Voiceover: Movies that Move Us

Gareth Higgins, a Reconciliation scholar from Belfast, Ireland, talks to Heather about Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru (1952), a film about a city bureaucrat who decides to build a playground for a local women's group. While Akira Kurosawa is best known for his samurai films, Ikiru won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Gareth Higgins' most recent book, co-authored with Kathleen Norris, is A Whol...

Kawika Allen and Leone Saaga joined Heather for a bonus discussion about Chief of War (2024) and Hawaiian spirituality. Chief of War is a limited series created by Jason Momoa for Apple TV that tells how the Hawaiian islands were unified under Kamehameha in the face of encroaching Western colonialism. Chief of War has won multiple awards, including from the Critic's Choice for Social Impact. Leone...

Nina McConigley talks to Heather about her new novel How to Commit a Post-Colonial Murder (Pantheon, 2026) and how her feelings have changed about Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca (1941). Rebecca is an adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 novel, which is itself a reworking of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, from 1847. And we only just realized that in this interview! Nina McConigley's short story collec...

Heather chats about three films playing on BYUtv: It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, The King's Speech, and Young Victoria. Hear a few things to look for in each of them and a little behind the scenes info about how they were made. Every month BYUtv adds new movies to their movie collection, available on the BYUtv app. Simply sign in and watch any number of films for free.

Aubrey Chaves chats with Heather about how Little Women influenced her as a young woman and how the film reads today, especially the power and wisdom of Marmee. They chat about which sister they identified with (as you do) and the stacked cast that made this film great. Aubrey Chaves serves on the executive board of the Faith Matters Foundation and co-hosts its weekly podcast with her husband, Tim...

Abby Olcese talks to Heather about Night of the Hunter (Laughton, 1955): the director's motivation, the use of music, the film's massive influence, and why it's a Christmas movie. Abby Olcese is the author of Films for All Seasons: Experiencing the Church Year at the Movies. She is also the film editor for The Pitch, a website and magazine serving the greater Kansas City, Missouri, area.

Movies can become part of your family's identity in a profound way. Heather chatted with her friend Kathy about how Kathy instituted LOTR Day, first as a chance to recover from the intensity of the December holiday onslaught, and then as a way to bring her family closer together. Kathy Weinzinger is a Senior Executive Assistant at Northern Arizona University’s Center for International Education. S...

Oindrila Mukherjee talks to Heather about Charulata, directed by Satyajit Ray from 1964 and adapted from Rabindranath Tagore’s 1901 novel Nastanir or The Broken Nest. The main character Charu was married before puberty and now as a young woman in her 20s, she blossoms as a writer under the guidance of her husband's cousin. But the film is a tragedy as it examines what it means for a woman to awake...

It's spring! That means baseball is in season. Cleon Wall joins Heather to discuss Field of Dreams (1989) and how the film attempts to show us what forgiveness, faith, and heaven can be in our lives. Cleon Wall produces Sports Programming at BYUradio and in the past was a sports journalist and podcaster for KSL.

Elizabeth Hansen, founder and owner of Dramafy, joins Heather for a discussion of the Leonard Bernstein classic West Side Story (1961) that includes why musicals reach us so deeply and who the real underdog is of this urban tragedy. West Side Story was the highest grossing film of 1961 and won 10 Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor & Actress, Art Direction, Cinematog...

Raj Mankad, Deputy Opinion Editor at the Houston Chronicle, talks to Heather about what Deepa Mehta's 1998 film Earth meant to him during America's Iraq & Afghanistan wars and what it means to him now. They chat about immigration, violence, and religious engagement, and why Raj wanted his teenage son to watch this movie with him. As deputy opinion editor at the Houston Chronicle, Raj Mankad won a...

Dr. Lee Harms, former Army Chaplain, talks to Heather about his connection to Band of Brothers (2001), a limited series created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. The series is adapted from Stephen Ambrose’s research of "Easy" Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. Easy Company landed at Normandy during World War II’s D-day and then spent the next...

Liberty Barnes, sociologist and ethnographer, joins Heather to discuss Hamnet (Zhao, 2025) and how the film demonstrates the importance of expressing grief. Liberty is the author of the forthcoming The Children’s Hospital: Healing America with Pediatric Love (Oxford University Press), which is the story of the development and culture of pediatric hospitals in the United States. It is also the stor...

Lex Rofeberg introduces Heather to Paddington II. They talk about how Paddington II is more than a delightful children's tale—it's a mirror reflecting our society's complexities. They analyze its commentary on immigration, incarceration, and the goodness in every person. And most importantly, Lex discusses how children's art can inspire us to be kinder and more connected in our communities. Lex Ro...

Hubbel Palmer joins Heather to discuss Terms of Endearment, a film that premiered the year his mother died of cancer. Hubbel and Heather discuss whether male writers can capture the honesty of women's lives. Hubbel Palmer is an American screenwriter. He is best known for writing A Minecraft Movie; Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life; Masterminds; and the Oscar-nominated short film Ninety-Fiv...

Heather reflects on how films have shaped her understanding of fatherhood, using five informal categories of movie dads: noble single fathers, absent dads, dead dads, and unprepared dads. Heather explores the tensions between fathers’ responsibilities to their children, their communities, and their own identities. These cinematic fathers, though exaggerated like modern fairy tales, tap into deep l...

Adam Jortner joins Heather to discuss Knives Out and the search for truth in the movie mystery genre and our lives today. Adam Jortner is a history professor by day and in his off hours a film instructor with Great Courses, where he explains the importance and history of the horror genre.

Shane Seggar joins Heather to talk about feeling shut out from the rom com experience in the 1990s. Today they tackle Sleepless in Seattle, While You Were Sleeping, and Notting Hill, some of the biggest romcoms of the decade. They also compare to the 2025 films Eternity and Materialists. Shane Seggar once worked in the film industry as an assistant director and location manager. Now he works with...

The Testament of Ann Lee is up for discussion on our first episode of season 2. Directed by Mona Fastvold (The World to Come, The Brutalist), the movie tells the story of Ann Lee, the leader of a Shaker group that journeyed to the American colonies in the 18th century. Heather talks to Caroline Johnson, whose research on the Shakers reveals what's historically accurate and what's not. More importa...

Here is what has caught Heather's eye, coming to a theater near you in 2026. Plus, movies turning 25 this year.

Heather wades into the debate about whether movies are better than books. Check out our YouTube channel for the full video experience.

Heather discusses the 2024 Novel "James" by Percival Everett and its potential cast for the upcoming film rumored to be directed by Taika Waititi. Added bonus: Heather talks about key things to consider when casting a movie. The book "James" is a rework of the American classic "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" from the perspective of Jim and won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

Heather heard there was a sincere discussion of religiosity in the satiric Wake Up Dead Man [Knives Out 3]. So she made the sacrifice for a 10am ticket at her local theater and watched the film to help prep you for the Netflix drop. What do you think? Is the film arguing for the benefits of religion, even if there have been so many problems created by religious institution and religious people (se...

Brian Tanner joins Heather to share how the empathy, sacrifice, and despair of the Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life continue to resonate with him and audiences generally. Brian is the producer of Kaboom, an audio drama anthology podcast, and Winner of 4 Signal Awards, including Best Kids Podcast, Best Road Trip Podcast, and Best Writing (Fiction)!

Simran Jeet Singh joins Heather to discuss Hidden Figures (Melfi, 2016) and how the film has meant even more to him as the father of daughters. Hidden Figures stars Taraji P Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae as Katherine Goble Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Mary at NASA whose work helped America win the 20th century Space Race against the USSR. Simran Jeet Singh is an Assistant Professor at...