The Lives of Others - A Film Podcast

In this episode, we review the film 'Civil War' (2024) by Alex Garland. We talk about the ethics of journalism and the question of neutrality in cultural productions. 01:39 Ethics of journalism as the central theme 11:17 Two Models of Neutrality in Political Philosophies of Citizenship 13:13 Alex Garland's Own Conformity to Neutrality 16:43 The Problem of Value-Free Cinematic Representation 23:32 The Ethical Problem of "Value-Free", Detached Approach to Representation Credit to: Trevor Noah:  You Laugh But It’s True⁠, 2011 The analysis is partially inspired by Golob, B. B. (2013). Restricted Representation: The Role of Ethics and Esthetics in Framing Images of Suffering. Journal of Human Rights, 12(4), 511–522. https://doi.org/10.1080/14754835.2013.812469

We review the film 'Toni Erdmann' and explore the themes of alienation, humor, and the meaning of life. 03:33 Marx's theory of Alienation 07:26 Emotional and Relational Labor 18:07 Time, Death and Escapism 21:02 Humor as Disruption 25:42 The Naked Party 28:16 Commodification of Human Relations

Danny and Angela talk about the film's representation of science, child development, gender, and body-mind relationship. They discuss whether Poor Things is a truely feminist film. 01:12 Poor Things as a Feminist Fairytale 07:47 Bella's Relationships and Feminist Themes 17:52 The Ethics of Scientific Progress in 'Poor Things' 25:25 The Influence of Body and Mind on Bella's Identity 30:14 Bella's Superpower

Angela and Danny discuss the film 'Saltburn' by Emerald Fennell. They explore the film's portrayal of class relationships, the twist in the storyline, and the power dynamics between the characters. They also analyze the representation of the aristocrats and the fillm’s message about class. 00:09 Introduction and Film Summary 00:56 Overall Impressions 04:58 Interpreting the Twist 06:13 The Aristocrats: Victims or Villains? 17:21 Sex Scenes and Power Reversal 20:56 Different Interpretations of the Film: Bourgeoisie’s Triumph or Double Exploitation of the Working-class?