Seventh Row Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

What if the most powerful insights about a film don't come from watching it alone — but from talking it through with curious people who notice what you missed, and help you turn half-formed thoughts into something deeper?

In this episode, I share why I built The Long Take —

A space for deep, layered, perspective-shifting conversations about film — and how a spirit of collaboration, attention, and trust can transform how we see movies…and ourselves

We kick off Nov 2 with a zero-prep welcome session.
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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.

• 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

Alex Heeney & Orla Smith discuss the highlight of Sundance 2022: creative nonfiction. We discuss active listening, reframing history, and a risk taking volcanologist couple.

On this episode:

• Related episodes (1:26)
• Sundance overview (4:22)
• 32 Sounds (Sam Green) (8:59)
• Reframing history: Framing Agnes (Chase Joynt), The Janes (Tia Lessin), & Tantura (Alon Schwarz) (29:27)
• I Didn't See You There (Reid Davenport) (44:10)
• Fire of Love (Sara Dosa) (47:34)
• All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen) & Mija (Isabel Castro) (52:51)
• Conclusion (57:31)

Show notes:

• Read our selections of the 10 best films of Sundance 2022
• Read Orla's interview with Director Chase Joynt and co-writer Morgan M Page about Framing Agnes
• Read Orla's review of Reid Davenport's I Didn't See You There
• Read Orla's review of Isabel Castro's Mija
• Read Orla's review of Shaunak Sen's All That Breathes
• For more on creative nonfiction, purchase our ebook Subjective realities: The art of creative nonfiction film. Subjective realities is a six part ebook composed of interviews and essays. Discover the myriad forms of nonfiction filmmaking, from animation to archival and beyond, and find out what funding structures exist to make them possible.

Related episodes

• Ep. 105: Subjective realities: The art of creative nonfiction film
• Ep. 95: No Ordinary Man and John Ware Reclaimed: Reclaiming history in documentary (Member's Only)
• Ep. 78: Sundance 2021, part 1 (Member's Only)
• Ep. 79: Sundance 2021, part 2 (Member's Only)

Follow Seventh Row on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and read our articles at seventh-row.com.

We discuss the ups and downs of Sundance 2022, and chat about some of the festival's fiction films, including Sharp Stick and Living.

This episode features Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney and Executive Editor Orla Smith.

Become a Seventh Row member and get access to the full episode, as well as all other podcast episodes older than six months.

Show notes:

• Read our selections of the 10 best films of Sundance 2022
• Read the source of the "blocking is everything" quote: Alex's 2018 interview with Andrew Haigh
• See Alex's Sundance Bingo Card
• Read Orla's review of Fresh
• Read an excerpt of Lindsay Pugh's interview with The Worst Person in the World star Renate Reinsve
• Sign up to be the first to pre-order Existential detours: Joachim Trier's cinema of indecisions and revisions, the first book to ever be published on Joachim Trier, and receive the full interview with Reinsve

Related episodes:

• Ep. 122: Joachim Trier's The Worst Person in the World
• Bonus Episode 22: Joel Coen's The Tragedy of Macbeth
• Bonus Episode 16: Watching Lena Dunham's Girls in 2021
• Ep. 106: Christine and Kate Plays Christine: Reviving Christine Chubbuck
• Ep. 78: Sundance 2021, part 1 (Member's Only)
• Ep. 79: Sundance 2021, part 2 (Member's Only)

Follow Seventh Row on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and read our articles at seventh-row.com.

The entire Seventh Row editorial team is here to talk about site favourite Joachim Trier's new film, The Worst Person in the World.This episode features Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney, Executive Editor Orla Smith, Associate Editor Brett Pardy, Contributing Editor Lindsay Pugh, and Editor-at-Large Mary Angela Rowe. 

On this episode:

• Existential detours: Joachim Trier's cinema of indecisions and revisions (2:21)
• Related episodes (4:15)
• The World Person in the World and our first reactions (5:39)
• Is Julie the worst person in the world?(19:31)
• The film's structure (27:23)
• The film's style (33:57)
• Julie's relationships (45:06)
• The time freeze scene (56:57)
• The mushroom scene (1:10:42)
• Intellectualizing and romanticizing (1:18:07)
• The retroactive Oslo Trilogy (1:33:38)
• Conclusion (1:49:20)

Show notes

• Read an excerpt of Lindsay's interview with Renate Reinsve from our upcoming email book Existential detours: Joachim Trier's cinema of indecisions and revisions
• Sign up to be the first to pre-order Existential detours: Joachim Trier's cinema of indecisions and revisions, the first book to ever be published on Joachim Trier. You will also receive exclusive excerpts from the book.
• Read Alex's review of The Worst Person in the World
• View our Directors We Love page on Joachim Trier, for extensive information on Trier and his key collaborators, and links to all of our coverage of his films

Related episodes

• Ep. 114: Mia Hansen-Løve's Things to Come and Bergman Island
• Ep. 112: Raw and Thelma: Modern female monsters
• Ep. 107: Another Round and Oslo, August 31st: Are men OK? Masculinity, mental health, & addiction Redux
• Ep. 54: Used to Go Here and Unexpected: Kris Rey's thirtysomethings (Member's Only)
• Ep. 40: Stories We Tell, Louder Than Bombs, & Mouthpiece: Dead mothers (Member's Only)

Follow Seventh Row on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and read our articles at seventh-row.com.

Show notes:

• Read Alex's 2015 review of Justin Kurzel's Macbeth
• Listen to the 21st Folio episode discussing Kurzel's Macbeth
• Sign up for updates on the first book to ever be published on the films of Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier

Related episodes:

• Bonus 17: Saoirse Ronan and James McArdle in The Tragedy of Macbeth at the Almeida Theatre
• Ep. 108: The Deep Blue Sea(s)

Follow Seventh Row on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and read our articles at seventh-row.com.

Lindsay Pugh joins hosts Alex Heeney and Orla Smith for a discussion of two rom-coms about unwanted pregnancies, Ninjababy and Obvious Child.

On this episode:

• Joachim Trier ebook (1:23)
• Related episodes (2:55)
• Why we are talking about these films (7:30)
• Obvious Child (11:40)
• The rom-com landscape of 2014 (16:59)
• Obvious Child's depiction of women's bodies (18:02)
• How has Obvious Child aged? (26:55)
• Ninjababy (36:53)
• The men of Ninjababy (54:08)
• The caveats of Ninjababy (1:07:49)
• Conclusion (1:17:11)

Show notes

• Read Alex's 2014 review of Obvious Child
• Read Lindsay's interview with Saint Frances director Alex Thompson and writer-star Kelly O'Sullivan
• Read Orla's interview with Ninjababy writer-director Yngvild Sve Flikke and actress Kristine Kujath Thorp
• See our 50 favourite films of the 2010s.
• Sign up for updates on the first book to ever be published on the films of Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier

Related episodes:

• Ep. 36: Abortion on screen and Never Rarely Sometimes Always
• Ep. 54: Kris Rey's thirtysomethings: I Used to Go Here and Unexpected

Follow Seventh Row on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and read our articles at seventh-row.com.

Alex and Orla count down the 30 best films of 2021 and discuss the process behind creating the list.

On this episode:

• Why this bonus episode is free to everyone (0:00)
• Selecting the list and where we look for films (0:56)
• Another strong year for Indigenous films (7:37)
• Why we only have three American films (16:02)
• Films directed by women (19:00)
• The importance of psychological complexity and new approaches to social change (22:24)
• Documentaries (24:55)
• The list (26:41)
• Conclusion (1:10:01)

Show Notes:

• Read Alex's 2020 interview with Monkey Beach director Loretta Todd
• Read Orla's interview with Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
• Read Alex's interview with Slalom director Charlène Favier
• Read Orla's interview with Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy director Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers
• Purchase your copy of our ebook Subjective realities: The art of creative nonfiction film, which includes interviews with Robert Greene (Procession), Jonas Poher Rasmussen (Flee), Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt (No Ordinary Man), Cheryl Foggo (John Ware Reclaimed), and more.

Related Episodes

• Ep. 118: The Souvenir Part I and II
• Ep. 114: Mia Hansen-Løve's Things to Come and Bergman Island
• Ep. 113: The sci-fi love stories of About Time and I'm Your Man
• Ep. 101: Magnus von Horn's Films: The Here After and Sweat
• Ep. 95: Reclaiming history in documentary: No Ordinary Man and John Ware Reclaimed (Member's Only)
• Ep. 93: The films of Agnieszka Holland (Member's Only)
• Ep. 87: Couples dealing with cancer: Ordinary Love and Hope (Member's Only)
• Ep. 86: Depictions of childhood sexual assault: Una & Slalom (Member's Only)
• Ep. 85: The films of Naomi Kawase, featuring True Mothers (Member's Only)
• Ep. 84: Berlinale 2021, Part 2: The Competition (Member's Only)
• Ep. 82: Genocide on film: Quo Vadis, Aida

Follow Seventh Row on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and read our articles at seventh-row.com.

We're celebrating the legacy of Aboriginal Australian actor David Gulpilil. Gulpilil died on November 29th 2021, at age 68, leaving behind him a career of rich performances, despite the many ways the industry underserved him for decades. On this episode, we particularly focus on Charlie's Country, as a film that was so personal to Gulpilil, and which features probably his best performance.

We also survey Gulpilil's legacy, both his vital contributions to film, and also how his troubling domestic abuse conviction complicates that legacy. We discuss the issues that arise when representation of marginalised groups is so slim that we start to view the few successful figures as heroes rather than flawed humans.

This episode features Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney, Executive Editor Orla Smith, and Associate Editor Brett Pardy.

On this episode

• Related episodes (4:55)
• Remembering David Gulpilil and My Name is Gulpilil (10:08)
• Walkabout, Crocodile Dundee, and The Right Stuff (15:13)
• Rabbit-Proof Fence and The Tracker (21:17)
• Charlie's Country (27:01)
• Gulpilil's domestic abuse conviction (36:14)
• Charlie's Country, systemic issues, and a settler audience (46:59)
• Gulpilil's performance (1:16:01)
• Another Country (1:25:13)
• The evolution of Gulpilil's collaboration with Rolf de Heer (1:28:36)
• Conclusion (1:37:16)

Show notes:

• Charlie's Country was 13 on our list of 50 favourite films of the 2010s. See our other choices here.
• David Gulpilil's performance in Charlie's Country was one of our picks for the 50 best performances of the 2010s. See our other choices here.
• Read the Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute and Yolŋu Community & kin's statement on the use of David Gulpilil's name
• Read Brett's interview with Edge of the Knife co-director Gwaai Edenshaw, which includes a discussion about the challenges of making a "pre-contact" film
• Read Nancy E. Wright's article about Models of Collaboration in the Making of Ten Canoes (2006) in Screening the Past
• Read Alex's interview with Sweet Country director Warwick Thornton

Related episodes

• Ep. 39: Jeff Barnaby's Rhymes for Young Ghouls and Blood Quantum (Member's Only)
• Ep. 38: Australian westerns and True History of the Kelly Gang (Member's Only)
• Ep. 17.5: Performances in Jennifer Kent's The Nightingale (Member's Only)
• Ep. 17: Jennifer Kent's The Nightingale (Member's Only)

Show notes and related episodes:

• Ep. 118: The Souvenir Part I and II
• Bonus 19: Who is the Poshest Actor in Britain? (Member's Only)
• Ep. 69: Paddington and Paddington 2 (Member's Only)
• Ep. 22: The King attempts to adapt Shakespeare's Henry V (Member's Only)

Follow Seventh Row on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and read our articles at seventh-row.com.