The Film Comment Podcast

Today’s episode is an entry in our regular Rep Report series, where we survey the best and most interesting offerings at repertory theaters in New York City. This month and next, the rep calendar is particularly packed with gems, so Film Comment Editor Devika Girish invited filmmaker, critic, and archivist Gina Telaroli, film scholar Benjamin Crais, and Film Comment’s Assistant Editor Michael Blair to spotlight some of the unmissable series on view right now or on the horizon.  The group discussed a program at Anthology Film Archives dedicated to unusual stories about immigration, which features Kidlat Tahimik’s 1970s classic Perfumed Nightmare (5:56); a series at the Asia Society that pairs films from India’s Parallel, or arthouse, cinema movement with classics of Bollywood (16:39); and upcoming retrospectives and screenings of the works of Luc Moullet at Film at Lincoln Center and Anthology (32:00). They also reflected on the state of repertory moviegoing in New York more broadly—including the admittedly enviable problem of too many things going on at the same time as well as what it means to see works made defiantly outside of institutional structures at august institutions.

From July 4 to July 8, Film Comment Editor Devika Girish presented a series at the Brooklyn Academy of Music called Let Them Cook: Cinema of the Rice Cooker, which spotlit movies where the humble household appliance takes on a poetics and pragmatism uniquely suited to the screen. Some of the films in the series included Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light (2024), Claire Denis’s 35 Shots of Rum (2008), Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love (2000), Raymond Yip's Sixty Million Dollar Man (2005), Yasujiro Ozu's Good Morning (1959), and Bong Joon Ho's Incoherence (1994).  After a screening of Seijun Suzuki’s Branded to Kill (1967)—which follows a yakuza assassin with a fetish for the smell of cooking rice—Devika recorded a panel discussion with film scholar and critic Phoebe Chen, The Philadelphia Inquirer's Bedatri Datta Choudhury, and Bon Appétit's Joseph Hernandez about the cinematic appeal of the rice cooker.

It’s officially summertime, and with the AC blasting in multiplexes around the globe, Film Comment Editors Clinton Krute and Devika Girish invited two fellow respite seekers, critics Alana Pockros and Adam Nayman, to chat about some of the buzziest new releases in circulation. The group begins with a deep dive into Celine Song’s romantic comedy Materialists (2:50) before turning to Eva Victor’s Sundance sensation Sorry, Baby (25:25); the racing blockbuster F1 (41:15), starring Brad Pitt; and the latest entry in Danny Boyle’s zombie franchise, 28 Years Later (56:03).

Earlier this month, Film Comment hosted the author Malcolm Harris for a special event celebrating the launch of his latest book, What’s Left: Three Paths Through the Planetary Crisis—an invigorating analysis of climate change and the collective solutions required to rescue humanity from it. In addition to being a trenchant public intellectual, Harris is also a dedicated cinephile who often uses movies to make sense of politics and history—something we explored on a 2023 Podcast focused on his previous book, Palo Alto: The History of California, Capitalism, and the World.  One film Harris discusses in detail in his latest book is Chadian director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s GriGris. It’s a sensuous, suspenseful thriller about a disabled dancer in Chad who takes up petrol smuggling in order to pay for his stepfather’s medical expenses. As Harris describes in his book, it’s also an incredibly intelligent movie about the life-and-death stakes of the petrochemical industry, especially in the Global South. To dig deeper into Harris’s unique attraction to the film, Film Comment Editors Devika Girish and Clinton Krute invited him to present a screening of GriGris, followed by a panel discussion with Harris and Ugandan scholar Anselm Kizza-Besigye. The group dug into movie’s alluring classical structure and its explosive conclusion, cinematic portrayals of the climate crisis, and much more.

One of our favorite movies of 2025 so far is Sarah Friedland's debut feature Familiar Touch, which opens in theaters in New York on Friday, June 20. The film follows an octogenarian with dementia, played by Kathleen Chalfant, as she settles into her new life in a nursing home. It’s a delicate, touching, and surprising work that evades clichéd depictions of elderly people—thanks in part to the collaborative process through which it was made. The film was shot in a real care facility in Pasadena, with residents participating in the production process and appearing in the film.  Chalfant, a stalwart of the New York stage, anchors the film with a towering performance. On today’s episode, Film Comment invited Molly Haskell, herself a stalwart of American film criticism, to interview Chalfant, after learning she was particularly impressed by Chalfant’s work in the film. Their fascinating conversation touches upon depictions of aging onscreen, Chalfant's preparation for the role, how the film resists sentimentality, and more.

For the last two weeks, our on-the-Croisette crew of Film Comment contributors has been reporting from the 2025 Cannes Film Festival with a series of thoughtful dispatches, interviews, and Podcasts. Before the festival wrapped on May 24, Film Comment partnered with Cannes Docs, the nonfiction-focused section of the Marché du film, on a panel titled “The Voice of Documentary.” Moderated by FC Editor Devika Girish, the panel convened three practitioners of radical nonfiction—Eduardo Williams (The Human Surge 3), Brett Story (Union), and Zoya Laktionova (Ashes Settling in Layers on the Surface)—to unpack the ethical and practical ways in which documentaries use sound, voice, and audio to speak to us and shape us as listeners. 528861

Join film critics Tim Grierson, Justin Chang, and Alison Willmore as they wrap up Cannes 2025 with insights from the festival's highlights. They delve into Bi Gan's 'Resurrection', analyzing its unique storytelling and emotional resonance. Kelly Reichardt's 'The Mastermind' sparks discussion on art and crime, while Saeed Roustayi's 'Woman and Child' captivates with its poignant exploration of love and justice. The trio also reflects on Wes Anderson's evolving themes and the Dardenne brothers' complex portrayal of motherhood, ensuring a vibrant dialogue brimming with cinematic passion.

Cannes 2025 has arrived—and you can count on our on-the-Croisette crew of Film Comment contributors to cut through the noise with thoughtful dispatches, interviews, and Podcasts. This year's festival is packed with exciting premieres, including new films from Richard Linklater, Lynne Ramsay, Spike Lee, Bi Gan, Julia Ducournau, Wes Anderson, and many more. For our fifth episode from the French Riviera, Film Comment Editor Devika Girish is joined by critics Abby Sun, Beatrice Loayza, and Giovanni Marchini Camia to discuss some late-festival premieres, including Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, Carla Simón's Romería, Oliver Hermanus’s The History of Sound and Nadav Lapid’s Yes. Subscribe today to The Film Comment Letter for a steady stream of Cannes coverage, providing everything you need to know about the 2025 edition.

Cannes 2025 is in full swing—and you can count on our on-the-Croisette crew of Film Comment contributors to cut through the noise with thoughtful dispatches, interviews, and Podcasts. This year’s festival is packed with exciting premieres, including new films from Richard Linklater, Lynne Ramsay, Spike Lee, Bi Gan, Julia Ducournau, Wes Anderson, and many more. For our seventh episode from the film world's grandest event, Film Comment Editor Devika Girish is joined by critics Kong Rithdee (back by popular demand!) and Inney Prakash to debate two recent premieres from legendary auteurs: Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident (2:33) and Lav Diaz's Magellan (14:12). Next, the group discusses one of the highlights of this year's Cannes Classics section, T’ang Shu Shuen's 1968 film The Arch (23:14), before turning to Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke's A Useful Ghost (29:09), which just won the Grand Prize at Cannes Critics' Week. Subscribe today to The Film Comment Letter for a steady stream of Cannes coverage, providing everything you need to know about the 2025 edition. Note: Around 18:00, we experienced some equipment problems that resulted in slight glitches on the audio track. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Cannes 2025 has arrived—and you can count on our on-the-Croisette crew of Film Comment contributors to cut through the noise with thoughtful dispatches, interviews, and Podcasts. This year’s festival is packed with exciting premieres, including new films from Richard Linklater, Lynne Ramsay, Spike Lee, Bi Gan, Julia Ducournau, Wes Anderson, and many more. For our sixth episode from the French Riviera, Film Comment Editor Devika Girish is joined by critics and FC stalwarts Miriam Bale, Robert Daniels, and Jessica Kiang to discuss their recent viewing at the fest, including Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, Julia Ducournau’s Alpha (23:09), Akinola Davies Jr.’s My Father's Shadow, and Hlynur Pálmason’s The Love That Remains (49:25). Subscribe today to The Film Comment Letter for a steady stream of Cannes coverage, providing everything you need to know about the 2025 edition.