Three recs, lost stories edition
An atypical Holocaust film, not your average Western, a modern Jane Austen novel
I never thought, when I started this newsletter nearly 11 months ago, that I would write two issues about death in under a year. And, by that, I mean that I didn’t expect to have two people I knew die in relatively quick succession. But I suppose that’s life. Or, rather, death.
To be fully upfront, while Maria was a close friend, I never met Chris in person. We zoomed and emailed only a handful of times. But he trusted me to read his writing and to give him notes on it, so I felt like we were friends. And so when his sister, who is a friend of mine, let me know that he had unexpectedly passed away, I felt that same pang of loss.
I don’t know what I expected when my friend said that her much-older brother, who had spent much of his career working for the Church of England, had written a screenplay and was looking for someone who knew what they were talking about to give him notes on it.
I do know that I wasn’t expecting a curious, kind, and deeply thoughtful man around my parents’ age whose current passion was turning Church land into housing for refugees, asylum-seekers, and the unhoused. I didn’t expect a man who had traveled the world doing peace work. And I certainly didn’t expect the Edwardian-set, family-friendly adventure film he’d written.
From our very first chat, I found myself feeling a bit silly thinking I could teach Chris anything. He had spent much of his life teaching others, and he had done so many more things than I had. Even if I knew how screenplays worked, he understood people and the natural shape of a story.
He also had that thing that I think makes any storyteller successful: He passionately loved his story. He’d been thinking about it for years, and knew all the ins and outs of the characters and the challenges they faced. He lit up when he talked about it, and I knew that he could already see the film it might become. He even had already sketched out the sequel, and, last time we spoke, was starting to turn the screenplay into a novel.
And this is where I falter. Because, now that he’s gone, what happens to that story that he was so passionate about telling? If he were a working screenwriter or a famous novelist, maybe someone else would finish it. But he just had this one story he loved and wanted to share with the world. Am I – and the other people who read the script – enough?
Or do we simply have to accept that the story dies with him? Just as suddenly and cruelly. And let ourselves wonder about all the other stories that have also disappeared, untold.
I promise only part of this issue is heavy. It gets lighter as you go and there’s a treat if you make it to the end!
Now, on to the recs…
Rec 1
The Zone of Interest (film)
I know, this is another awards season film that you’ve likely already heard of, but it might also be one of the best films I’ve ever seen, so I have to recommend it here, too.
Longtime subscribers will know that I don’t like to make qualitative pronouncements like this about art and culture, and I’m sure if you ask me in a year I’ll have a different opinion. But the fact is that this film about the commandant of Auschwitz and his family blew my mind in ways I didn’t know a film could. It uses the medium in ways most filmmakers don’t, taking full advantage of all the tools it offers to play with emotions and storytelling. It throws the usual rulebook out the window – and it succeeds beyond my wildest expectations.
I don’t want to tell you too much, because the film creates a feeling of perpetual anticipation that is key to the experience. But I do want you to know that this is not a “Holocaust movie.” I mean, it is, of course it is, that’s literally what it’s about. But it has absolutely none of the tropes you’ve come to expect from that genre. Instead, writer/director Jonathan Glazer took Hannah Arendt’s phrase “the banality of evil” and made a film about it. His focus is squarely on the very normal people perpetrating and living next to mass murder. That this is horrific is the film’s genius.
One of the things that initially piqued my interest was when I heard that the incredible Sandra Hüller* (also of last issue’s rec, Anatomy of a Fall) said she’d decided that, as a German actor, she wasn’t going to do WWII/Holocaust movies. And then she read this script. If that (and the incredible performances) doesn’t convince you that this is something different, then let me tell you to watch it for the all-consuming sound design, for the eerie score, for the restrained camera work, and for the bold and unusual storytelling.
Hopefully, by this point, I have convinced you. Because now I’m going to warn you that I think I voluntarily traumatized myself by watching it. I would be remiss if I did not suggest that you should maybe watch it alone and not plan to talk to anyone for a few hours after. I literally came home from the screening and all but picked a fight with my husband because I was so upset. But I regret nothing and I might even watch it again, which I never normally do with intense, unsettling films. It’s just that good.
*(Also, incidentally, for any fellow fans of Babylon Berlin, you’ll recognize the film’s other star, though in a very different kind of role!)
Where: In cinemas! Where I highly recommend you see it, for the full experience.
Rec 2
Godless (TV)
Jeff Daniels as a sociopathic, one-armed outlaw who spouts scripture. Jack O’Connell as the mentee who turned on him and is now on the run. Michelle Dockery as the tough-as-nails widow whose door he collapses at. Merritt Wever as the de facto mayor of the remote mining town where almost all the men died in a mining accident. Scoot McNairy as said town’s sheriff, who’s going blind. Should I keep going?
Westerns can be real hit or miss. But we’ve had a few good ones in recent years, including this seven-episode Netflix series from 2017. It has that perfect blend of darkness and humor. It’s bloody and harsh at times, just like I imagine the 1880s in New Mexico must have been. But the characters are so much fun to hang out with – and the story so propulsive, as Daniels’ character closes in on his prey and this town of resourceful survivors – that it nicely balances out. It’s a tightrope act, but it’s a wild ride I thoroughly enjoyed.
Of course, if you know who’s at the helm of Godless, you won’t be surprised that this worked so well. Last month, I mentioned the inimitable Scott Frank, writer, director, script doctor extraordinaire, and creator of some of my favorite movies and TV shows. Well, you guessed it: Godless was his first TV project as showrunner, writer, and director. He apparently spent more than a decade trying to sell it as a feature before adapting it into a series – and I think it works all the better for it. Plus, all that time spent reworking, refining and honing story and characters, seems to have paid off.
Where: Netflix
Rec 3
A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting (book)
Do you like Jane Austen? Do you also like screwball comedies and romcoms? Do you like to have a good time? Then, do I have a book for you.
Take the usual Austen set-up: A family of unmarried sisters in Regency England find themselves in dire financial straits, and is it incumbent upon one of them to marry rich in order to save them from being split up and sent to the poor house.
Now, shake things up: The responsible eldest sister is determined to go to London and marry the richest man she can in order to take care of her family. Lots of marriages are little more than business deals, but since she doesn’t have any money, she’s going to have to manipulate a rich man into falling in love with her in order to be willing to overlook her circumstances and pay her family’s debts.
In other words, this time around, the genre’s typical callous fortune-hunter is, in fact, the woman.
Needless to say, delightful antics ensue. It’s sharp and witty. It’s fun and funny. There’s excellent banter and characters who are more well-rounded than they need to be. As the critics love to say, it’s “a rollicking good time.” And, of course, it’s romantic. We love a heroine who grows and evolves even as she finds a partner who falls in love with her for exactly who she is.
Honestly, enjoy.
Where: Borrow it in print or audio for free from your local library, or buy it from your non-Amazon bookseller of choice. (Here’s the Bookshop US link, and here’s the Bookshop UK link.)*
*(In the name of full transparency, I’ve included affiliate links to Bookshop.org – if you’re going to order from them anyway, please use my link so I can make a little extra cash! If you want to see/order any/all of my book recs, I’ve made lists on Bookshop, too: US version, UK version.)
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
Did someone share this with you?
I loved Godless which I watched when it came out. Thank you for recommending it