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What do Inception, Tim Robinson, Luis Buñuel, Woody Allen, and Chantal Akerman have in common? They all get compared to Hong Sang-soo’s On the Beach at Night Alone in this episode of Deep Cut! Listen on as we unpack the movie that’s loosely about Hong’s and Kim Min-hee’s career-changing relationship, digest more awkward dinner scenes, and discuss the merits of going to the beach in the winter. Links: Scold your friends for being inauthentic at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:31 General reactions 08:00 Context / Hong+Kim relationship 14:32 SG public opinion survey 18:04 Hong Sang-soo's 'Inception' 20:08 Hong Sang-soo / Tim Robinson 21:43 Hong / Buñuel 25:45 Hong not planning era 27:17 Ryan Swen Notarized and dinner scene 33:16 What to do with this movie? 38:13 Hong's Chantal Akerman 41:10 Hong as Woody Allen 😬  43:35 Shape of this film 46:43 Outro

Is traveling through Europe too expensive? Then hop aboard a train with the Deep Cut trio and Chantal Akerman for another sensitive, lightly autobiographical story of a surrogate character experiencing ennui and/or despair. Along the road trip, there’s sex, ‘70s outfits, and… windows. Ultimately, we struggle to decide: how well can we know Akerman through her work (or, for that matter, anyone)? Meet Ben, Wilson, and Eli (kinda) at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 03:46 Summary 04:27 General reactions 11:33 Jeanne Dielman vs The Meetings of Anna 16:39 Mom and Akerman herself 22:37 Plot sequence and Akerman’s subjectivity 30:32 Other Akerman films 34:20 Akerman and loneliness 37:39 Ending 40:12 Sex 43:29 Singing

We are joined by none other than friend of the pod and the artist behind all of our DC covers, Justina Yam! Justina comes on the podcast to take us back to the works of Chantal Akerman, with her first feature Je Tu Il Elle. Justina talks about her personal connection to Akerman’s films, and discusses how she continues to play with time in her filmography. Wilson and Eli talk about expressions through body language and narration, and Ben has a theory about Je Tu Il Elle being a non-linear film.  Do you want DC merch? Tell us on the Discord! Links: Justina’s Instagram Justina’s recent photojournalism project: 風流 (Feng Liu) Ira Sachs on Je Tu Il Elle Eat sugar at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:44 Introducing Justina Yam 00:07:09 Je tu il elle introduction 00:08:04 General thoughts on Je Tu Il Elle from Justina and Wilson 00:13:21 General context of the film 00:15:27 General reactions from Ben and Eli 00:18:09 Sugar? Long Takes? 00:20:56 Feminism and Akerman  00:23:30 The three act structure 00:27:44 Blocking and the body 00:34:06 Long takes 00:36:42 Sex scenes 00:41:43 Autobiographical nature of the film 00:47:16 Temporality  00:53:49 The ending and career context 00:58:49 Discomfort within Akerman’s cinema  01:04:03 Outro

Ben got a chance to interview director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke for his film A Useful Ghost (2025) that played at the 36th Singapore International Film Festival, where it also won the Special Mention Prize for the Asian Feature Film Competition.  Learn about Boonbunchachoke’s creative process, how he developed the story, and his approach to filmmaking as a whole that tends towards artificiality, deadpan humour and an engagement with history. Special thanks to the SGIFF team for helping us with securing an interview time/location, and to Momo Film Co, the film’s Singapore co-production team for helping to coordinate the interview.  Suck less at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:47 Reception 04:00 Queer readings 07:39 Developing story and themes 12:02 Political / historical references 13:24 History, memory, surveillance 18:19 Artificiality, worldbuilding, craft 25:36 Spoilers: Frame story 27:25 Spoilers: Ending 31:43 Other appliance candidates 33:42 Upcoming work 34:35 Outro

Another festival coverage episode? We’re back to back with Asian film festivals and Ben returns to Singapore to cover the hottest films from the festival circuit and the region for the 36th Singapore International Film Festival. Our film coverage spans the most hotly contested tickets (Silent Friend, Girl, Resurrection, Sentimental Value), cinema classics (Matador, Water, Bye Bye Love), and promising first features from the region (Amoeba, A Useful Ghost, Old Man and His Car) This is a spicy and fun episode where Ben reflects honestly about his festival experience and Singapore’s cinema culture, as well as sharing his optimism with the concurrent ground-up efforts (The Daily, FFIGS) reinvigorating that culture. On top of all that, we also find the time to do a very special celebration in the middle of the episode. Links: Correspondence / The Daily ⁠Ben’s piece on the Cinephile Pass FFIGS Deepa Mehta Write-up Luca Guadagnino video on costumes  Hilma af Klint: What Stands Behind the Flowers at MoMA Madame Morible Wicked Witch meme Interview with Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke (forthcoming!) Correspond with us at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:15 Festival as a whole  00:08:45 Netflix acquisition of WB 00:11:51 Festival operations 00:20:33 Festival passes 00:24:15 Banned films 00:27:48 SGIFilmFeud 00:28:25 Correspondence / The Daily 00:30:56 FFIGS 00:34:40 Optimism 00:38:14 The films / Bye Bye Love (1974) dir. Fujisawa Isao 00:43:10 How Dare You? (2025) dir. Mipo O 00:46:14 Two Seasons, Two Strangers (2025) dir. Sho Miyake 00:48:29 Audience behaviour 00:51:25 Girl (2025) dir. Shu Qi 00:56:20 Resurrection (2025) dir. Bi Gan 01:02:25 Water (2005) dir. Deepa Mehta 01:07:02 A Celebration 01:09:00 Sentimental Value (2025) dir. Joachim Trier 01:11:25 Hamnet (2025) dir. Chloe Zhao 01:14:25 Late Fame (2025) dir. Kent Jones 01:18:07 Matador (1986) dir. Pedro Almodovar 01:21:20 Silent Friend (2025) dir. Ildikó Enyedi  01:27:00 SEA Shorts Programme 01:31:36 The Old Man and His Car (2025) dir. Michael Kam 01:36:50 Amoeba (2025) dir. Tan Siyou 01:43:10 A Useful Ghost (2025) dir. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke 01:51:16 Wrapup 01:57:30 Bonus

While attending the 38th Tokyo International Film Festival, Ben was able to interview director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang and lead actress Bella Boonsang for their film Morte Cucina. Morte Cucina follows Sao as she takes an unconventional path toward revenge against a man who has wronged her. Listen in to hear about Ratanaruang’s candid thoughts on his approach to filmmaking, Boonsang’s initial trepidation and determination to tackling this tricky role, and Ratanaruang’s evolving working relationship with the film’s DP, Christopher Doyle (their third feature film collaboration!). Special thanks to the TIFF team for arranging the interview! Get revenge at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:22 Inspiration for the film 04:30 Bella’s reaction to the script 06:23 Casting Bella Boonsang 09:45 Cinematography with Chris Doyle 13:15 The movie is made on set 17:30 What is love? 22:17 Outro

Armed with a press pass and the Japanese language level of a 3 year old, Ben took to the cinemas of Tokyo during the 38th Tokyo International Film Festival. Ben’s coverage spans a varied 17 films over 10 days of the festival: buzzy and fresh Japanese films (Bring Him Down to a Portable Size; The Last Blossom; All Greens…) international film festival darlings (Lost Land; Palestine 36…), and a handful of exciting restorations (Demon Pond, Love Massacre…).  And if you haven’t listened to Ben’s interviews from during the festival, what are you waiting for? 114. Sato and Sato (2025): Interview with Director Amano Chihiro 116. Morte Cucina (2025): Interview with Pen-ek Ratanaruang and Bella Boonsang Other Links: Chloe Zhao x Hirokazu Koreeda ようこそto our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00:00 Intro 00:04:23 TIFF38 Press Experience 00:08:55 Demon Pond (1979) dir. Masahiro Shinoda 00:14:28 Pale Flower (1964) dir. Masahiro Shinoda  00:17:55 Floating Clouds (1955) dir. Mikio Naruse 00:23:32 Love Massacre (1981) dir. Patrick Tam 00:29:01 April Story (1998) dir. April Story 00:32:58 3.11 disaster sidebar 00:36:10 Blonde (2025) dir. Yûichirô Sakashita 00:39:35 Sato and Sato (2025) dir. Chihiro Amano 00:43:41 All Greens (2025) dir. Takashi Koyama 00:47:40 The Last Blossom (2025) dir. Baku Kinoshita 00:52:35 Lost Land (2025) dir. Akio Fujimoto 00:58:30 Echoes of the Orient (2025) dir. Yang Liping 01:00:55 Labyrinth (2025) dir. Shoji Kawamori 01:03:46 Bring Him Down to a Portable Size (2025) dir. Ryota Nakano 01:07:18 Morte Cucina (2025) dir. Pen-Ek Ratanaruang 01:12:45 Palestine 36 (2025) dir. Annemarie Jacir 01:20:16 The Mastermind (2025) dir. Kelly Reichardt 01:24:23 Hamnet (2025) dir. Chloé Zhao 01:32:55 Wrap-up

While attending the 38th Tokyo International Film Festival, Ben was able to interview director Chihiro Amano for her film Sato and Sato. Sato and Sato covers the 15 year span of a relationship as it slowly unravels, covering marriage, parenting, and the ways relationships morph over time. In our short interview, we talk about changing gender dynamics as depicted in Amano’s film, how she worked with her cast to create the characters and relationship, and find a little resonance with other Deep Cut director Chantal Akerman.  Special thanks to the festival team for arranging the interview and guiding me around the festival, and to the provided interpreter, Ninomiya Yukako. Get hitched at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:44 Interview: Same last names 03:50 Working with the cast 07:47 Women’s empowerment 09:49 Spoiler 10:40 Male insecurity 12:44 What is love? 13:56 Outro

We have a very special guest this week: Lee Isaac Chung (Minari, Twisters) brings one of his favorite movies of all time, Steven Spielberg’s Artificial Intelligence, to the podcast as his Deep Cut Pick! Isaac chats about his awe and love for the film, what he’s learnt as a filmmaker from working with Spielberg on Twisters, and his own transition into blockbuster filmmaking.  We also discuss Hayley Joel Osment’s all-timer of a child performance, the film’s divisive ending, Spielberg’s masterful blocking, and the film’s worldbuilding and depictions of the future.  Find the blue fairy at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00:00 Introducing Lee Isaac Chung 00:01:50 Introduction to Steven Spielberg and our connection with his work 00:09:02 Why Isaac chose AI as his Deep Cut 00:13:46 First reactions to AI 00:18:04 Plot summary and production context 00:20:19 Kubrick 00:24:48 Minor Barry Lyndon spoiler 00:26:24 Spoiler ends 00:28:12 Love/hate and Spielberg’s touch 00:35:38 Hayley Joel Osment’s performance  00:41:53 Strategies for directing children 00:46:29 Act 2: Jude Law and Flesh Fair 00:52:03 Worldbuilding and depiction of AI 00:55:46 Ending 01:01:13 Spielberg’s blocking 01:09:24 Isaac’s experience moving into blockbuster filmmaking 01:13:46 Outro

“Kurosawa, you dog.” – Eli.’ “It’s like edging, in cinema.” – Wilson “What is this, looney tunes?” – Ben Kurosawa can only make the kind of movie that leaves us both perplexed, impressed and dropping memorable reactions. Listen on as we unpack the film’s critique of the next generation of hustlers and entrepreneurs, figure out what it’s trying to say through its allegory, and finally answer if anything can beat a jet2 holiday. Links: The Kinetoscope: Cinemagoing in Japan Buy our stuff at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 04:36 Ben and Wilson's general reactions 12:14 Eli's experience watching at  Lincoln 16:31 Cloud plot summary 20:34 Compared to other Kurosawa films 25:00 Sano and the younger generation 32:41 Nihilism and cynicism 36:42 Locations and spaces 40:50 What is this movie trying to say 42:37 Takimoto 46:31 Akiko 49:04 Dorsality 51:49 Sound 52:56 Productively frustrating critique of late-stage Capitalism 56:22 Kurosawa's reversals 58:26 Odds and ends and questions

Eli joins the other boys hot off of his Lincoln Center press screenings to tell us the must-watches and the maybe-skip-overs of this year’s New York Film Festival. But before that, Wilson and Ben briefly get their words in for the latest Paul Thomas Anderson joint, One Battle After Another. Catch Eli talk about other NYFF titles like Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice, Olivier Laxe’s Sirāt, and possible film of the year: Bi Gan’s Resurrection.  Links: Secret Goldfish - Bi Gan short film I’m walking here at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 04:46 One Battle After Another (2025, dir. Paul Thomas Anderson) 13:32 No Other Choice (2025, dir. Park Chan-wook) 16:58 Sirāt (2025, dir. Oliver Laxe) 20:18 Queen Kelly (1932, dir. Erich von Stroheim) 25:29 Angel’s Egg (1982, dir. Mamoru Oshii) 31:27 Japanese Film Festival (in Singapore) 34:34 The Arch (1968, dir. T’ang Shushuen) 35:09 The Mastermind (2025, dir. Kelly Reichardt) 38:03 Mare’s Nest (2025, dir. Ben Rivers) 41:13 Jay Kelly (2025, dir. Noah Baumbach) 42:22 Back Home (2025, dir. Tsai Ming-liang) 44:49 Ecce Mole (2025, dir. Heinz Emigholz) 48:15 Peter Hujar’s Day (2025, dir. Ira Sachs) 50:34 What Does That Nature Say To You? (2025, dir. Hong Sang-soo) 53:10 A House of Dynamite (2025, dir. Kathryn Bigelow) 57:40 Resurrection (2025, dir. Bi Gan)

We are very excited to welcome Prof. Lisa Dombrowski to our podcast! She is a Professor of Film Studies and East Asian Studies at Wesleyan University. She’s the author of the books: The Films of Samuel Fuller: If You Die, I’ll Kill You! (2008), the editor of Kazan Revisited (2011), and co-editor of ReFocus: The Later Works and Legacy of Robert Altman (2022). (Ben worked on that last one!)  We took Lisa’s fantastic film classes and she’s a big reason this podcast exists, and why we talk about movies the way we do. (You can read more about the podcast’s origin story on Patreon!) Together, we preview a newly restored film showing at the upcoming New York Film Festival and M+ Restored programmes, T’ang Shushuen’s The Arch, which Lisa teaches in her classes. Lisa shares with us the film’s unconventional transnational production context, and we have an in-depth discussion about the film’s groundbreaking use of film form to portray female subjectivity. Eli highlights the film’s use of deep staging, Wilson compares the film with Ann Hui’s A Simple Life (2011), and Ben explains what he means by an “oyako-don” pantheon. Links: Read more about and get tickets for the M+ Restored programme Screening in NYC for NYFF at Film at Lincoln Center Obey your ancestors at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:01:36 Introducing Prof. Lisa Dombrowski 00:06:48 M+ Restored 00:09:39 Context on director Tang Shu-shuen and The Arch 00:11:16 Lisa's relationship with The Arch 00:17:16 General reactions 00:23:30 Adaptation and subjectivity 00:26:06 Subtitles 00:28:06 Female gaze and melodramatic situation 00:30:28 The opening setup 00:33:28 Cinematography context 00:40:28 Love triangle and deep staging 00:43:34 Plum scene 00:52:37 Source material 00:55:28 Cultural context and societal norms 01:00:04 River scene and Mid-Autumn Festival 01:03:39 A Simple Life (2011) sidebar, subjective realism 01:07:25 Confucianism and social conditioning 01:10:29 Loom scene 01:13:04 Editing for meaning 01:16:32 The arch, the ending, the takeaway 01:24:57 Fractured images and liminal spaces 01:30:15 Lisa Lu and casting 01:31:32 The film's reception 01:33:56 Tang's approach 01:39:03 Cultural identity, transnational cinema, aesthetic expectations 01:43:32 Tang's career post The Arch 01:46:05 Outro

We are joined by special guest Alex Heeney, the founder and editor in chief of Seventh Row, to dive into Luca Guadagnino's 2017 coming-of-age masterpiece, Call Me By Your Name. They talk about their deep personal connections to the film, with Alex recounting her experience at the world premiere at Sundance and Wilson sharing his obsessive journey preparing for the New York Film Festival premiere of the film. Eli discusses the film's sensual direction, and Ben explains why he thinks this is Guadagnino’s most mature work.  Links: Find more of Alex on Seventh Row. They are hosting a summit celebrating queer and trans stories called Living Out Loud. Check it out here. Mina Le: why does hollywood love an age gap romance? Ben’s CMBYN meme video Women around the fountain video Call us by your name at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:14 Introducing Alex Heeney 00:04:14 Our histories with CMBYN 00:23:40 Masculinity 00:27:18 Narrative structure 00:32:04 The statue scene 00:38:09 The peach scene 00:43:48 Mr. Perlman's speech 00:50:47 The age gap and power dynamics 00:56:48 The emotional reality of the ending 01:03:00 Cinematography and direction 01:08:44 The role of the parents and the book's context 01:17:34 Specific Scenes 01:28:44 The use of music 01:33:06 Walter Fasano's editing 01:38:40 The film's legacy 01:42:00 Outro

We continue our series on Akerman with a double-bill of personal documentaries about her mother, and of home. News from Home immediately follows her seminal Jeanne Dielman, and No Home Movie is the final film of Akerman’s filmography. In this episode, we thread the throughline across Akerman’s career in comparing both films, see the influence of structural and slow cinema, and marvel at her capacity for personal artmaking. Links: Celine Sciamma on Chantal Akerman I Don’t Belong Anywhere: The Cinema of Chantal Akerman (No Home Movie BTS footage) Go home to our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 05:32 Plot summaries and Reactions 17:15 2015 critical reactions to No Home Movie 21:00 Structural films and emotional responses 27:07 Power of the cut 33:41 Akerman and her mother 40:33 Comparing Akerman with Varda 44:36 Private artmaking 48:33 Akerman's career arc 52:13 Preview for next eps

It’s about time. We tackle Chantal Akerman’s Sight and Sound topping Jeanne Dielman, and begin our series on her singular career. Ben introduces Akerman’s career, spotlighting her fierce conviction and crystalline vision, Eli loops in a melodramatic reading, and Wilson zeroes in on an ending that explosively caps off a 3.5h opus. And if you’re struggling with how to approach this film, as entertainment or as art, just remember: it’s about time. Links: Behinds the scenes of Jeanne Dielman Slant magazine interview  Article on Akerman  Wilson’s Letterboxd review Stephen Gillespie’s Letterboxd review Angelica Jade Bastien on Longlegs Make coffee at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com Timestamps: 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:03 General reactions 00:13:26 The S&S list 00:16:24 Akerman's career 00:23:45 Plot summary and structure 00:29:20 Cinematography and spatial representation 00:32:14 Depictions of women and melodrama 00:34:35 How Akerman directs Seyrig 00:37:53 Everything is "real" 00:39:10 Time 00:42:14 Patterning 00:46:40 What triggers the breakdown 00:50:16 Relationship between mother/son 00:57:18 Rituals 00:59:24 The movie exists as many things 01:00:25 It's place as #1 film 01:04:10 Akerman's conviction and vision 01:07:43 Scene dissections 01:13:04 Exterior scenes 01:16:47 Existential crisis 01:19:12 In conversation with cinema and larger culture 01:21:56 Ending 01:30:36 Outro