Cinema and society | Substack
Cinema and society
Essays exploring how film reveals politics, power, and the myths shaping modern society.
Launched 5 months ago
Cinema and society
@carlmerkel1
Interested in film and how movies reflect, explain, and sometimes distort societal realities: politics, power, identity, and the stories we tell ourselves. Letterboxd: BIOCalle
Recent Posts
Cinema and society
Having finally seen Aguirre, the Wrath of God, I'm struck by a recurring Herzog theme.
The conquistadors arrive in the jungle with dreams of glory and conquest. One by one they are crushed by heat, disease, exhaustion, and madness. Not because nature is cruel. Because nature doesn't care.
Cinema and society
"How did I escape? With difficulty. How did I plan this moment? With pleasure."
Part of the reason The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) remains so entertaining is that it understands something fundamental about storytelling: People love a good revenge tale. And sword fights.
Cinema and society
Steven Spielberg has spent much of his career thinking about aliens.
From Close Encounters to E.T. and War of the Worlds, the possibility of contact keeps returning in his films.
Short Cuts: Disclosure Day and the Question We Can't Stop Asking Disclosure Day isn't really about aliens. It's about a question humanity can't stop asking: What if we're not alone?
Cinema and society Short Cuts: Obsession and the Life We Think We're Missing
If only she loved him back, everything would be different. But what if the thing we're chasing isn't what we actually need?
Cinema and society
Do you recognize the movie?