I was too busy last week finishing up a paper to see a movie but now that it’s out I’m going to double up! (If you’re curious about what I’m working on, feel free to reach out!)

Wednesday this week I’ll be seeing Roads of Fire at the IFC. I’ll be going to the 6:30 showing, which will include a Q&A with the director and the executive director of EV, a nonprofit fighting against food insecurity. Roads of Fire is a documentary examining the global migrant crisis through the lens of the $35 billion human smuggling trade. I’ve found previous similar documentaries I’ve seen at the IFC super rewarding, so I have very high hopes for this one too!

Thursday this week I’ll be going to see One Battle After Another. This is on a friend’s recommendation so as usual I don’t know anything about it ahead of time and therefore cannot write anything. I’ll send out information about the specific screening we’re going to sometime in the next few days.

As I mentioned in a previous letter, I’m expanding this tool to better encourage me to do other things I’m interested in as well. I’m finding that committing ahead of time to doing things really makes sure I do them! In that spirit, I’ll be rock climbing at the CRG location in Riverside Tuesday at 7pm and Saturday at 3pm. I will have one free guest pass for each of these times, so let me know if you’re interested in joining!

The last movies I saw as part of this newsletter were Love and Dreams, the last two movies in Haugerud’s Oslo Trilogy. I found them deeply deeply touching and at times visually stunning in a way that was totally unexpected to me. In Dreams especially there is one scene in particular that just felt kind of brilliant and breathtaking (though both movies are filled with more subtle beauty).

Both films were once again little cracks in the door into lives that are very different from my own, and I felt blessed to bear witness. I think an important aspect of that effect for me is that Haugerud is not afraid to write characters who have perspectives and actions that, while not necessarily morally wrong, would certainly not follow consensus norms for ‘good’ behavior. Somehow, though, I never feel as if I’m judging the characters; rather, I find myself sympathetic (though not necessarily empathetic) and eager to better understand them. I think that is very challenging and risky to do in film, yet he manages to do it consistently.

All in all, I think Haugerud has a real gift for making human films, and for adding subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) touches of beauty that feel stylistically unique. I am considering checking out more of his films outside of the theatrical context.

I also went to see the James Francies trio at the Blue Note. The club was, shall we say, sparsely occupied, which while not surprising for 10:30 on a Tuesday was a real disservice to the wonderful players. Nevertheless, the players put on a wonderful and energetic show, seemingly in part because apparently they’d been playing together since they were 15. I was amazed at the power of the 24 year old pianist and band leader James Francies, and I am very excited to see what he does next.