Top 5 articles: The future of film
And the future of volunteer tourism.
Hello friends,
A few thoughts before we get to our top 5 articles.
First, a Bloomberg campaign is a bad idea for everyone involved: the country, the Democratic Party, Bloomberg himself. Stop trying to make socially liberal, fiscally conservative happen. David Byler thinks it’s a bad idea, too.
Second, a new episode of Faith 2020 just went up, and it features an extensive interview with Adam Wren on Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s campaign. We cover a lot of territory in our conversation, and I’d encourage you to listen. Also, check out Adam’s newsletter Importantville.
Finally, I had been on work travel since Sunday, and so Melissa and I had to wait until last night to watch the series finale of Showtime’s The Affair. This show was already one of my favorites. The storytelling on the show, its unique way of exploring personal bias and perspective, not only led to revelatory insights about its own story and characters, but powerful self-reflection as well. Now, with its final season, showrunner Sarah Treem delivered one of the finest seasons of television of this era, and lifts the series into one of the best of the last decade. The character of Helen Solloway is one of the greatest depictions of a Gen-X woman/wife/mother I have ever seen developed. The series is both of its time, and yet deeply counter-cultural, particularly in its rejection of individualism, of “finding yourself” and “following love wherever it leads,” in favor of community, forgiveness, family and commitment. There’s no cheap grace in this show. The show is about the consequences of our actions, consequences that can ripple out through time and down through our children and their children. But it’s also about the possibility for change and redemption. Read this Deadline interview with Sarah Treem (contains spoilers!) on the series finale, and her intentions with the show.
Alright. That’s all I have!
Enjoy this week’s reads, and have a great weekend!
Michael
“The Moral Dilemma of Volunteer Tourism” (Washington Post)
Because you might have done some volunteer tourism or are thinking about it, and this writer has a lot of experience with the nuanced arguments on why it might be good and why it might be destructive.
“A Great Awakening to the Fight is Upon Us” (American Greatness)
Because Mark Bauerlein has a super interesting perspective into the undercurrents of some of the modern conservative-progressive culture wars.
“Refugees poured into my state. Here’s how it changed me.” (Christian Science Monitor)
Because this particular perspective on a changed mind/heart is also super interesting at this time in the culture wars.
“The happiness ruse” (Aeon)
Because it’s an age-old question in late-stage capitalism: what is happiness?
“Studio Chief Summit: All 7 Top Film Executives, One Room, Nothing Off-Limits (and No Easy Answers)” (The Hollywood Reporter)
Because this round table is a pretty great reflection on the future of film.
Image is of a murmuration in Scotland, but also it’s an image of one of my worst nightmares, thanks to Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS, image credit: Tom White/Getty.