A little slow to send this one- officially entered my third trimester and my baby is the size of a head of lettuce as well as supposedly Aladdin’s magic lamp, Dorothy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz and a bowling pin.
June was filled with hope in Brooklyn for the first time since I can remember after the mayoral primary and pride that same week which was so joyful.
This month was also the month I learned that-
In Tulsi, India more than 1/4 of the population is involved in making YouTube videos
The US state with the most plastic surgery per capita is Utah
And along with weird factoids, here are the shows, exhibits, films and tv shows that made my month.
Movies
Sorry, Baby- There is always something incredibly moving about getting to witness someone grow creatively from afar- in this case Eva Victor (they/she) go from Reductress writer to online video sensation to directing, writing and starring in their first film, with standing ovations at Sundance, Cannes- and being produced by Barry Jenkins and A24. What I didn’t expect was how Eva’s shared experience of assault under the fictional umbrella of character Agnes Word, within the separate universe of the small liberal arts school would crack me open with my own experiences. What’s so beautiful and different about this form of sharing is that the violence is not seen nor the center of the plot. The film is actually about the care and evolution of their best friendship with “Lydie” as Lydie moves on, gets married and becomes pregnant. And the significance of new life- the kitten or the baby on Agnes’ ability to find herself while caring for new life- which- obviously also resonates with me right now. The beauty in Eva writing this is that they’re able to still be their comedic self while sharing this terrible thing that happened to them. They’re not fragile and not combative. They just are. Quiet, reflective and alone. Even with their best friend moving in and out of their life- which is what happened to me in the summer of 2015- and what I am sure many people- even some reading this now can connect with.
Mountainhead (streaming)- Jesse Armstrong wrote Mountainhead this January, which was fueled by the actions of Billionaires that we all have had to witness. His writing is as strong, if not stronger, than his work in Succession- keeping us on our toes following for over an hour these 4 tech bros in one space and barely able to catch our breaths from the poignant drama and quips. It’s not for the faint of heart but the political theater of our time.
TV
The Comeback- Variety has listed Lisa Kudrow’s performance in The Comeback as the 4th best TV performance of the 21st Century and after devouring the first two seasons for the first time somehow days before the announcement of a third season (and by somehow I mean HBO fed them to me knowing they would announce soon) I couldn’t agree more. Kudrow produced, wrote and obviously acted in the show which allows her to showcase the magnitude of her comedic talent in a way that barely scratched the surface in friends- along with the late Robert Michael Morris as her closeted hair dresser/best friend Mickey Deane. It’s meta in more ways than one with Lisa as Valerie Cherish entering the reality TV world as a washed up irrelevant actress. Each season being released around 6 years apart (with the new one coming out around 10 years since the previous one), while real Lisa Kudrow herself has stayed mostly further and further away from the spotlight. If you hate second hand embarrassment then this might be painful but it’s worth pushing through for some of the best comedic performance and writing I’ve ever seen.
Art Shows
Saya Woofalk, Empathic Universe at the Museum of Art and Design: Woofalk invites us here into the fictional world of the “Empathics”, an imagined new race of women that are more connected to nature through video installations, sculptures, textile work and performances and influenced by folklore culture. Walking into the show felt like walking into a soundbath.
Sara Cwynar, ICA (Boston)- I caught Sara’s work during a quick weekend stint in Boston and fell in love with her process of collage through internet image generation and her focus on how we objectify each other by looking for answers and meaning to life online.
Podcasts
Liberty Lost: I am so proud of our new show Liberty Lost, which follows young mothers forced into “maternity homes”, which are pipelines to forced adoption. TJ Raphael, our producer who reported this story is also the host- which is incredibly meaningful as she has found and carried this story with her for many years. It’s mind blowing to realize that this is happening in our country and not a handmaids tale fiction.
Book
Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin: This is the first book I’ve finished in one week in a very long time and the perfect summer read. Great Black Hope follows Smith, a young Black gay son of academics, shortly after he gets caught with cocaine and is awaiting his fate, while trying to fit in different world shifts by race and class (Black Hollywood, Black and queer activism spaces, the majorly art white world etc). As I read the book I couldn’t stop thinking about a piece I read on Lyric McHenry in 2019 and only once I finished the book did I realize Rob was her roommate- which makes it hard to not connect one of the characters to her, as a heartbreaking tribute. But beyond that this book is also about family- biological and chosen- and the expectations we have for each.
As always thanks for reading, I always love hearing your recommendations.
Much love.