Le Film

The OA - Part 1, Chapter 8: Invisible Self

"They said it would be invisible. Like jumping into an invisible current that just carries you away."
The conclusion to The OA's story ends here. Or does it? OA concludes her story to the Crestwood Five before being discovered. Consequently, she gets relocated to a hotel where she gives closure to Nancy and Abel, while the boys and BBA put the pieces of her story together in order to get a clearer picture of it all. Meanwhile, OA gets one final premonition that will propel her to do something she's never done. 
The OA's season one finale, "Invisible Self" was absolutely bone-chilling, as it leaves you shaken to the core. When it nears its end, we can only imagine what goes through everyone's minds: shock, awe, or laughter even. What happens in the final minutes of the show has been undoubtedly met with a polarizing reaction that goes from eerily beautiful to "unfortunate bang" and "imperfect feeling" by some. However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, creators Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij do not appear to be phased by the critics. Marling states, "What I feel is that your job as a storyteller just to, in that moment as best as you know how, try to tell a legible story. And each time, hopefully get a little bit better at making it legible, and the response is up to the audience. I feel all responses are fair game. Some of the things that have moved me the most in the world are things that other people have not been moved by at all." Batmanglij has a similar sentiment, "But I think people laughing at it and stuff, that’s good. That’s part of it." He goes on to elaborate that anything unique or otherworldly would cause someone to laugh. He goes on to say, "I think anything truly different, it doesn’t just cause awe, and I think a lot of people feel awe when they see the movements — but probably just as many people feel the giggle inside of them and I think that’s OK. I don’t think there’s any specific way to feel." It's wonderful to know that no matter the reaction people have voiced about the finale and the movements, Brit and Zal are open to any and all criticisms, and they're facing it head on with their heads held high. 
After the credits roll, we go from questioning and discovering what is reality and what is fiction, and where do we take it from there? Since chapter 1, we've been on a journey to uncover what it really means to find your invisible self. Would you say you've found it, or is this just the beginning? There are so many questions and such few answers, but we're so happy that we've found a following that's willing to go on this journey with us. Thank you to the OA community for all the love, support, and interaction you've given and we hope to do more of this in the near future.
We hope you enjoyed our season one finale recap and reaction by @patbermcgill @actuallyrichy and our special guest @_kevincarpio_ . Special shoutout to @joshmull for the support and interactions and @davi.cohen for the lovely clip he's allowed us to use. Stay tuned to the latter portion of the episode as we answer the mailbag question and give our thanks to you both! Thank you again for listening, and if you want us to continue to keep our front doors open, comment below or send us questions via lefilmpodcast@gmail.com. 🕊️Follow and subscribe to us on:Spotify, iTunes, Google, and PodbeanWhere to watch:Netflix (Streaming)
Follow us on Instagram:
@lefilmpodcast
Follow us on Twitter:@lefilmpod

Honey Boy (2019) Ft. Brandon Drew

Otis, a former child star caught in a downward spiral, is forced into rehab after a drunk driving incident places his reputation, career, and well-being in peril. Upon entering into the facility, Otis is diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and is court-ordered to undergo treatment to avoid a prison sentence. Facing an unwillingness to confront a fractured past, Otis revisits a painful and bittersweet time in his life to mend a broken relationship with his father.
 
This touching and heartfelt portrayal of making the inner trek to find acceptance and healing earns its place as a cathartic and beautiful film to experience time and time again. Directed by Alma Har’el and written by Shia LaBeouf, this story captures the essence of forgiveness and seeks to provide an answer toward breaking the cycle of generational trauma.
 
We are joined by a great friend and guest of the show, Brandon Drew, who also picked this entry for us to review. As always, thank you for listening and we hope you enjoy the discussion.
 
Where to watch:
Amazon (Stream)
Instagram:@lefilmpodcast Twitter:@lefilmpod Send us questions, feedback, and film recommendations at:lefilmpodcast@gmail.com

The OA - Part 1, Chapter 7: Empire of Light

"You know why we, uh why we like to be hugged? The way I see it, it sets a limit on the pain. You know? Puts a perimeter around it."
The OA's Chapter 7 episode, "Empire of Light" continues the story all in the present day, as OA receives another terrible dream or possible premonition while dealing with the potential trauma she might've caused to her adoptive parents, Abel and Nancy Johnson, that fateful day she left over 7 years ago. In the mean time, the Crestwood 5 is working on perfecting the movements for interdimensional travel while Steve's horrific actions has finally caught up to him. 
Although the entirety of "Empire of Light" stays within the present timeline in which we don't get to see what happens to Homer, Renata, Scott, and Rachel, we get an emotionally resonant episode about dealing with our past traumas and how that festers into our current daily lives. The chemistry between Phyllis Smith's BBA and Patrick Gibson's Steve soars here with such tidy and timely humor albeit in a very serious situation. The conclusion to the episode is incredibly chilling because of how high the emotional stakes are, especially considering that this may be the last time we get to hear The OA tell her story. 
"Tonight, I will finish telling my story. Are you ready?"

Diamantino (2018)

 
Episode 47: Diamantino (2018) - Available on all your favorite platforms. Link in the bio 🎙️
 
A fallen soccer superstar vows to adopt a refugee child, while becoming the naive unwitting centerpiece in in a bizarre plot to Make Portugal Great Again.
 
As always, thank you all for listening and we hope you enjoy the discussion. 
 
Where to watch:
Kanopy (Stream in the US)
Vudu, Amazon, Google Play, Youtube, AppleTV, Kino Now (Rent or Buy)
 
Instagram:
@lefilmpodcast
 
Twitter:
@lefilmpod
 
Send us questions, feedback, and film recommendations at:
lefilmpodcast@gmail.com

The OA - Part 1, Chapter 6: Forking Paths

"Hush don't you cryIn the next life
She takes me to the waterDon't say a word
And when I ask herIs she doing alrightShe's a rollercoasterAnd yeah, she's a fire in the night"
 
In Part 1, Chapter 6 of The OA's "Forking Paths", we find ourselves in Hap's perspective, as he's in conflict with how he perceives himself among OA and the other captives and the deadly experiments he subjects to them. OA and the others have been practicing the movements and are in search of the fifth movement, while OA, in the present day, explains to the Crestwood Five that the movements will open a tunnel into another dimension, but they must do all five movements together and with perfect feeling. 
Jason Isaacs spurs a terrific performance in playing a subtle, but menacing antagonist in Hap, who continues to be one of the most compelling onscreen villains of all time. 
According to IMDB, the episode title, "Forking Paths", is a reference to Jorge Luis Borges' 1941 short story, "The Garden of Forking Paths".
We hope you enjoyed this episode's recap and reaction by @patbertmcgill and @actuallyrichy, as we are now officially two episodes away from finishing part one of the series. Thank you again for listening, and continue to keep your front doors open. 🕊️

The OA - Part 1, Chapter 5: Paradise

In Part 1, Chapter 5 of The OA's Paradise, Hap has a fixation for a new subject in Cuba, reeling in Homer to help him capture her for his experiments while using that opportunity to fracture the relationship between Homer and OA. 
According to IMDB, the fifth subject, whose name is Renata, means "born again" in Latin languages. 
This chapter primarily focuses on Homer's journey in Cuba, realizing how much freedom he doesn't yet have despite being let out of his cage. Emory Cohen gives a chilling performance, as he displays levels of anxiety and guilt through his frantic expressions and puppy-dog eyes. And again, Brit Marling as The OA, continues to dazzle with an impassioned performance in the final ten minutes of Paradise. 
We hope you enjoyed this episode's recap and reaction by @patbertmcgill and @actuallyrichy, as we're closing in on the final third of season 1. Thank you again for listening, and continue to keep your front doors open. 🕊️

The Pink Cloud (2021)

A mysterious global phenomenon of unusual pink clouds carrying a deadly vapor has blanketed the world, killing anyone who steps outside in seconds. After a one night stand, Giovana and Yago awkwardly find themselves suddenly forced to quarantine in the same home to together due to the abrupt arrival of the murderous fog. As days extend to months then years, Iuli Gerbase’s eerie quarantine sci-fi is littered with a familiarity that sends us back to the pandemic’s darkest days. Written in 2017 and filmed in 2019, it’s worth considering the reception this film would have received if it was released earlier in the pandemic when many were re-visiting prescient pre-coronavirus films. The Pink Cloud may be the most upsettingly familiar one of them all. Accept what it is or go mad trying to battle it.
 
Thanks for listening!!
 
Where to watch:
 
Amazon (Rent or Buy)
 
Vudu (Rent or Buy)
 
Send us questions, feedback, and film Recommendations at:
lefilmpodcast@gmail.com

The OA - Part 1, Chapter 4: Away

"To exist is to survive unfair choices."
In part 1, chapter 4's The OA "Away", we are given more details as to what's going on during Hap's experiments, OA returns from her second NDE and makes a difficult choice that will steer the group's purpose in a new direction, while Homer is determined to recount the deadly experiments being done to him. 
According to KPCC's The Frame, in an interview with Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling, Batmanglij explains the incredibly real drowning sequences, "that's a real apparatus that we designed. That's not CG. That's real. So Brit really held her breath." He continues by saying, "I think we watch movies and stories on TV and we think that these things are completely fictions, but they're not. The actors have to really go through a lot of these emotional spaces to experience them." Brit Marling adds, "I think also there's something about this story that felt like, in order to touch the heights and the light that it wanted to touch, you have to go with this young woman who has survived a great deal and touch the very center of the dark with her."
We're finally at the halfway point of part 1, and we hope you enjoyed this episode's recap and reaction by @patbertmcgill and @actuallyrichy. Thank you again for listening, and continue to keep your front doors open. 🕊️

The OA - Part 1, Chapter 3: Champion

In Part 1, Chapter 3's "Champion", OA finds herself imprisoned against her will by Hap, alongside three others in Homer, Rachel, and Scott. However, during her captivity, Hap shows OA a vulnerability that is not usually expressed towards the others, and OA uses this to her advantage to plot an escape. Meanwhile, in the present day, OA is pressed by a journalist to disclose the details of her captivity, much to her chagrin. 
The way we heal and move forward from our own trauma is a life-long process that not many understand how to endure. Not many understand that it may take weeks, months, years, or even lifetimes to heal from it. It takes massive courage to be vulnerable to someone, and it takes a certain level of sensitivity to express that. 
"Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it's having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it's our greatest measure of courage." – Brené Brown
We hope you enjoyed this episode's recap and reaction by @patbertmcgill and @actuallyrichy. Thank you again for listening, and continue to keep your front doors open. 🕊️
 
Follow and subscribe to us on: 
Spotify, iTunes, Google, and Podbean
 
Where to watch:
Netflix (Streaming)
 
Instagram:
lefilmpodcast
 
Twitter:
@lefilmpod
 
Send us questions, comments, feedback, and tv/film recommendations at:
lefilmpodcast@gmail.com

Chan Is Missing (1982)

In the heart of early 1980's San Francisco lie a strong Asian and Asian American populous that make up just 22%, while a specific portion of the population is Chinese at 12%, according to the Bay Area Census. However, in Wayne Wang's directorial feature in Chan Is Missing (1982), Jo, played endearingly by Wood Moy, represents the uphill battle that Asian Americans faced when it came to visibility and recognition that has plagued them for over a century. Along with his nephew, Steve, played by the charismatic Marc Hayashi, they go on a strange and mundane journey through the depths of San Francisco to find a missing Chan Hung and their $4000, while finding out what it truly means to be an Asian American in a country that refuses to acknowledge who they are. Wang's debut feature is a timely poignant classic that shares its humor through animated facial expressions and sharp dialogue delivered brilliantly by its ensemble cast. For anyone who's ever felt like an outsider peering through the looking glass, this film touches deeply on an underrepresented perspective that is surely to enrich one's point of view. 
Thank you for listening and we hope you enjoy this one!
Where to watch:Criterion (stream)Kanopy (stream)
Send us questions, feedback, and film recommendations at:lefilmpodcast@gmail.com