
Deep Cut: A Film Podcast
Deep Cut: A Film Podcast is a director-focused film podcast featuring deep-dive discussions about international, art-house, and independent cinema. Each episode we discuss either a director's most popular film or a "Deep Cut Pick": a personal favorite chosen by one of us. We've covered movies from filmmakers like Hirokazu Kore-eda, Agnes Varda, Éric Rohmer, Kelly Reichardt, Wong Kar-wai, S.S. Rajamouli, Bong Joon-ho, and more.
Looking for film recommendations off the beaten path? This is the pod to follow!
Links to our Discord and other socials here: https://deepcutpod.com
Latest episodes

Nov 30, 2024 • 51min
085. Edward Yang: Terrorizers
Join us as we try to piece together Edward Yang’s most puzzling work, Terrorizers (恐怖分子) . Eli describes the harsher and more abrasive Yang in this 1986 film, Wilson recounts the transcendent feeling of watching a crucial sequence set to The Platter’s Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, and Ben makes links between this film’s ending and Godard’s Breathless.
Ben’s Big Face Letterboxd list
Wilson’s Smoke Gets In Your Eyes Letterboxd list
Ben’s I Can Fix Her Letterboxd list
Vote on our poll to decide the next film we will cover!
Does Eli look like this man?
Terrorize us on our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com

Nov 17, 2024 • 1h
084. Edward Yang: Taipei Story
Join us as we delve deeper into our series on Taiwanese auteur Edward Yang, as we take a step back to explore one of his earliest features, "Taipei Story" (青梅竹馬) from 1985. In this film, Yang collaborates with his compatriot Hou Hsiao-hsien to portray a city undergoing monumental change.
Ben explores the social, cultural, and economic uniqueness of this period in East Asia. Eli draws intriguing parallels between this movie and the various renditions of A Star is Born. Wilson raises questions about Yang's choice to incorporate violence as a punctuation to his endings.
Conversation with Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edmond Wong about Taipei Story
Play ball at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com

Nov 6, 2024 • 1h 26min
083. Edward Yang: Yi Yi
We hit our white whale and begin our series on one of the greatest directors of all time, Edward Yang, and one of the greatest films of all time, Yi Yi (一一). Listen to how this genuine masterpiece has affected each of us as we’ve grown with it. Wilson brings nuggets of wisdom from watching the director’s commentary. Eli talks about how this movie has changed for him on this rewatch. Ben draws links from his own life to the Jian family at the center of this story. Our Patreon post about the podcast’s original format idea: First & LastHop a One and a Two over to our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.comP.S. Refreshed cover art design by Justina Yam!!

Oct 28, 2024 • 2min
Deep Cut: A Film Podcast Trailer
It’s about time, after 3 and a half years we got a brand spankin’ new trailer. If you’re new to Deep Cut, welcome! If you’re a long-time fan, share this with your friends!
Deep Cut: A Film Podcast is a director-focused film podcast featuring deep-dive discussions about international, art-house, and independent cinema. Each episode we discuss either a director's most popular film or a "Deep Cut Pick": a personal favorite chosen by one of us: Wilson Lai, Benjamin Yap, and Eli Sands.
We've covered movies from filmmakers like Hirokazu Kore-eda, Agnes Varda, Éric Rohmer, Kelly Reichardt, Wong Kar-wai, S.S. Rajamouli, Bong Joon-ho, and more!
Looking for film recommendations off the beaten path? This is the pod to follow! Available wherever you get your podcasts!
Find our FREE patreon, discord server, and all our socials @ http://www.deepcutpod.com

Oct 19, 2024 • 49min
082. Luca Guadagnino: I Am Love
Join us as we reenter the lush and sensual world of Luca Guadagnino and discover “il costo dell'ecstasy” in his 2009 film I Am Love. Wilson savours the intentional mistakes in technique that feel like a part of the world of the film. Eli gives a brief lesson on editing, drawing parallels all the way back to the Eisenstein method of montage. Ben directs attention to the powerful scenes of melodramatic realisation across Guadagnino’s work. Why not dine with us?
Become love at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com

Oct 5, 2024 • 34min
081. NYFF62 Dispatch (Anora, Queer, The Shrouds, Eephus)
Our very own Eli attended the 62nd New York Film Festival this autumn as a bona fide member of the press! Sit alongside Wilson and Ben as they salivate over Eli’s descriptions of waiting in line, chatting with fellow critics, and seeing the hottest upcoming films from Earth’s top directors at the legendary Walter Reade Theater. Daniel Craig, Mikey Madison, Vincent Cassel… wow! Can you guess his favorite of the festival?
Films discussed:
Anora (dir. Sean Baker)
Eephus (dir. Carson Lund)
The Shrouds (dir. David Cronenberg)
Queer (dir. Luca Guadagnino)
FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com LIVE IN NEW YORK

Sep 21, 2024 • 56min
080. All Shall Be Well: Interview with Director Ray Yeung
Buckle up Deep Cut fans! This week we have a special preview episode as Wilson got to sit down with director Ray Yeung to preview his new Berlinale premiering film All Shall Be Well, which is opening at Film Forum on September 20.
Ray discusses his jump from law to filmmaking, and returning to his native Hong Kong to make films about the lives of older gay and lesbian characters in Hong Kong. We dive in deep as we talk about Ray’s two features set in Hong Kong; Suk Suk and All Shall Be Well as well as talking about Ray’s own film influences.
Films/Directors Mentioned:
Woody Allen
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1998)
The Wedding Banquet (1993)
Rouge (1987)
The Way We Are (2008)
Funeral Parade of Roses (1969)
All is well at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com

Sep 8, 2024 • 57min
079. Kiyoshi Kurosawa: To The Ends of the Earth
In this final Kiyoshi Kurosawa episode, Wilson brings to the table one of the latest films from the Japanese auteur; the Uzbekistan set To the Ends of the Earth. Ben draws parallels between this film and the work of Kelly Reichardt, and gives us an education on the importance of Atsuko Maeda and idol group AKB48. Eli zeroes in on Kurosawa’s commentary on the camera in this film, as we go behind the scenes of a Japanese travelogue crew abroad. Wilson continues his trend of vibing out with a film as he recounts how this rewatch deeply affected how he felt after losing his wallet.
Links:
Natalie’s Letterboxd review of the film (thank you for following me back)
Shaun Neo’s My Endless Numbered Days
Find a bramul at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com

Aug 24, 2024 • 59min
078. Kiyoshi Kurosawa: Tokyo Sonata
In this episode, we’re laughing and crying to the sweet melodies of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s 2008 film Tokyo Sonata, and its social commentary on the Japanese nuclear family in the midst of a financial crisis.
We explore the film’s construction of a patriarchal nuclear family, discuss Kyoko Koizumi’s unique role as the mother of the family (taking care of all her boys), and go long on her wild narrative journey in the film’s second half with a surprising supporting actor… Eli finds parallels in Kurosawa’s choices with classic films like King Vidor’s The Crowd and Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, Wilson highlights Kurosawa’s selective cinematographic change-ups, and Ben shares some behind the scenes discoveries of the film’s making.
Links:
Behind the scenes DVD feature
NYFF Q&A with Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Interview with Kiyoshi Kurosawa and actors Teruyuki Kagawa and Kyoko Koizumi
Get secret piano lessons at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com

Aug 10, 2024 • 57min
077. Kiyoshi Kurosawa: Pulse
Unlock the forbidden recording room with Wilson, Ben and Eli as the trio unpack Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s 2001 ghost film Pulse. Eli explains his love for his deep cut pick of a film that breaks its own rules and complicates its horror elements. Wilson zeroes in on his love for Kurosawa’s use of space and production design to bring on a feeling of despair for viewers. Ben heralds Kurosawa as a prophet of how computer usage makes us feel in our current era.
助けて... Help us… at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com