Films for Today

What are the temptations and limitations of 'the lone wolf' archetype? Can we ever have too many relationships? What does undesirable human interconnectedness look like in the 21st century? To celebrate the 2023 2XXFM Radiothon, we will be looking at three gala selections from this year's London Film Festival and focusing on a topical through-line that underpins them. Email us (N.B. te...

Can independent pontification be a zero-sum game? Can we bond over an openness to the unknown? What is the relationship between truth and the stance of the majority? This week's episode focuses on three cinematic explorations of verbal contemplation and considers the consequences of adding further perspectives. Contact us via email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

How much do we dream? How are our dreams constrained by reality? Can we value and respect our dreams in light of reality? Capping off this season before a few week's break, this week's episode explores competing ideas about fantasy and reality through the the lens of Damien Chazelle's 'La La Land'. Contact Us Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

Who is susceptible to lamenting lost love? How painful is it to accept that love is lost? Is there any way to find our bearings when navigating a world of endless romantic options? Focusing on three films centred on tragic love triangles, this week's episode explores how we grieve relationships that could have been. Contact Us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

How does it feel to be young? Can we grow up too fast? Is it ever desirable for young people to rebel against their elders? This week's episode focuses on the risk-riddled aspects of growing up to question the line between healthy and unhealthy rule-breaking. Contact Us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

To what extent does the alien mesmerise us? How have we dealt with aliens thoughout history? What should be our default position when encountering the alien? In contemplating the symbolic value of alien encounters when depicted cinematically, this week's episode explores the ways in which we deal with the strange and mesmeric. Contact us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

How do we feel about good fathers? How do we feel about mothers and matriarchy? Can our acceptance of time revitalise our appreciation for parenting? Acknowledging the impact titles have on the way we watch films, this week's episode explores the many dimensions of parenting. Contact us Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

How should we view the hidden lives of public icons? In what circumstances can we benefit from accessing our inner demons? How costly is the price of prominence? Focusing on three films from the recent season of Black Mirror, this week's episode explores the relationship between notoriety and inner demons. Contact Us: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

How do we suffer on the level of the individual? How do the grievances of the individual and the collective compare? What are the dangers of neglecting the individual? In this special early episode, we explore the Barbenheimer phenomenon and the insights it gives us into the current cultural climate. Contact us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

Is the countryside instinctively alluring? What are the political and economic grievances of the modern farmer? Should our conception of rural culture be static or ever-changing? With the release of 'Alcarràs', this week's episode focuses on the political philosophy of rural life through 3 distinct cinematic depictions. Contact Us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

How do we think of people when their true selves are unobservable? Is the projection of false identities onto others an inevitability? To what extent do people actually have multiple identities? Using a relatable romantic scenario as our springboard, this week's episode explores the ways in which we project imagined identities onto other people. Contact Us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

What is it dangerous for the past to re-surface? Do we ever feel obliged to pay tribute to those that are no longer with us? How should we conceive the past? This week's episode uses the complex relationship Germany has with preserving its history as a lens through which we can search for an enlightening way to deal with the past. Contact us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

Can intimacy come before love? Do our circumstances ever force us to demand love? Can people explore the world without love? This week's episode examines the relationship between intimacy and love by analogising it to that between a horse and cart. Contact us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

How strong are most family ties? Why might people refrain from being honest with their loved ones? Can we ever honour our families too much? In acknowledging the relationship between honour and honesty, this week's episode uncovers yet another complexity in the relations we have with the ones we love. Contact Us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

To what extent are the realms constructed by artists part of reality? How much artistic value does reality itself offer? Do archetypal and realist narratives make up for each other's shortcomings? Responding to recent trends in mainstream cinema, this week's episode examines three films set in New York to explore inter-dimensional storytelling. Contact Us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.co...

Does extreme comfort guarantee us healthy relationships? Are there different forms of human attraction that sit on a sliding scale? How do sex and companionship complement and combat one another? In contemplating the interplay between leisure and love, this week's episode examines three films in which relationship drama is set against a backdrop of decadence and relaxation. Contact Us: Email:...

Do all people inevitably yearn for stability in companionship? On whom do the needs of the vulnerable traditionally fall? Is it noble to voluntarily take on other people's burdens? Following recent conversations about the aggressive aspect of femininity, this week's episode examines the abandoned caregiver archetype through three cinematic depictions of single mothers. Contact us: contact@...

Do we all partly reject and partly cherish tradition? Do we only observe this tension on the level of the individual? Are there certain values that transcend conservatism and progressivism? Following last week's brief discussion about the instability of binaries, this week's episode splices two seemingly contradictory ideologies. Contact Us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

Are narratives only found in storybooks? How contextual are human values? How can strategic thinking help us improve the world? Through the lens of cinema, this week's episode seeks to explore the many lessons that sport can teach us about ourselves and reality. Contact us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

Should we embrace our inner monster? To whom is an un-fettered monster undesirable? How should we view the monsters in our lives? After last week's discussions about cowards and devouring mothers, this week's episode seeks to unearth some alternative ideas about aggressive femininity. Contact Us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

What is cowardice? From where can cowards originate? How can we transcend cowardice? Focusing particularly on male characters with a cowardly demeanour, this week's episode evaluates the worth of traditional masculinity during a time in which it is so often scrutinised. Get in touch: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

Why do we yearn for security? Can safety precautions ever go too far? How easily do we trust the untrustworthy? With the upcoming release of 'November' to Australian cinemas on 11 May 2023, this week's episode carries on from recent discussions about the thin line between being protected and being controlled. Get in Touch: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

How do we see ourselves in a world of apparent widespread conformity? Why and how do masses of people become controlled? Can we ever be truly un-ideological? After briefly touching on the cost of technological innovation last week, this week's episode examines cinematic depictions of simulations in the late 90s as metaphors for totalitarian control. Get in contact: Email: contact@jimmybernasco...

What are the costs of innovation? What is the chance of failure in seeking progress? How should we progress knowing so little about the universe? Following some recent discussion about our existential condition, this week's episode contemplates arguably the biggest question of them all: how and why should the human race endure? Get in contact: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

What is the key to sexual maturity? Is it easy accept sexual freedom in our partners? What are the consequences of demonising a person's sexual urges? Following some similar conversations around sexuality and maturity, this week's episode examines films in which dancing is used as a symbol for sexual liberation. Get in contact: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com