Obsessions #19: Did a Witch Put a Curse on Adam Driver

Everything I've been reading, watching and listening to this fall

Hello and welcome back to Obsessions, a quarterly newsletter-within-a-newsletter highlighting everything I’ve been reading, watching and listening to.

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What I’ve Been Reading

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

While I was slightly worried for Intermezzo after reading the flop that was 2021’s Beautiful World, Where Are You, Sally Rooney delivered what might be her most mature novel yet. Intermezzo is a relationship-focused tale of two estranged Irish brothers, Peter and Ivan, coping with the grief of their father’s death through their romantic pursuits.

The book is told from the alternating perspective of the two brothers. The way each section is written reflects that character’s mental state. Ivan’s chapters are brisk and to the point, while Peter’s are pages-long stream-of-consciousness ramblings that drift between the past and present.

While the book features familiar thematic and structural terrain for Rooney, her prose truly ascends to new heights. And those heights are challenging! I’ve seen mixed reviews of Intermezzo, likely because it requires so much attention and focus to read, particularly Peter’s sections.

Regardless, I was truly moved by it, especially the ending. I think it helps to make your way through the novel slowly to fully soak it in (I never read more than a chapter a day). If you’ve never read any Rooney before, start with Normal People first before trying this one.

Hi, It’s Me by Fawn Parker

Fawn Parker’s latest offering, Hi, It’s Me, is also a novel about the death of a parent that features challenging prose. The story occurs over one day when the main character goes to her family’s rural house outside of Toronto following the death of her mother that morning.

The novel is the perfect reflection of how the delirium of grief contrasted with the absurdity of life. Inspired by James Joyce’s Ulysses, the book is divided into 18 sections. Joyce is a recurring reference in the text; I wish I understood his work better to connect how he fits into this novel but sadly I do not!

I’ve read all of Parker’s novels and this is probably her best yet. It’s bizarre and deeply existential; a filmed adaptation would be positively Lynchian. Still, it’s incredibly readable if you strap yourself in for the ride and just go along with it.

Mood Swings by Frankie Barnet

Frankie Barnet’s debut novel Mood Swings is weird and wonderful. The novel follows best friends Jenlena and Daphne living in Montreal following a global event that killed every animal on Earth. Later, Jenlena starts a relationship with a billionaire who is trying to build a time machine to restore the world to how it was before.

Mood Swings has a dystopian edge that felt surreal to read in the aftermath of the pandemic. I loved the switches in perspective and time throughout the book, which add new context to the preceding chapters. It’s also one of the funniest novels I’ve read in a while; nearly every page featured a blunt joke that made me chuckle. I can’t wait to read more by Barnet.

What I’ve Been Watching

Anora (Dir. Sean Baker)

Every time Sean Baker releases a film, I am SEATED. Anora follows the titular character, a Russian-American sex worker living in Brooklyn, after she meets the son of a Russian oligarch who impulsively proposes to her after spending a week together.

If you know Baker’s filmography, you’ll know that the premise sounds a little too good to be true. The film is incredibly funny until suddenly it isn’t. The tone shift is severe and affecting. Ultimately, the film is a commentary on how everything, including romantic relationships, is transactional under capitalism.

The actors’ performances are what make this film shine so brightly. Mikey Madison is truly ELECTRIC in the starring role. She is perfectly supported by Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov and Karren Karagulian. While I think the film definitely drags in the middle, the shocking and haunting ending makes Anora a film to remember.

Megalopolis (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola)

My approach to this newsletter is to only share reviews of things I think are good. However, Megalopolis is one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen with such a fascinating backstory that I can’t help but write about it.

Megalopolis was in development for nearly 50 years, with Coppola starting and stopping work on it throughout his entire career (its Wikipedia entry and this hour-long video from Be Kind Rewind provide the fascinating story of its creation). It’s impossible to summarize the plot of this movie but it is loosely about an architect named Cesar Catalina trying to build a utopian city out of a substance called “Megalon.”

In 2019, Coppola returned to the project, determined to finally finish it. The making of the film was extremely fraught. Actors improvised many scenes as Coppola had not written a script. Crew members, most notably the art department, were terminated midway through as the production ran out of funds.

The film is a jumbled mess with some of the worst dialogue ever committed to film. While kind of beautiful in its commitment to the idea of utopia, it is also fundamentally stupid. Overall, Megalopolis radiates major “Ok grandpa, let’s get you to bed” energy. Does anyone else think that a witch put a curse on Adam Driver?

Sebastian Stan, I Was Not Familiar With Your Game

Two of my favourite films from this fall are A Different Man (Dir. Aaron Schimberg) and The Apprentice (Dir. Ali Abbasi). The films star Sebastian Stan, who delivers incredible performances in both.

A Different Man is the exact kind of smart indie dark comedy that I love so much. The film stars Stan as Edward, an aspiring actor with neurofibromatosis, which gives him a significant facial difference. Early on in the film, Edward decides to participate in an experimental treatment for his condition. I won’t write more because the twists and turns the film takes are truly surprising.

Ultimately, A Different Man is an excellent commentary on how we feel we are perceived. In addition to Stan, the film features a phenomenally charming performance by Adam Pearson, a British actor who has neurofibromatosis in real life. Pearson’s inclusion provides an intelligent and meta lens on how audiences respond to facial differences on screen.

The Apprentice, on the other hand, is a horrific character study of Donald Trump. Supported by Jeremy Strong as Trump’s mentor Roy Cohn, the film is a “creation of a monster” story. The most impressive part of Stan’s performance as Trump is how he slowly adopts the persona. I also loved the way the cinematography changes over the movie to reflect the video technology of the decade it's taking place in.

Reality TV Speed Round

Survivor (Season 47) is kind of boring but I will never stop watching out of my indescribable lifelong loyalty to Jeff Probst. House of Villains (Season Two) is okay but I wish Richard Hatch had lasted longer for reasons listed above.

The Traitors Canada (Season Two) is made hilarious by the fact that everyone is so awful at the game. RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (Season Six) is legitimately one of the best seasons across all franchises in an extremely long time!

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (Season Five) continues its reign as the best current Housewives franchise. The Real Housewives of New York City (Season 15) is so insufferable that all the Bravo recap podcasts I listen to DON’T EVEN COVER IT. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (Season 14) has only just begun, but I am here for Dorit’s divorcée arc and the neverending Kyle drama.

What I’ve Been Listening To

Blank Check

Listening to film podcasts takes up a truly ridiculous amount of my free time and Blank Check is my latest obsession. The podcast features hosts Griffin Newman and David Sims as they devote each season to a different filmmaker who had a “blank check” career, which they define as early success followed by the license to make whatever the hell they want.

Although the podcast has been running for nearly ten years I only discovered it through the latest season, which covers the filmography of David Lynch, my favourite director of all time. The Lynch series has been nothing short of SPECTACULAR and has made me appreciate his body of work even more than before.

Getting obsessed with the podcast has led me to go back to previous series and one-off episodes. I’m almost done with last year’s series on David Fincher, which is equally excellent. Other directors they’ve covered include Jonathan Demme, Park Chan-wook, the Wachowskis and many, many more.

I love the way they approach each episode with in-depth commentary and analysis of the film, as well as an excellent sense of humour. It’s the perfect mix of conversation and context to understand a director’s project over their career. Highly recommended for all film nerds!