Deep Cut: A Film Podcast

Is traveling through Europe too expensive? Then hop aboard a train with the Deep Cut trio and Chantal Akerman for another sensitive, lightly autobiographical story of a surrogate character experiencing ennui and/or despair. Along the road trip, there’s sex, ‘70s outfits, and… windows. Ultimately, we struggle to decide: how well can we know Akerman through her work (or, for that matter, anyone)?
Meet Ben, Wilson, and Eli (kinda) at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com 
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
03:46 Summary
04:27 General reactions
11:33 Jeanne Dielman vs The Meetings of Anna
16:39 Mom and Akerman herself
22:37 Plot sequence and Akerman’s subjectivity
30:32 Other Akerman films
34:20 Akerman and loneliness
37:39 Ending
40:12 Sex
43:29 Singing

We are joined by none other than friend of the pod and the artist behind all of our DC covers, Justina Yam! Justina comes on the podcast to take us back to the works of Chantal Akerman, with her first feature Je Tu Il Elle. Justina talks about her personal connection to Akerman’s films, and discusses how she continues to play with time in her filmography. Wilson and Eli talk about expressions through body language and narration, and Ben has a theory about Je Tu Il Elle being a non-linear film. 
Do you want DC merch? Tell us on the Discord!
Links:
Justina’s Instagram
Justina’s recent photojournalism project: 風流 (Feng Liu)
Ira Sachs on Je Tu Il Elle
Eat sugar at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com 
Timestamps:
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:44 Introducing Justina Yam
00:07:09 Je tu il elle introduction
00:08:04 General thoughts on Je Tu Il Elle from Justina and Wilson
00:13:21 General context of the film
00:15:27 General reactions from Ben and Eli
00:18:09 Sugar? Long Takes?
00:20:56 Feminism and Akerman 
00:23:30 The three act structure
00:27:44 Blocking and the body
00:34:06 Long takes
00:36:42 Sex scenes
00:41:43 Autobiographical nature of the film
00:47:16 Temporality 
00:53:49 The ending and career context
00:58:49 Discomfort within Akerman’s cinema 
01:04:03 Outro

Ben got a chance to interview director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke for his film A Useful Ghost (2025) that played at the 36th Singapore International Film Festival, where it also won the Special Mention Prize for the Asian Feature Film Competition. 
Learn about Boonbunchachoke’s creative process, how he developed the story, and his approach to filmmaking as a whole that tends towards artificiality, deadpan humour and an engagement with history.
Special thanks to the SGIFF team for helping us with securing an interview time/location, and to Momo Film Co, the film’s Singapore co-production team for helping to coordinate the interview. 
Suck less at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com 
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:47 Reception
04:00 Queer readings
07:39 Developing story and themes
12:02 Political / historical references
13:24 History, memory, surveillance
18:19 Artificiality, worldbuilding, craft
25:36 Spoilers: Frame story
27:25 Spoilers: Ending
31:43 Other appliance candidates
33:42 Upcoming work
34:35 Outro

Another festival coverage episode? We’re back to back with Asian film festivals and Ben returns to Singapore to cover the hottest films from the festival circuit and the region for the 36th Singapore International Film Festival. Our film coverage spans the most hotly contested tickets (Silent Friend, Girl, Resurrection, Sentimental Value), cinema classics (Matador, Water, Bye Bye Love), and promising first features from the region (Amoeba, A Useful Ghost, Old Man and His Car)
This is a spicy and fun episode where Ben reflects honestly about his festival experience and Singapore’s cinema culture, as well as sharing his optimism with the concurrent ground-up efforts (The Daily, FFIGS) reinvigorating that culture. On top of all that, we also find the time to do a very special celebration in the middle of the episode.
Links:
Correspondence / The Daily
⁠Ben’s piece on the Cinephile Pass
FFIGS
Deepa Mehta Write-up
Luca Guadagnino video on costumes 
Hilma af Klint: What Stands Behind the Flowers at MoMA
Madame Morible Wicked Witch meme
Interview with Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke (forthcoming!)
Correspond with us at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com 
Timestamps:
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:15 Festival as a whole 
00:08:45 Netflix acquisition of WB
00:11:51 Festival operations
00:20:33 Festival passes
00:24:15 Banned films
00:27:48 SGIFilmFeud
00:28:25 Correspondence / The Daily
00:30:56 FFIGS
00:34:40 Optimism
00:38:14 The films / Bye Bye Love (1974) dir. Fujisawa Isao
00:43:10 How Dare You? (2025) dir. Mipo O
00:46:14 Two Seasons, Two Strangers (2025) dir. Sho Miyake
00:48:29 Audience behaviour
00:51:25 Girl (2025) dir. Shu Qi
00:56:20 Resurrection (2025) dir. Bi Gan
01:02:25 Water (2005) dir. Deepa Mehta
01:07:02 A Celebration
01:09:00 Sentimental Value (2025) dir. Joachim Trier
01:11:25 Hamnet (2025) dir. Chloe Zhao
01:14:25 Late Fame (2025) dir. Kent Jones
01:18:07 Matador (1986) dir. Pedro Almodovar
01:21:20 Silent Friend (2025) dir. Ildikó Enyedi 
01:27:00 SEA Shorts Programme
01:31:36 The Old Man and His Car (2025) dir. Michael Kam
01:36:50 Amoeba (2025) dir. Tan Siyou
01:43:10 A Useful Ghost (2025) dir. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
01:51:16 Wrapup
01:57:30 Bonus

While attending the 38th Tokyo International Film Festival, Ben was able to interview director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang and lead actress Bella Boonsang for their film Morte Cucina.
Morte Cucina follows Sao as she takes an unconventional path toward revenge against a man who has wronged her.
Listen in to hear about Ratanaruang’s candid thoughts on his approach to filmmaking, Boonsang’s initial trepidation and determination to tackling this tricky role, and Ratanaruang’s evolving working relationship with the film’s DP, Christopher Doyle (their third feature film collaboration!).
Special thanks to the TIFF team for arranging the interview!
Get revenge at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com 
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:22 Inspiration for the film
04:30 Bella’s reaction to the script
06:23 Casting Bella Boonsang
09:45 Cinematography with Chris Doyle
13:15 The movie is made on set
17:30 What is love?
22:17 Outro