Films Change Lives

About Films Change Lives

I believe that many films can change our lives for the better. I interview scholars about the films that have had a lasting impact on who they are and what they believe cinema can do in real-world ways. filmschangelives.substack.com (https://filmschangelives.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Elsie Walker

Category

arts · tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

21 Jan 2026

Latest episode

13 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

11 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   13 Jul 2026

   David T. Johnson on WEAPONS

   We discuss: Film as a gratifying experience, a roller-coaster ride! The value of shared or collective experience Wanting to extend the film by talking about it Classical narrative Chains of cause and effects (and also effects before causes!) The film’s will or the “filmind” (applying a philosophical concept from Daniel Frampton’s book Filmosophy) Cinematography by Larkin Seiple All stylistic elements working together for maximum affect Blurred distinctions between reality and dreaming Being programmed to fear, but this being mixed with unusual, rescuing moments of humor Ideas and representations of quintessential American community American communities representing types of people, and as previously imagined in westerns, or Classical Hollywood films by John Ford or Howard Hawks or Alfred Hitchcock Non-diegetic music as a form of thinking (especially in connection with the child protagonist, Alex) Music that honors the power of a child The importance of rationality in the face of terror, but also the limits of that The fragility of a stable community in America (even going as far back as the post WW2 era) The ending as a payoff for the anxiety we lived through the film! Possible social statements on police brutality, the commonality of gun violence, and specific threats to children in schools Bruce Kawin’s concepts of “good” and “bad” horrors (i.e. horrors with a sense of moral purpose, or not) The genesis of the film in some of the director’s Zach Cregger’s life—his living with an alcoholic parent, and his dealing with the sudden tragic death of a friend Genre mixing: combing the western, horror, zombie movie George Sanders, “A Swim in a Pond in the Rain” Drawing on Sanders’ teachings, the story as a structure or a framework upon which we can hang our ideas The film allowing critical distance and time to process its own extremities Connections with John Carpenter’s original Halloween Tonal complexity, bravura performances, and a knockout final sequence! NOTE: this episode includes mature content, including many references violence and thematic content unsuitable for children This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit filmschangelives.substack.com (https://filmschangelives.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

2. 

   20 Jun 2026

   Episode 9: J. M. Tyree on FARGO

   We discuss: Representing the American Midwest, the especially lives of people in Minnesota Tonal ambiguity and cinematic strangeness! Carter Burwell’s genre-bending score Ironic parallels between Fargo and Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) William H. Macy’s oddly charming performance as a loathsome character The film’s connections with westerns and films noir The film echoing Shakespeare’s problem plays and/or theater of the absurd (notably Waiting for Godot) No Country for Old Men (2007) as the inverse of Fargo A Serious Man (2009) as it resonates with the humor of Fargo The subversion of narrative and gendered norms, especially in the strength of Margie’s character and in relation to Classical noir A harsh winter environment for offsetting and understanding the warmth and softness of Margie A feminist approach to the characters of both Margie and Jean The value of gallows humor Defining a worldview of the Coen Brothers, in terms of confronting awful things with hilarious details Finding surprising depths of morality, especially in relation to ideas of greed and toxic masculinity The significance of a key representative scene featuring two non-main characters: Officer Olson and Mr. Mohra How the film speaks to current trends in the political climate of America What morals we can learn from the film NOW, going beyond its nostalgic value This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit filmschangelives.substack.com (https://filmschangelives.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

3. 

   20 Jun 2026

   Episode 8: Chris Becker on MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON

   We discuss: The wonderment Marcel inspires The voices of Jenny Slade and Isabella Rossellini The genesis of the movie The treatment of everyday objects as precious, sometimes repurposed The impact of multi-media storytelling The significance of seeing the world on a different scale Sources of inspiration, such as Sarah Penwarden’s creation of found poetry (in relation to Marcel’s world of found objects): see “Reliving a Poetry Symposium through Found Poetry” Disconnection as well as connection through social media Deciding what to hold on to Finding one’s place in a big world The importance of showing conflicts unresolved Breaking from Hollywood norms of conflict-based and investigation-based narrative construction Thinking beyond the limits of the body The idea of dust as skin, and its being all around us as a symbol of mortality The opposite of fear-mongering Cherishing everyday and re-appreciating everyday details The power in a way of seeing Small details that matter hugely Buddhist implications of the film’s processes Philip Larkin’s poem titled “The Trees,” as featured in the film This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit filmschangelives.substack.com (https://filmschangelives.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

4. 

   20 Jun 2026

   Episode 7: Kimberly van Vulpen on TÓTEM (2023)

   We discuss: The reality of hospice care Michelle Aaron’s book Death and the Moving Image (Edinburgh University Press) Familial, cultural, and cinematic strategies for coping with grief The place of children in a household of grief-stricken adults Grief management in a specifically Mexican cultural context The importance of memories and especially remembering moments of laughter while facing death Ideas of non-linear time Spirituality as a form of healing hope The value of ritual The reality that family members handle death and grief in wildly different ways The importance of communicating with children through a time of grief The significance of names The film’s ending and the wishes is does/does not grant Non-dogmatic belief systems How children can experience and express grief The value of conversation with and among grieving family member s This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit filmschangelives.substack.com (https://filmschangelives.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

5. 

   21 Jan 2026

   INTRODUCTION: Films Change Lives

   This podcast reflects my love of cinema and hearing about the films that have changed other people’s lives for the long term. While I’m an established scholar, editor, and author who loves sharing my own love of cinema, I’ve come to realize that it’s the dialogues with others that teach me the most. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit filmschangelives.substack.com (https://filmschangelives.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

6. 

   21 Jan 2026

   Episode 3: Jennifer Fleeger on CODA

   We discuss: The dearth of nuanced representations of deaf people on film, and CODA as an important new example ASL in cinema: pitfalls and opportunities for relaying physicalized expressivity Music as self-expression in relation to coming-of-age and personal growth across generations Perfectly imperfect parenting Leftist emphases on community-minded, localized solidarity The value of generative quiet A film that inspires amateur music-making Connecting music with togetherness in CODA This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit filmschangelives.substack.com (https://filmschangelives.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

7. 

   21 Jan 2026

   Episode 2: Conor Power on THE QUIET GIRL

   We talk about The deceptively simple plot of The Quiet Girl Exquisitely nuanced visual and sonic details of life within it The distinctively Irish vision and mindset of the film The Irish language being featured (unusually for a globally successful release) Sharing the film experience with loved ones who will understand The difference between realizing and verbalizing what is to be understood in this very subtle film The significance of subtexts throughout the film Painful suppressed truths of dysfunctional family life and potential domestic abuse Music relaying consciousness Stephen Rennicks’ compositional style Subtleties of sound effects and Foley artistry Sonically being in the world Unspoken but full love Small but crucial acts of kindness This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit filmschangelives.substack.com (https://filmschangelives.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

8. 

   21 Jan 2026

   PILOT: All of Us Strangers

   Please forgive the relatively low-grade quality of this pilot episode. We recorded it at home via Zoom, which felt right because of the personal subject matter. It was a cold, snowy, winter day, and the film uplifted us. We discussed: Processing the film together, in real time, while it was still fresh Being virtually “seen” by the film Queer isolation Queer children and their parents Multi-generational politics of queerness Transcending time and death Communication with the deceased Hope beyond tragic ends This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit filmschangelives.substack.com (https://filmschangelives.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

9. 

   21 Jan 2026

   Episode 4: François Kiper on CACHÉ

   We discuss: Algeria’s War of Independence Willful forgetting and the obligation to remember colonial history The reality of France's (post)colonial impact Personal and collective guilt and intentional amnesia Inter-generational trauma Themes of personal, national, and multi-national guilt The obligation to confront the harms of history, even when they implicate one’s own family The massacre of French Algerians on October 17, 1961, led by Maurice Papon The reality of France, and especially Paris, as a divided place Maurice Bénichou’s performance in relation to the star power of Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche How we individually and collectively respond to the painful ripples of history W. H. Auden’s poem, “Musée des Beaux Arts” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit filmschangelives.substack.com (https://filmschangelives.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

10. 

    21 Jan 2026

    Episode 6: Dan Burns on PETITE MAMAN

    We discuss: A children’s film for adults Family and friendship Grief Non-linear time Maximalist fiction in contrast with this minimalist film Father/child dynamics Mother/grandmother/daughter dynamics The non-existence of objective time The value of subjective time Carlo Rovelli’s work on time from a scientific POV Hanna Meretoja’s “The Ethics of Storytelling” Freud’s fort-da game, and the reality of a child needing to “let go” of the parent Inhabiting the space of the film Objects that speak Sharing the film with loved ones This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit filmschangelives.substack.com (https://filmschangelives.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

11. 

    21 Jan 2026

    Episode 5: Kristi McKim on LADYBIRD

    We discuss: Greta Gerwig’s distinct directorial approach Authentically representing teenage life and being Social class in America Emotional realness Meaningful ellipses Phil Lowrie and “Crash Into Me” as a “crystal song” Stand-out performances by Saoirse Ronan Laurie Metcalf Maternal melodrama Suppressed emotional truths and poignant subtexts of life at high school Sisterhood beyond the family This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit filmschangelives.substack.com (https://filmschangelives.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.