Seventh Row Podcast

Some of the best, most boundary-pushing cinema at the Berlinale is quietly tucked away in the sidebars where most of the press never look. In today's episode, I'm looking at three films that feel like a step forward for women's stories: Arrú: A Sámi musical from Norway Black Burns Fast: A queer South African coming-of-age story directed by a Black woman The Education of Jane Cumming: A Scottish period drama based on the first documented legal case involving accusations of lesbians in the UK Taken together, these show how filmmakers are finding new ways to dramatize the systems shaping women's lives — from colonial land politics to the legacy of apartheid to the class and racial hierarchies of the 19th century. 👉 Curious about joining one of my film programs? Get on the waitlist here. I only open a few a year, and they're limited enrollment, so this is the best way to ensure you get first dibs on a spot.

Sound of Falling, the second feature by German writer-director Mascha Schilinski, follows women across four generations of the same farming family. Gothic and ambitious, it explores memory, intergenrational trauma, and what it's like to live inside a woman's body — while still showing moments of joy and connection. Through its form, the film offers the audience a catharsis that the characters don't have access to. So on today's episode, host Alex Heeney digs into why the film won her over…and then talks to Schilinski about developing the film's Schilinski talks about how the film blurs memory and imagination, the titular image of falling, the sound design, and more. Want to learn how, like Schilinski, Joachim Trier builds a catharsis that only the audience has access to? 👉 Join the waitlist for The Deep Focus: Oslo, August 31st

Early screenings of Chloé Zhao's Hamnet had critics weeping in the aisles Host Alex Heeney left it dry-eyed — and so did her guest, Angelo Muredda. We're Shakespeare fans, long-time film critics, and not exactly immune to a good cry — so in this episode, we try to figure out why the film didn't land. We dig into what works in the film (a short list) and what doesn't (a longer one), where the adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's novel went awry, and whether having read a synopsis of Hamlet on Wikipedia might actually impede your enjoyment of the film. 👉 Stay updated on Alex's next group experiences Related Episodes 169. David Cronenberg's The Shrouds with Angelo Muredda 132. Sarah Polley's Women Talking with Angelo Muredda 159. Macbeth with David Tennant

How can a film with a queer protagonist, written by a queer playwright, and directed by a queer man… not be a queer film? That's the tricky question I'm tackling with The Choral, the WWI period drama that just premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). In this episode: my Ralph Fiennes/Nicholas Hytner fangirling, why the film works as a crowd-pleaser but flattens queerness and other marginalized identities, and the bigger questions it raises about reclaiming — or sanitizing — queer history. 🎟 Plus, a sneak peek at Living Out Loud, my FREE three-day summit on queer and trans storytelling happening Oct 3–5. 👉 Sign up for Living Out Loud

At TIFF, Alex dives into Iranian filmmaker Farnoosh Samadi's Between Dreams and Hope, a powerful film about a trans man in Iran navigating the dehumanizing maze of gender-affirming care — and connects it to two others, from Canada and France, that reveal how patriarchy, money, and bureaucracy shape queer and trans survival. These aren't straight reviews so much as reflections on how films spark curiosity, uncover hidden systems, and resist erasure. ✨ Don't miss it! This October, join me for Living Out Loud — a FREE three-day live online summit all about queer and trans stories and queer and trans history. Sign up here

What happens when a story that once felt modern… suddenly doesn't? And what does that tell us about the limits — and possibilities — of the stories we tell about women? In this solo episode, Seventh Row Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney tracks a shift in perspective — hers, and maybe yours too. 📍 How a 2021 film reopened an old question 📍 Why Far from the Madding Crowd (2015) once felt strikingly modern — and what I see in it now 📍 And what this tells us about how our expectations for stories about women have changed — fast Along the way, I dig into: How the marriage plot continues to shape the kinds of stories we tell about women The limits of romantic "choice" when that's the only choice on offer Why stories that include romance aren't the problem — but centering it might be And how our expectations for women's stories are shifting — fast 🎟️ Want to know what the 2021 pick is? Join Reel Ruminators to find out — and be part of the conversation.

Ten years on, 45 Years hasn't lost an ounce of its emotional weight. In fact, it might just cut deeper. On this episode, host and Seventh Row Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney is joined by Lindsay Pugh (Woman in Revolt) to revisit Andrew Haigh's masterpiece about a childless couple celebrating their 45 the wedding anniversary in the same week that a traumatic secret from the past comes to light. We talk about: What makes this story hit differently as we have aged Why the film's focus on emotional repression, delayed gratification, and public performance feels so radical How Haigh's queer lens shapes his portrayal of a straight relationship What gets added (and deepened) in the move from short story to screenplay Why Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay deliver two of the most nuanced, unforgettable performances of the century How Haigh's blocking — the way actors move through space and interact physically — works hand-in-hand with the dialogue to show us what's shifting beneath the surface, like tension, avoidance, closeness, or control Whether you're watching for the first time or the fifteenth, 45 Years is a film that evolves with you — and we unpack why. Links Mentioned: 🎟️ Reel Ruminators: http://seventh-row.com/reelruminators 🎥 Guide to One of the Best Films of 2024: seventh-row.com/guide 🪩 Find Lindsay Pugh at Woman in Revolt 📚 Book on Andrew Haigh's film Lean on Pete 💡Read Alex's interview with Andrew Haigh (2021) – audio excerpted in the episode 🎧 Andrew Haigh films/TV on the Seventh Row Podcast Referenced Episodes: Ep 155 Halina Reijn's Babygirl with Lindsay Pugh Ep. 163 Joan Micklin Silver's Chilly Scenes of Winter and Crossing Delancey feat. Lindsay Pugh Ep. 117 The North Water (dir. Andrew Haigh) Ep. 110 Weekend (dir. Andrew Haigh) and End of the Century: Brief Encounters Ep. 94 HBO's Looking Ep. 7 Andrew Haigh's Lean on Pete

Join me (Alex Heeney) on a journey through three films I programmed inside Reel Ruminators — a British political thriller, an Indigenous Canadian documentary, and a queer South African drama — and discover how their contrasts actually illuminate one another. By the end of this episode, you'll see how exploring differences between films can reshape your own viewing of film as an art form. 🎧 In This Episode You'll Discover Hidden threads connecting three very different films—and how noticing those threads can deepen your own film palate. Time as a storytelling tool in cinema: why stretching or compressing time matters, and how you can see it in action. Imagining "an otherwise": an academic concept—one I first encountered through queer cinema—that helps you consider films about marginalized lives in a new light and uncover new layers of meaning. Tiny moments, lasting impact: why just a few minutes of film can carry immense emotional weight—and stick with you long after the credits roll. Sneak peek at upcoming picks: what's on deck next inside Reel Ruminators and the threads you might spot in hindsight. Links & Mentions: 🎬 Join Reel Ruminators 🎁 Free companion guide to one of 2024's best films

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life is one of the best films of 2025. In this episode, Alex Heeney zooms in on its beginning and ending scenes to show how they set up and pay off the film's emotional arc. From the start, you know you're in a warm, fun place (with a touch of sadness); by the end, you land on a romantic high the film truly earns. Alex unpacks how choices from structure to song lyrics to blocking work together to deliver that strong emotional payoff. 🎧 Full breakdown of the film: Episode 172 💌Get the FREE companion guide to one an under-the-radar gem from 2024 💬 Enjoy digging into filmmaking details like this? That's one of the things we do inside Reel Ruminators — a space for curious film lovers to explore great movies together, spark insights, and deepen your appreciation of film craft. Join by June 2, and you'll get access to May's featured film and the close readings we did together — perfect if you want more of the kind of scene-level analysis you heard in this episode. 👉 Click here to join Reel Ruminators ✍️ More on cinematic structure and craft at Seventh Row

The 2025 Cannes Film Festival kicks off today...and the question on everyone's mind is: what will be the great movies? Mostly, people look to the Cannes Competition (the films that compete for the Palme d'Or) to find the best films. But it's a lesser-known fact that many amazing films screen in the festival's sidebars. And many of the best films in cinema history have screened in the festival's sidebars. In fact, Chantal Akerman's Jeanne Dielman, which was named the greatest film of all time in the 2022 Sight & Sound poll did not screen in competition! It screened in the Directors' Fortnight. So on today's episode, Alex peels back the curtain on how all the different parts of the Cannes Film Festival work together. And she talks about the amazing films you've heard of (and some you probably haven't) that have screened outside the festival's competition. And she talks about some of the films she's excited for this year. Finally, Alex talks about some of the films she's excited for in this year's competition, and how they were already making fantastic films years ago that were hiding out in the festival's sidebars. Become a Seventh Row Insider to stay updated on the best films at Cannes this year and in past years that you might not otherwise stumble upon Interested in picking up Seventh Row's ebooks on Lynne Ramsay, Joachim Trier, Joanna Hogg, Debra Granik, or Céline Sciamma? They're available exclusively on Seventh Row. Peruse our ebooks here Listen to the Women at Cannes Podcast Season Listen to the Women at Cannes episode on Kelly Reichardt

Today on the podcast, Dr. Angelo Muredda joins Alex Heeney to discuss one of the year's best films: David Cronenberg's The Shrouds. We talk about why The Shrouds is a good entry point if you're new to Cronenberg, but will also please diehard fans. And we discuss how what we love about Cronenberg's films isn't necessarily the selling point you'll often hear. Yes, he sometimes directs body horror, and he often makes movies about sex and the body. But we also love his films because they're talky chamber dramas with a wry sense of humour and great performances. Plus, Cronenberg has a unique angle on changing bodies, illness, and disability. **Become a Seventh Row insider: http://email.seventh-row.com **Purchase access to Angelo's talk "Does this look like a sick man? Disability, aging, and illness in David Cronenberg's The Fly": http://seventh-row.com/thefly

Pope Francis died today, which means it will soon be time to elect a new pope. Instead of rewatching Oscar Winner Conclave, Alex recommends catching the delightful Italian comedy We Have a Pope. On this episode, Alex talks about why watching Conclave made her immediately want to rewatch Nanni Moretti's We Have a Pope, and what Moretti's film has that Conclave lacks. If Conclave is a film about how everyone wants to be pope, We Have a Pope is a film about a man who has a panic attack as soon as he becomes pope...and then runs away from the Vatican while he has an existential crisis. **If you want to stay updated on the best new under-the-radar films, become a Seventh Row Insider at http://email.seventh-row.com