Do You See What I Mean?

Ten nominees, two contenders: will Best Picture go to One Battle or Sinners in five short days? Mia and Joe revisit one of their favorite films of 2025, and make a case for why it is Best. From the idea, to the cast, to the music and more, we're headed to the Mississippi delta in 1932 to explore and celebrate Ryan Coogler's historical epic.

Kate Hudson — really? (Yes.) What about Ethan Hawke? (Absolutely.) How about the other Safdie brother’s film? (Definitely.) Every year is a great year for film if you know where to look, and fortunately, the Academy has expanded its sights to include a wider variety of films as the years go on. In the latest episode of Do You See What I Mean, we cover notable films that didn’t get their own episodes from the 2026 Oscar nominations list: Marty SupremeThe Secret AgentNo Other ChoiceBlue MoonSong Sung BlueSiratThe Smashing MachineDead Man’s Wire

There are all kinds of films that reference, or stage in the story, or explicitly discuss sex but have little to none onscreen. These are films that felt the romance, sexual identity, gender identity, or sex scenes had to go because they would hurt the storyline, not help it. (Or for other reasons.) Sometimes, Hollywood flinches. Sometimes a performer says “no thanks.” And sometimes, these decisions work — while at others, they leave something missing. We take a look back at five films from the last several decades and ask why. The Color Purple (1985)Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)The Silence of the Lambs (1991) A Few Good Men (1992) 300 (2006)

Racing through awards season is Jessie Buckley for her raw portrayal of a longsuffering mother and wife of William Shakespeare in Chloe Zhao’s adaptation of the Maggi O’Farrell novel. Mia and Joe share slightly different takes about this fatiguing story that features a whole lot of wailing and very little Shakespeare. Nonetheless, it has captured audiences for its simplicity and raw portrayal of loss, in a return to form for Zhao, who described having a breakdown after the misfire that was Marvel’s The Eternals. Is her hyper natural approach enough to fuel a long career? What about her did producers Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes jump to get behind? And is there anything to learn from such a dour slog through parental pain?

Introducing: Do You See What I Mean, a conversational film and culture podcast. Each episode blends cultural analysis, lived experience, and humor to explore how we tell stories about love, work, art, and identity—and where those stories fall short or rise to the challenge. We’re talking about movies, performances, relationships, and the social, and psychological dynamics running through them. From classic films and prestige indies, to modern remakes, we aren’t interested in hot takes for shock value. We’re interested in understanding the films of our time: what works, what doesn’t, and why films land the way they do.

Mia and Joe unpack Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, a quiet, prestige drama about grief, family, memory, and the emotional inheritance passed down through generations. From comparisons to Birdman and Lost in Translation to a sharp critique of prestige filmmaking that prioritizes aesthetics over narrative clarity, this episode asks a central question: What does a film actually need to do in order to justify its existence? How do families tell their histories through the medium?