By Feronia Ding
With Term 3 coming to an end and our Year 12s graduating soon, I thought that a list of movies centering the celebration of themes such as love, culture and loneliness would be a perfect article for this issue. If you watch any of the following, I hope you enjoy them and feel understood or comforted by the films.
1. Love – The Before Trilogy (1995, 2004, 2013), directed by Richard Linklater
Spanning over three decades, the Before Trilogy (comprised of Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight) follows the story of Jesse and Céline, from their initial meeting on a train to their life as a married couple and the struggles of understanding another person. All three films are really beautiful and explore complex ideas about love and life.
2. Culture – Soul (2020), directed by Peter Doctor
A wonderful mediation on life and what gives it meaning, Soul is set in New York City and celebrates Black culture, offering a diversity of experiences and highlighting the importance of jazz music. The film provides difficult questions about the human experience and is ultimately a really comforting and affirming watch. I would highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it already.
3. Loneliness – Frances Ha (2012), directed by Noah Baumbach
The film follows Frances, an aspiring dancer in New York City as she moves past several friendships and relationships, her solitude both her refuge and her struggle. The film is inspired by French New Wave (an art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s) and centres profound themes of self-discovery and the search for magic.