Three recs, delightful edition
A different kind of growing-up film, the most fun murder mystery, a modern romcom series
Friends, I’ve noticed that I often describe things I enjoy (especially books/films/TV) as “delightful” or “a delight.” Not sure where that came from, because I’m sure it wasn’t always the case. The thing I like about “delightful” as a descriptor is that it’s all about my experience. I’m not telling you it’s good or bad, or Art, or any other seemingly subjective qualifier. I also like how it conveys a lightness and joy. We can all use more things that delight us in our lives.
But the word’s recent emergence in my everyday lexicon is still a mystery. Did I just decide one day I wanted to be delighted more? (Maybe, considering the state of the world.) It reminds me of when I was about 12 and a girl on my soccer team said “dude” all the time. Like, every sentence. It was sort of her thing.
I really liked it. I thought she sounded cool. And so I started intentionally adopting the word “dude” into my speech. At some point, it went from conscious to unconscious, and “dude” just became a part of me, too. (And if you know me, you know that it still is. Though maybe not every sentence.)
“Dude” isn’t the only word like that. In my teenage years, trying on different identities for me often meant playing with language. Adding words and phrases. Trying out different pronunciations. Playing with verbal tics and speech patterns. What made me sound like the person I wanted to be? Did I like the person I was when I spoke and wrote like this?
These days, when I play with spoken language, it’s rarely intentional. It’s more about making myself understood in a country that speaks a different language (British English is a different language, I promise), and then having Americans tease me for not switching back to American English fast enough.
Maybe that’s where “delightful” comes from. It certainly feels more British than American. And yet, I know plenty of Americans who say it. (More another time on my theory that Succession has peppered American English with more Britishisms than ever before.) Maybe I just unconsciously liked the way they sounded.
Anyway, on to the recs!
Rec 1
Fremont (film)
Not gonna lie, I went to see this film for one reason: It’s a film set in and named after my hometown, a nondescript San Francisco Bay Area suburb best known for 1) being the filming location for many Charlie Chaplin films, and 2) having the largest Afghan population outside Afghanistan. In other words, except under specific circumstances, I pretty much never expect anyone to have heard of Fremont. So when I saw the name on a list of films screening in London, well, you understand.
Fortunately, the film also turned out to be absolutely delightful. It’s a small, stylized story (clocking in at a civilized 1h31!) about Donya, a 20-something Afghan woman who was a translator for the US military before making it onto an evacuation flight 8 months earlier. Now, she’s stuck in Fremont, having left behind everyone she knows, living amongst an Afghan community that doesn’t necessarily like her, feeling lonely and depressed and numb. By day, she works in a fortune cookie factory in San Francisco (shot in a real, family-run fortune cookie factory! I have questions!), by night she tries and fails to sleep. When she elbows her way in to see a (hilariously absurd) psychiatrist – purely in order to get sleeping pills, you understand – it kicks off a series of events that force her to start feeling her emotions again and building connections with the people around her.
I read a review that compared Fremont to Noah Baumbach-type mumblecore – using the tropes of the disaffected 20-something finding themselves in a weightier story – and the more I think about that, the more it feels right. Donya just wants to live her life without the weight of everything she’s been through, and yet there’s no way to separate the two. That she manages to find a way forward – haltingly, hilariously – is ultimately an uplifting triumph.
Other thoughts: The film is shot in black and white, and in quite a tight aspect ratio, which obviously mirrors Donya’s psychological state; I wasn’t initially sold on it, but I do think it works. If you’re curious about what Fremont looks like, I’m afraid to say you won’t see much! The shots are all kept pretty tight. For good reason, as you’ll know if you’ve been to Fremont. There are some gorgeous shots of the NorCal countryside near the end, though. Finally: Jeremy Allen White makes an appearance and he’s obviously great, as always, but the whole time I just kept thinking, “Carmy!”
Where: probably a cinema near you, actually! And if not, here’s the IMDb link to find out when it comes out. Go see it in a cinema, why not?
Rec 2
Only Murders in the Building (TV)
Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez are true-crime podcast fans who team up as amateur detectives to solve murders in this warm and hilarious cozy-crime show. Have I sold you yet?
Seriously. Three seasons in, this Hulu (Disney+ if you’re in the UK) series is one of my can’t-miss easy watches – it’s consistently delightful, always smart and funny, and doesn’t take itself seriously. I literally always have a good time. It also has a murderers’ row of guest stars: Nathan Lane, Tina Fey, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and, this season, Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd. To name just a few.
As if that weren’t enough, it’s such a New York show – a bonus for me. The first season kind of felt like a New Yorker long-read, though maybe that’s just because they use the New Yorker font. But even when the story is pretty contained – within the apartment building, within the Broadway theater (s3) – its sensibility bleeds NYC.
If three seasons feels daunting to you, I have three words for you: half hour episodes. Also, it’s only 10 episodes per season. And now that s3 is out, you can even binge if you so desire. Though, I personally love watching them as they come out each week. It’s the sort of show that feels like a nice treat when you get to sit down for half an hour, an escape from the rest of your day.
Oh and: They’ve announced s4. Can’t wait.
Where: Hulu (US), Disney+ (UK)
Rec 3
Starstruck (TV)
And for our final delightful watch…
Normal London 20-something Jessie (played by charming New Zealander comedian Rose Matafeo, also the show’s creator) is a bit of a hot mess in the way that most 20-somethings are. But unlike most 20-somethings, she has a random hookup with a guy who turns out to be a movie star. He’s just as funny and awkward as she is, and romcom hijinks and screwball comedy ensues.
Now that three seasons (six episodes each, half-hour obv) have come out, I can safely say that this is, in fact, a coming-of-age story. It’s about love, of course, but not just romantic love. Jessie’s friends are also integral to her story, and not just in the funny sidekick way that they initially seem they might be. The show has a lot to say about what love means, what it means to care about someone, and the way our relationships change as we grow and evolve.
This show could be fluff, if it wanted, and I’d be fine with that. I mean, I just binged the third season on a lazy Saturday afternoon – that’s all I’m looking for from it. But it’s consistently an enjoyable watch with emotional depth, and that gives it that extra little oomph.
Where: BBC iPlayer (UK), HBO/Max (US)
That’s all for this week! What are you reading/watching/listening to that I should be aware of? Drop me a line (or comment) to let me know if you check out any of my recs and what you think.
Please spread the word and I’ll see you in a couple weeks!
xo
Kate
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