• Babylon Explained – Hollywood Uncensored

    If you take a moment to look past all the drug-fueled orgies, snake fights and elephant excrement, there is actually a much deeper meaning in Damien Chazzelle’s Babylon. The film is a fascinating insight into the search for meaning and identity at a time of unprecedented social change. Not only did the 1920s and early…

  • Why Hollywood Can’t Eat the rich

    The Menu, Triangle of Sadness, Glass Onion and many other films that have been released in recent years promise to serve up a scathing criticism of the 1%. Collectively, they have become known as ‘Eat the Rich’ movies, promising to criticise capitalism and analyse the class divide in society. However, none of these films are…

  • The Banshees of Inisherin Explained – The Futility of Civil War

    At midnight on the 27th of June 1922, two artillery pieces were wheeled through the soft midsummer rain on Dublin’s cobbled streets. They took up their positions along the river and set their sights on the highest court in Ireland. For days, The Four Courts had been the centre of a tense stand-off between the…

  • The Menu Explained – What the Cheeseburger Really Means

    Chef Slowik is an internationally renowned cook in charge of an exclusive restaurant on a private island. He’s able to charge $1250 a head, freely experiment with his dishes and command an adoring staff. At first glance, it seems as if he has reached the absolute pinnacle of his craft, achieving everything an aspiring restaurateur…

  • The Rise of Super Rich Satire Explained

    The last few months of 2022 saw a flurry of films that poked fun at the Super Rich. The Triangle of Sadness, Glass Onion and The Menu are all remarkable films in their refreshing take on excessive wealth. Each film demystifies the top 1% by taking groups of rich characters and placing them on remote…

  • Moonrise Kingdom Explained – A Fight for Identity

    Sam Shakusky and Susi Bishop are outsiders. Or at least, they are both described as such by their immediate social groups and wider society. Sam is “emotionally disturbed” due to the death of his parents and Susi is known as a “very troubled” child. These labels distance both characters from their social groups; Sam from…

  • Batman Explained – Why We Need Crime

    Batman is a guardian of the good, championing the causes of justice over corruption, order over chaos and stability over deviance. Yet, he is also menace that breaks the law in order to catch criminals. This is largely how Batman has gained the flawed title of “the dark knight” but, as we will see later,…

  • Joker Explained – The Social Construction of Crime

    JOKER (ON TV) Comedy is sub, subjective, isn’t that what they say? All of you, the system that knows so much, you decide what’s right or wrong. What’s real or what’s made up. The same way you decide what’s funny or not. Within a few lines, the Joker invites us to reflect on who makes…

  • The Grand Budapest Hotel Explained – Fighting Fascism

    On the evening of 22 February 1942, Stefan Zweig walked into the bedroom of his rented bungalow in Petropolis, Brazil. He combed his hair, lay down beside his wife, and reached for a lethal dose of sleeping pills. “The world of my own language sank and was lost to me and my spiritual homeland, Europe,…

  • The French Dispatch Explained – The Lonely Artist

    Buried beneath the humour, style, and nostalgic beauty in Wes Anderson’s latest film, loneliness is presented as a necessary condition for creative life. In the restless, living city of Ennui — home to the French Dispatch — each citizen has a community and a sense of belonging. The old people have the Hovel District, the…