Funny Pages (2022)

Growing up in 1980s and 1990s pop culture, one myth was the idea that if you were a geek or a nerd, or if you had niche interests about arts, movies, comic-books, that made you more special and creative than the mainstream. I can’t point to any one text, but just the idea that if […]

Coma (2022)

Bedroom pop? Or bedroom shoegaze? More like bedroom darkwave. Dedicated in an opening narration to his 18 year old daughter, French director Bertrand Bonello made Coma (2022) during Covid lockdown and frames the teenage bedroom as its setting. Even with the alarms outside reiterating lockdown curfew, the sight of a teenager stuck in their bedroom, […]

Murina (2021)

Deep down in the blue. A morning errand dive for teenager Juljia (Gracija Filipović) and her father Ante (Leon Lučev). The type of father whose moods cloud and control the household. Underneath the water, he can’t say anything, demean and insult. They both carry spearguns to catch eels. Underwater is also where Julijia finds escape […]