "The Do List",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13994012": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13994012",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "The Do List",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13992827": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13992827",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Fall Guide 2026",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/fall-guide-2026",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13992108": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13992108",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "The Do List",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13991674": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13991674",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "The Do List",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13991081": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13991081",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "The Do List",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13989211": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13989211",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Summer Guide 2026",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/summer-guide-2026",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13988241": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13988241",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "The Do List",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13987956": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13987956",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "The Do List",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13986622": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13986622",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "The Do List",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13985662": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13985662",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "The Do List",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13984991": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13984991",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "The Do List",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"isLoading": false
},
"arts_140": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_140",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "140",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "The Do List",
"slug": "the-do-list",
"taxonomy": "program",
"description": null,
"featImg": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/11/The-Do-LIst-logo-2014-horizontal-015.png",
"headData": {
"title": "The Do List Archives | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 141,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/program/the-do-list"
},
"arts_1": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Arts",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Arts Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/arts"
},
"arts_74": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_74",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "74",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Movies",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Movies Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 75,
"slug": "movies",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/movies"
},
"arts_22313": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_22313",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "22313",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "The Do List",
"slug": "the-do-list",
"taxonomy": "category",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "The Do List | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 22325,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/the-do-list"
},
"arts_769": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_769",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "769",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "review",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "review Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 787,
"slug": "review",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/review"
},
"arts_585": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_585",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "585",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "thedolist",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "thedolist Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 590,
"slug": "thedolist",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/thedolist"
},
"arts_21866": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_21866",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "21866",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Arts and Culture",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Arts and Culture Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21878,
"slug": "arts-and-culture",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/interest/arts-and-culture"
},
"arts_21879": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_21879",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "21879",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Entertainment",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Entertainment Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21891,
"slug": "entertainment",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/interest/entertainment"
},
"arts_13672": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_13672",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13672",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Documentaries",
"slug": "documentaries",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Documentaries | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 13684,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/documentaries"
},
"arts_10278": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_10278",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "10278",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "featured-arts",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "featured-arts Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 10290,
"slug": "featured-arts",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/featured-arts"
},
"arts_977": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_977",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "977",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Film",
"slug": "film",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Film Archives | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 995,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/film"
},
"arts_3163": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_3163",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "3163",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Roxie Theater",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Roxie Theater Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3175,
"slug": "roxie-theater",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/roxie-theater"
},
"arts_21870": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_21870",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "21870",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Events",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Events Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21882,
"slug": "events",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/interest/events"
},
"arts_235": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_235",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "235",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 236,
"slug": "news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/news"
},
"arts_2227": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2227",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2227",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "BAMPFA",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "BAMPFA Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2239,
"slug": "bampfa",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/bampfa"
},
"arts_22701": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_22701",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "22701",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Fall Guide 2026",
"slug": "fall-guide-2026",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Fall Guide 2026 | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 22713,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/fall-guide-2026"
},
"arts_3465": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_3465",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "3465",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "movies",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "movies Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3477,
"slug": "movies",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/movies"
},
"arts_3772": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_3772",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "3772",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "SFFILM",
"slug": "sffilm",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "SFFILM | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 3784,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/sffilm"
},
"arts_3419": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_3419",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "3419",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Chicano",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Chicano Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3431,
"slug": "chicano",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/chicano"
},
"arts_22453": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_22453",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "22453",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "farmworkers",
"slug": "farmworkers",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "farmworkers | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 22465,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/farmworkers"
},
"arts_1256": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1256",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1256",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Latino",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Latino Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1268,
"slug": "latino",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/latino"
},
"arts_21859": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_21859",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "21859",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "San Francisco",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "San Francisco Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21871,
"slug": "san-francisco",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/interest/san-francisco"
},
"arts_1146": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1146",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1146",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "San Francisco",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "San Francisco Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 701,
"slug": "san-francisco",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/san-francisco"
},
"arts_22642": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_22642",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "22642",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Bay Area Summer Guide 2026",
"slug": "summer-guide-2026",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": "Browse our 2026 Bay Area summer guides, including:\r\n\u003cul>\r\n \t\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13989330/bay-area-oakland-san-francisco-napa-music-festivals-summer-2026\">Best music festivals\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n \t\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13989487/best-plays-musicals-bay-area-oakland-san-francisco-berkeley-2026\">Best plays and musicals\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n \t\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13989193/visual-art-summer-guide-2026-museum-gallery-shows\">Best museum and gallery shows\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n \t\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13989602/free-concerts-bay-area-summer-best\">Best free concerts\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003c/ul>\r\nSee below for even more ways to enjoy and enrich your summer.",
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Bay Area Summer Guide 2026 | KQED Arts",
"description": "Find the best concerts, festivals, plays, art exhibits, film screenings and more this summer in the Bay Area.",
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 22654,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/summer-guide-2026"
},
"arts_1270": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1270",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1270",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Berkeley",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Berkeley Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1282,
"slug": "berkeley",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/berkeley"
},
"arts_5305": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_5305",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "5305",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "sf jewish film festival",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "sf jewish film festival Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5317,
"slug": "sf-jewish-film-festival",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/sf-jewish-film-festival"
},
"arts_21872": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_21872",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "21872",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Berkeley",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Berkeley Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21884,
"slug": "berkeley",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/interest/berkeley"
},
"arts_10342": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_10342",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "10342",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "editorspick",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "editorspick Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 10354,
"slug": "editorspick",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/editorspick"
}
},
"userPermissionsReducer": {
"wpLoggedIn": false
},
"eventsReducer": {},
"fssReducer": {},
"tvDailyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvWeeklyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvPrimetimeScheduleReducer": {},
"tvMonthlyScheduleReducer": {},
"userAccountReducer": {
"user": {
"email": null,
"emailStatus": "EMAIL_UNVALIDATED",
"loggedStatus": "LOGGED_OUT",
"loggingChecked": false,
"articles": [],
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"phoneNumber": null,
"fetchingMembership": false,
"membershipError": false,
"memberships": [
{
"id": null,
"startDate": null,
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"familyNumber": null,
"memberNumber": null,
"memberSince": null,
"expirationDate": null,
"pfsEligible": false,
"isSustaining": false,
"membershipLevel": "Prospect",
"membershipStatus": "Non Member",
"lastGiftDate": null,
"renewalDate": null,
"lastDonationAmount": null
}
]
},
"authModal": {
"isOpen": false,
"view": "LANDING_VIEW"
},
"error": null
},
"youthMediaReducer": {},
"checkPleaseReducer": {
"filterData": {
"region": {
"key": "Restaurant Region",
"filters": [
"Any Region"
]
},
"cuisine": {
"key": "Restaurant Cuisine",
"filters": [
"Any Cuisine"
]
}
},
"restaurantDataById": {},
"restaurantIdsSorted": [],
"error": null
},
"userAgentReducer": {
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)",
"isBot": true
},
"requestOutcomesReducer": {
"notFound": []
},
"navPromosReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": true,
"promos": {
"news": {
"name": "2026 Voter Guide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"imageURL": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Nav-News-Nov2026ElectionCoverage@2x-7bd4aad4.png",
"description": "Get informed in minutes with our Voter Guide for California’s November 3 election."
},
"podcasts-radio": {},
"video-tv": {},
"events": {},
"support": {}
}
}
}
