Films for Today

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

Is it a simple fact that that poverty is the parent of revolution and crime? With whom and where do wars start and end? Is war always born out of hate and fear? Advancing previous discussions on the topic, this week's episode contemplates the fundamental causes of war to re-conceptualise armed conflict as a never-ending human struggle. Get in contact: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

With what does a seaside escape provide us? How should we understand the urge to embrace the abyss? What can we gain from confronting limitlessness? After many tentative discussions about the subject, this week's episode specifically focuses on the symbolic significance of summer pilgrimages to the seaside. Get in contact: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com...

Who is the worst kind of enemy? Do we ever embody the traits of our enemies? How often do people actually find themselves in a state of head-to-head conflict? Building on previous conversations about enemies and the duality of man, this week's episode confronts the somewhat bipolar aspect of the human condition. Get in contact: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com Instagram: https://www.instagra...

What can younger men learn from older women? What can older women learn from younger men? What are the dangers of ignoring the intersection of age and gender? Following last week's examination of the traditional dynamics between older men and younger women, this week's episode examines the contrary. Get in contact: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmy_berna...

What does a classic protector look like? Do we ever let predators into our lives? Are princesses always in need of protection? Specifically focusing on films where young girls and older men are paired together, this week's episode examines traditional ideas about power and vulnerability through the lenses of age and gender.  Get in touch: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com Instagram: https://...

What accounts for the demise of 'competence'? What accounts for the rise of 'incompetence'? How and why should the world maximise the grand sum of human competence? With the release of Todd Field's newest film, 'Tár' (2022), this week's episode examines the differing ways in which modern societies respond to competence and incompetence.   Get in touch: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com Insta...

What kinds of people do we specifically meet at work? Can the workplace be the key to our self-development? Can we still benefit from a poor work environment? Noting a common trait in multiple coming of age films set in the the 1980s, this week's episode examines the ways in which the workplace can help us grow in early adulthood.  The Films: 'Caddyshack' (1980) d. Harold Ramis 'Mystic Pizza'...

Is indulgence dangerous? Why does indulgence perpetually endanger us? In whom does indulgence manifest itself? Given that we are in the heart of awards season, this week's episode takes a look at one of the major cinematic trends of 2022.  The Films: 'Babylon' (2022) d. Damien Chazelle 'The Whale' (2022) d. Darren Aronofsky 'Triangle of Sadness' (2022) d. Ruben Östlund Get in touch: Email: co...

What is the relationship between the conscience and the self? Can listening to our conscience ever be a bad thing? If not our conscience, what should we listen to? Building on some brief discussions in last week's episode about self-discovery, this week's episode tackles the relationship we have with the voices inside our heads that purport to guide us.  The Films: 'Pinocchio' (2022) d. Guill...

How can going undercover threaten our identity? What kinds of people go undercover? Can we ever reach a point of no return when going undercover? Following recent discussions about the relationship between public opinion and living virtuously, this week's episode contemplates the efficacy of joining forces with our enemies to defeat them from within.   The Films: 'Mean Girls' (2004) d. Mark W...

Are the people we hate always our true enemies? Can personal flaws ever be a badge of honour? Are we adept at recognising hate in ourselves? Building on last week's conversation about the relationship between modern protectors and those they protect, this week's episode examines the power of a negative public image.   The Films: 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' (2001) d.  Chris...

What is the nature of state control in the 21st century? When do the ends justify the means? Can we simultaneously act righteously and avoid enemy attacks? Focusing specifically on films set in the mid to late 2000s, this week's episode contemplates the dangers and obligations of 21st century technocracies. Get in contact: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jim...

What is the relationship between people and space? How should we compartmentalise people and key life events? Can we meet people more than once? As we say goodbye to 2022, this week's episode examines the various ways independence, acceptance and romantic maturity are commonly explored in multiple films set in late December.  Get in contact: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com Instagram: https...

Under what circumstances do we seek isolation? Can systems designed to serve us ever imprison us? Can we ever be imprisoned by desire? As we enter the final weeks of December 2022, this week's episode examines the curious intersection of Christmas movies and the themes explored in the writings of Franz Kafka.     Get in contact: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com Instagram: https://...

How can social change be instantly ignited? Are human beings doomed to a prison of idealism? How should we act in the wake of annihilation? To conclude our two-week series on Russia, this week's episode focuses on the rise of the Soviet Union, the perennial dilemmas it failed to solve and the burdens of geopolitical heavyweights.  Get in contact: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com Instagram:...