Her Head in Films

In this episode, I talk about Sidney Lumet's 1982 film, "The Verdict." Paul Newman plays Frank Galvin, a once-promising lawyer whose life has been consumed by alcoholism, failure, and regret. When he's handed a medical malpractice case involving a young woman left permanently incapacitated after a catastrophic mistake during childbirth, what first appears to be an opportunity to revive his career becomes something far more profound.

I talk about the film as a story of salvation, redemption, human frailty, justice, and moral responsibility. I also explore what it means to truly see another person's suffering, how caring about...

In this episode, I talk about Victor Erice's 1983 film, "El Sur." Set in northern Spain during the 1940s and 1950s, the film follows Estrella, a woman looking back on two distinct periods of her life: her childhood and adolescence. At the center of her memories is her enigmatic father, Agustín, a man she deeply loved but can never fully understand. As Estrella gradually uncovers fragments of his past and becomes fascinated by the distant South he left behind, she begins to realize that the father she knew as a child carried a hidden history and a private sorrow t...

In this episode, I talk about William Wyler’s 1949 film, "The Heiress." Olivia de Havilland plays Catherine Sloper, a shy and sheltered woman living with her cold father in Washington Square, New York in the mid-1800s. When she meets an attractive and alluring man played by Montgomery Clift, she falls passionately in love for the first time, but their relationship will force her to confront painful truths about love and desire.

I talk about how the film explores heartbreak and transformation, and how it charts a woman’s devastating but powerful journey from innocence to experience, from...

In this episode, I talk about Gabriel Axel's 1987 film, "Babette's Feast." The film follows Martine and Filippa—two sisters devoted to a small religious community in Denmark—and Babette, a French refugee and former chef who comes to live with them. When Babette prepares a feast to honor the centenary of their father’s birth, the meal becomes an act of artistic and emotional offering.

I talk about what it means to offer something from the heart, how the film portrays art as a form of generosity, and how the experience of the meal brings the community back t...

In this episode, I talk about Douglas Sirk’s 1955 film, "All That Heaven Allows," starring Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson. The film follows Cary Scott, a widow in a conservative suburban community who falls in love with a younger, working-class man, and must decide whether she will conform to social expectations or defend a love that transforms her life.

"All That Heaven Allows" is a luminous and deeply emotional film about fear, conformity, and the courage it takes to live in a way that is true to yourself. It asks what a woman is allowed to want, wh...

In this episode, I talk about Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s 1948 film, "The Red Shoes." It centers on Vicky Page, a young ballet dancer whose extraordinary talent brings her into a world where art demands total devotion and where love and ambition collide.

I discuss "The Red Shoes" as a meditation on artistic calling, female ambition, and the desire for greatness. I’m interested in how the film portrays a woman who refuses to live a small life, and what happens when her boundless creative drive cannot be contained by the world around her.

If y...

In this episode, I talk about Dianne Jackson's beloved 1982 animated film, "The Snowman." Adapted from Raymond Briggs’s wordless book, the film follows a young boy who builds a snowman that comes to life, and together they share a brief night of wonder and connection.  

I reflect on how the film holds both joy and tenderness, and how its playful scenes have brought me comfort during my first Christmas without my mother. She was my last remaining parent, and watching this film has helped me think about memory, grief, and the impermanence of life. I hope this epi...

In this episode, I talk about Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 film, "The Conversation." The film follows Harry Caul, a wiretapper in San Francisco who becomes obsessed with a recording he’s made of a young couple in a crowded park. As Harry pieces together fragments of their conversation, he’s drawn into a spiral of paranoia, guilt, and loneliness.

I explore what makes "The Conversation" a masterpiece—not just as a film about surveillance and paranoia, but as an intimate character study. I talk about Harry’s profound loneliness, his complicity in his own alienation, and the psychic to...

In this special episode, I talk about why I’ve launched a new Patreon for Her Head in Films. This isn’t just about supporting a podcast—it’s about helping me stay afloat in a very difficult and uncertain time in my life. After losing my mom and becoming the sole provider for my household, I’m trying to rebuild from nothing. I work multiple jobs, and I’m doing everything I can to survive while continuing to create something meaningful.

This podcast is my soul work. It’s how I stay alive. It’s the archive of my em...

In this episode, I talk about Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1972 film, "The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant." The film tells the story of Petra, a successful fashion designer in a complicated and obsessive relationship with a younger woman named Karin. Set almost entirely in Petra’s apartment, the film unravels the entanglements of power, desire, and emotional dependency.

This episode is one of my most personal. I reflect on the ways the film mirrors an experience I had with unrequited love—an experience that consumed me for over two years. I talk about the madness and chaos...

In this episode, I talk about Hayao Miyazaki’s 1989 film, 'Kiki’s Delivery Service.' It’s about a 13-year-old witch who must spend a year away from home, learning to live independently and share her gifts. As Kiki opens a delivery service and begins to grow weary and uncertain, she meets women who offer her refuge, wisdom, and friendship. I talk about how this film explores what it means to lose your magic and to slowly find it again. I recorded this at a time when I’m learning to believe in myself again after great loss.

All My...

In this episode, I talk about Hayao Miyazaki’s 1988 film, "My Neighbor Totoro." It’s about two young girls who discover magical forest spirits after moving to a rural home with their father to be closer to their hospitalized mother. I recorded this episode in the wake of my own mother’s death, and I speak about how grief has shaped my experience of the film. I talk about watching the entire Studio Ghibli catalog and reflect on childhood, absence, and how nature and cinema offer solace when nothing else can.

All My Sources:

In this episode, I talk about Ingmar Bergman’s 1972 film, "Cries and Whispers," a haunting and intimate portrait of a woman dying and the people around her. I begin by sharing about my own mother’s death, how I was with her to the very end, and how this film has taken on a deeper resonance for me now.

Though the episode was recorded before her cancer diagnosis and passing, I was already in the role of caregiver. I reflect on how "Cries and Whispers" captures the loneliness of illness, the coldness we sometimes encounter in the worl...

Note: My mother passed away on June 14th, 2025. Thank you to those who sent her a card or reached out to me. I have removed the Google document that is mentioned in this episode.

This isn’t a film episode. It’s a personal update. My mom has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and I’m using this space to speak honestly about what that means for me, and what I’m carrying right now. We've been told that she has six to nine months left. This is a devastating and heartbreaking time for me. Thank you for list...

In this episode, I talk about Frédéric Back's 1987 Academy Award-winning animated short film, "The Man Who Planted Trees." Adapted from a book by Jean Giono, it tells the story of a French shepherd who plants trees for decades and revitalizes an entire region. It's a film about how to live, how to care for the earth, and how to make the world a better place through small but meaningful acts. 

This has become one of my favorite films of all time because of the way it inspires me to think about what I want to con...

In this episode, I talk about Delbert Mann's precious 1955 film, "Marty." It tells the story of Marty, a 34-year-old butcher who has struggled all his life to find love. One night, he meets Clara, a woman who can relate to his loneliness. This is a film about the pain of invisibility and the power of connection. It's about what it means to finally feel seen after a lifetime of rejection.

This is a deeply personal episode for me, but it's one that I hope reaches anyone who might need to hear it and to be reminded that...

In this episode, I talk about Franco Piavoli's luminous 1996 documentary, "Voices Through Time." It captures the daily life of the inhabitants of a small Italian village. From children playing in the woods to lovers kissing in the grass to couples rapturously dancing, Piavoli shows us the human condition in all its richness and beauty. 

My episode is a tribute to this life-affirming work of art, and it is a manifesto on what it means to be fully alive and how art saves us and even heals us.

This is my first episode in 3 years. I d...

A life update. I wanted to let people know where I'm at right now and how things are going for me.

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In this mini episode, I talk about David Cronenberg's 1988 film, "Dead Ringers." I primarily discuss the dangers of co-dependency and how the film looks at the way men control women's bodies.

These mini episodes are unfiltered, raw, and less in-depth than my regular episodes. They're a space for me to talk casually about a film and also about my life. There is minimal research done, and I mainly share my immediate thoughts and feelings about a film.

I'm on Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr.

I no longer do patreon, but if you'd like to...

These mini episodes are unfiltered, raw, and less in-depth than my regular episodes. They're a space for me to talk casually about a film and also about my life. There is minimal research done, and I mainly share my immediate thoughts and feelings about a film.

In this mini episode about David Lynch's 1997 film, "Lost Highway," I talk about how what we bury always surfaces and all the different parts of ourselves that we don't understand. There are spoilers in this episode.

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These mini episodes are unfiltered, raw, and less in-depth than my regular episodes. They're a space for me to talk casually about a film and also about my life. There is minimal research done, and I mainly share my immediate thoughts and feelings about cinema.

In this episode, I talk about how cinema was one of the things that saved me in the years after I lost my dad when I was a teenager.

I'm on Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr.

These mini episodes are unfiltered, raw, and less in-depth than my regular episodes. They're a space for me to talk casually about a film and also about my life. There is minimal research done, and I mainly share my immediate thoughts and feelings about a film.

In this episode, I talk about surrealist cinema and the way that film allows us to enter a fascinating dream world. When we live in dreams, we live in possibility. I mention Maya Deren, Suzann Pitt, David Lynch, Dorothea Tanning, and Luis Buñuel.

I'm on Instagram, Twitter, and T...

These mini episodes are unfiltered, raw, and less in-depth than my regular episodes. They're a space for me to talk casually about a film and also about my life. There is minimal research done, and I mainly share my immediate thoughts and feelings about a film.

In this mini episode about David Lynch's 2001 film, "Mulholland Drive," I talk about living inside the mystery of a work of art and what it means to be a broken woman who longs for wholeness. There are spoilers in this episode.

I'm on Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr.

These mini episodes are unfiltered, raw, and less in-depth than my regular episodes. They're a space for me to talk casually about a film and also about my life. There is minimal research done, and I mainly share my immediate thoughts and feelings about a film.

In this mini episode about Ridley Scott's 1979 film, "Alien," I talk about changes I've been going through and how this film made me think about the things we let into our lives and the monsters we battle.

I'm on Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr.

In this short episode, I talk about why I'm taking a break from the podcast. I thank everyone who has listened over the years. I'm deeply appreciative.

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In this episode, I talk about Robert Eggers's 2015 film, "The Witch." It looks at a New England Puritan family in the 1600s that is exiled from their community. They go to live in a remote area, and terrifying things begin to happen. The eldest daughter is blamed for these events and accused of being a witch. I talk about witch hunts, the feminist aspects of the film, my very personal reaction to the ending, and much more. There are spoilers in this episode. 

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In this episode, I talk about the 1945 film "Humoresque." Joan Crawford plays a socialite tormented by her love for a younger man--played by John Garfield--who is a passionate violinist trying to break into the music world. Her money and connections help him find success, but her hard-drinking and intense desire lead to her own self-destruction. I adore this film. I talk about the music in it, how it looks at desire, and much more. As always, there are spoilers in this episode.

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In this episode, I talk about Michael Curtiz's 1945 film "Mildred Pierce." Joan Crawford won an Oscar for her performance as the title character, a mother who, in the wake of the end of her marriage, starts her own restaurant business and tries to give a better life to her two daughters--Veda and Kay. But her eldest daughter Veda has an insatiable and destructive desire for material possessions and Mildred will stop at nothing to give Veda all that she wants. This is a magnificent film about motherhood and class mobility. I talk about Joan Crawford's life, why she fascinates...

In this episode, I talk about Mike Newell's 1991 film, "Enchanted April." It's about four women in 1920s Britain who rent a castle in the Italian countryside. Their vacation in Italy will forever transform their lives. The much-needed break from ordinary life leads to spiritual rejuvenation, a deep connection to nature, and a powerful bond with each other. There are spoilers in this episode. 

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In this episode, I talk about Audrey Wells's 2003 film, "Under the Tuscan Sun." I've loved this film since I was a teenager. It stars Diane Lane as a woman who goes through a devastating divorce and goes to Italy and renovates a house. In the process of this home renovation, she reconnects with life and experiences emotional renewal. For me, this film is really about a woman who survives heartbreak and creates a new life for herself. This episode contains spoilers. 

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In this episode, I talk about Michael Haneke's controversial and thought-provoking 1997 film, "Funny Games." It's a thriller that breaks all the rules and raises questions about the representation of violence in mass media. A family is terrorized in their vacation home by two young men who take enjoyment in brutality and degradation. Haneke uses surprising and unexpected techniques to confront the audience of his film and to make us think deeper and more critically about the violence and suffering we see in movies and television. This episode contains spoilers. 

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In this episode, I talk about Michael Haneke's 2012 film, "Amour." It's about Georges and Anne, an elderly Parisian couple who have their lives turned upside down after Anne suffers a stroke. This is a deeply devastating film that resonated with me. For over a year now, my mom has been struggling with her health and I've become a caregiver for her. I talk about the difficult experience of caring for someone and watching them suffer. I hope that, by sharing my experience, I can help others or just make them feel less alone.  This episode contains major spoilers. 

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In this episode, I'm talking about Jane Campion's 2009 film, "Bright Star." It's about the brief but beautiful love story between the poet John Keats and a young woman named Fanny Brawne. John Keats is considered one of the greatest poets who ever lived but he died young, before he and Fanny could create a life together. Their romance was marked by distance and the ever-present shadow of death but his passionate letters to her--which are featured throughout the film--reveal how deeply he was in love with Fanny and how much she meant to him. I talk about the relationship...

In this episode, I talk about Jane Campion's 2003 film, "In the Cut." Meg Ryan plays, Frannie, an English teacher who becomes embroiled in a murder investigation after parts of a woman's body are found in her garden. She may have even seen the murder victim shortly before the crime. After the lead detective on the case interviews her, the two of them become involved in a dark, torturous relationship. "In the Cut" is a deeply erotic and feminist film that centers female sexuality and female pleasure. It also explores the dark side of desire and the complicated relationships between...

In this episode, I talk about Wim Wenders's 1988 film, "Wings of Desire." It's about an angel who falls in love with a trapeze artist and is willing to give up eternity and become human in order to be with her. I think this is such a powerful and poetic film about love, connection, and what it means to be human. It's a life-affirming film that always reminds me of the beauty of being alive. There are spoilers in this episode.

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In this episode, I talk about Joachim Trier's 2011 film "Oslo August 31st." It follows Anders, a young man just out of rehab for heroin addiction, as he walks around the city of Oslo, meeting old friends and trying to decide if life is worth living. I think this is a powerful and unforgettable film that reminds us of the beauty of being alive. It's one of my favorite films from the 2010s, and I urge you to watch it if you haven't seen it yet. There are major spoilers in this episode. I also talk about suicide and mental...

(Note: This episode was originally released in 2020. I unpublished it and then republished it in 2024.) In this episode, I talk about RaMell Ross's 2018 documentary, "Hale County This Morning, This Evening." In 2009, RaMell Ross moved to Hale County in Alabama to teach photography and coach basketball. While living there, he started to film the people around him. He recorded over 1300 hours of footage. From that material, he culled and mined images that are startling, poetic, and beautiful--images that bear witness to the complexities and struggles of black life in the rural South. Through the documentary, we are introduced to two...

In this episode, I'm talking about Julie Dash's 1991 film Daughters of the Dust. This is a dreamlike film that focuses on the Peazant family who live on the sea islands off the coast of the Carolinas. They gather together for one last time on the eve of their departure from the island. It's a stunning cinematic achievement that looks at the bonds of family, the ghosts of history, and the rich lives of African American women. Dash has the distinction of being the first black woman to direct a feature film that was distributed in movie theaters. I talk...

In this episode, I talk about George Sluizer's 1988 film "The Vanishing." It's about Rex and Saskia, a Dutch couple who go on vacation in France and have their lives turned upside down when Saskia is abducted. To give away more would be to spoil this masterpiece of suspense. There are spoilers in this episode. 

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Full show notes:

In this episode, I talk about Lynne Littman's 1983 film, "Testament." It's about how a mother and her children in a California town survive the aftermath of a nuclear bombing. We don't know who dropped the bombs, what has happened in the rest of the country, and we're not provided any political details. The film is solely about this family and how they confront the gradual and horrifying deterioration of their bodies due to radiation poisoning and the breakdown of society. Without a doubt, this is the most terrifying film I have ever seen. I talk about grief and loss...