Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the reality of eating disorders, the conflict between intent and outcome, and the effects of trauma on ourselves and our relations, in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden revisit Martin Scorsese’s psychological thriller Shutter Island, discuss how rewarding it is on rewatch knowing the story’s full context, break down the many layers of its moral conflict, and pick apart all the little details we missed the first time around.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss competing philosophies about the line between humanity and nature, the inevitability of subjectivity in documentary filmmaking, and the search for ecstatic truth, in Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the mysterious origins of passion, the struggle between responsibility and freedom, and coming to terms with one’s past, in Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical tale The Fabelmans.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the intricate and tragic downfall of a flawed character, the tension between art and artist, and constructing a grounded nightmare wherein nothing is quite what it seems, in Todd Field’s Tár.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the implications of confronting one’s mortality, the existential purpose of kindness, and how even the tiniest, most remote places can still form a stage for grand human drama, in Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden explore cinema as memory, and discuss the complex emotions that arise when trying to put together the fragmented pieces of one’s past, in Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery; and examine its puzzling structure, its controversial ending, and what it has to say about billionaires and other questionable cultural figures.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the Sight and Sound #1 movie of all time; the groundbreaking and voyeuristic portrait of a lonely woman trapped in a monotonous life of routine: Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles. Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning (Signing up using our link supports the podcast). Become part of the Cinema of Meaning community by supporting...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the conflicted relation to art; the value and harm of critics, and the importance of passion, in Mark Mylod’s The Menu.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the deconstruction of individualism, the tension between dreams and responsibility, and the timeless legacy of Frank Capra’s surprisingly prescient classic It’s a Wonderful Life.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the anatomy of great adventure stories, humanity’s strange relation to nature, and the power of emotional storytelling, in James Cameron’s Avatar.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the complex dynamics between money, gender and class, the art of satire, and the question of what really happens when a social hierarchy collapses, in Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness.

Can you tell a monster? Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the meticulous craft of the murder mystery story, the consequences of police brutality, and the aesthetics of evil, in Bong Joon Ho’s Memories of Murder.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the implications of Wakanda entering the world stage and upsetting the global status quo, Marvel’s reluctance to really dig into revolutionary and post-colonial politics, and the struggle to continue the Black Panther story after the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman, in Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the harm that happens when principles turn into empty facades, how they nevertheless can become entrenched in existing power dynamics, and to what extent individuals can stand up to them, in Masaki Kobayashi’s Harakiri.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the gender dynamics of stranger danger, social commentary in horror movies, and the nature of predatory men, in Zach Cregger’s Barbarian.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss questions of fate and evil in the Coen Brothers’ surprisingly existentialist western No Country for Old Men.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss grief, relationship struggles, and the differences between individualistic and collectivist cultures, in Ari Aster’s Midsommar.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the beauty of low-budget, independent filmmaking, the intricacies of time travel, and how to navigate and appreciate challenging films, in Shane Carruth’s Primer.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss different notions of heroic masculinity, the conflicting excitement of stylized violence, and enjoying movies with ideas you don’t agree with, in Zack Snyder’s 300.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the fever dream that is Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, and examine how it created such a distinctive atmosphere, how it used a passive protagonist to offer a unique perspective, and how it invoked absurdity to navigate complicated issues of war and evil.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the 1942 classic Casablanca and examine both its specific meanings as a war story coming out in wartime, as well as its general meanings as a timeless story of heartbreak, apathy and reengagement.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the ever expanding cosmology of the Alien series, the struggle for existential answers, and the savage act of creation, in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus.

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the power of perspective in storytelling, the real meaning of faith, and the lost art of setups and payoffs, in M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs.