Arts & Culture

‘Anora’: Explosively Comedic and Unsettlingly Tender

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Anora is unsettling. In the film directed by Sean Baker, Anora (Mikey Madison), who prefers to go by Ani, is a sex worker who is swept off her feet by mysterious Russian nepo-baby Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn). Their relationship is a fast burn underscored by the transactional nature of their interactions, and is so overwhelming in its portrayal as an endless crash of hedonistic scenes. When Ivan offers Ani $15,000 to be his girlfriend for the week, she gladly takes the offer, and they party from clubs to Vegas where the two elope on a whim. Their idyllic romance is halted in its tracks when three henchmen (hired by Ivan’s parents) go to force the two to annul the marriage.

Arts & Culture

Ethel Cain: We Live in an Irony Epidemic 

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In a now-deleted Tumblr post, musician Ethel Cain posted: “we are in an irony epidemic. there is such a loss of sincerity and everything has to be a joke at all times.” It is not hard to think of examples of what she means. The most liked comments and replies to any post tend to be jokes, often at the original content’s expense. Cain herself mentions the prevalence of comments she gets like, “yes you ate that like isaiah ate ethel,” a reference to a cannibalistic storyline in her album.

Arts & Culture

Queer Horror: The Horror of the Unrealized Self

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Spoilers for I Saw the TV Glow (2024) and Interview with the Vampire (2022-). I have a visceral fear of being buried alive. To waste away slowly, trapped and confined and rotting away in a place where no one can find me. Suffocating under layers of dirt, not able to live or die. Watching I Saw the TV Glow, in which a character is buried alive, I could not help but think: what an apt metaphor for the queer — and especially transgender — experience. 

I Saw the TV Glow is a psychological horror movie directed by Jane Schoenbrun following Owen and Maddy through their teen and adult years as the TV show they are obsessed with, The Pink Opaque, leads them to question their identities.

Arts & Culture

In Defense of Chappell Roan: It’s Okay to Log Off Twitter

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Art is inherently political. It exists in the context in which it was created, and choosing not to consider that context will change its meaning, whether for better or worse. So, naturally, when Chappell Roan made several statements expressing her political views that were consistent with themes explored in her music, the Internet blew up. In an interview with The Guardian, Chappell Roan said that she did not feel pressure to endorse a candidate for the 2024 Presidential Election, explaining, “I have so many issues with our government in every way… There’s problems on both sides. I encourage people to use your critical thinking skills, use your vote — vote small, vote for what’s going on in your city.”