The Only One That Was a Friend to Me – The Gift

Ah Well There You Go – Life Is Sweet

Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith discuss unfinished dreams, family strain, and the humor that keeps everyone together in Mike Leigh’s Life Is Sweet.

To See What's Not Good For Me – The White Balloon

Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith follow Razieh into the streets of Tehran, where a lost banknote turns a simple trip for a goldfish into a child’s journey through the strange and contradictory world of adults.

My Life Is as Good as an ABBA Song – Muriel’s Wedding

Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith discuss Muriel’s Wedding, the humiliations of home and the difference between running away from your life and leaving to finally begin one.

You’ve Been Putting It Up Your Whole Life – No Country for Old Men

Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith consider the stories families pass down, ordinary lives, and ask whether the past was ever safer, kinder, or easier to understand.

The Only One That Was a Friend to Me – The Gift

Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith explore how grief, abuse, and loneliness leave Annie Wilson carrying the emotional weight of an entire community.