Shows
Her Head in FilmsMichael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's 'The Red Shoes' (1948)In this episode, I talk about Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s 1948 film, "The Red Shoes." It centers on Vicky Page, a young ballet dancer whose extraordinary talent brings her into a world where art demands total devotion and where love and ambition collide.I discuss "The Red Shoes" as a meditation on artistic calling, female ambition, and the desire for greatness. I’m interested in how the film portrays a woman who refuses to live a small life, and what happens when her boundless creative drive cannot be contained by the world around her.If y...
2026-02-031h 20Her Head in FilmsDianne Jackson's 'The Snowman' (1982)In this episode, I talk about Dianne Jackson's beloved 1982 animated film, "The Snowman." Adapted from Raymond Briggs’s wordless book, the film follows a young boy who builds a snowman that comes to life, and together they share a brief night of wonder and connection. I reflect on how the film holds both joy and tenderness, and how its playful scenes have brought me comfort during my first Christmas without my mother. She was my last remaining parent, and watching this film has helped me think about memory, grief, and the impermanence of life. I hope this epi...
2025-12-071h 00Her Head in FilmsFrancis Ford Coppola's 'The Conversation' (1974)In this episode, I talk about Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 film, "The Conversation." The film follows Harry Caul, a wiretapper in San Francisco who becomes obsessed with a recording he’s made of a young couple in a crowded park. As Harry pieces together fragments of their conversation, he’s drawn into a spiral of paranoia, guilt, and loneliness.I explore what makes "The Conversation" a masterpiece—not just as a film about surveillance and paranoia, but as an intimate character study. I talk about Harry’s profound loneliness, his complicity in his own alienation, and the psychic to...
2025-11-041h 12Her Head in FilmsA Special Announcement: Join Me on PatreonIn this special episode, I talk about why I’ve launched a new Patreon for Her Head in Films. This isn’t just about supporting a podcast—it’s about helping me stay afloat in a very difficult and uncertain time in my life. After losing my mom and becoming the sole provider for my household, I’m trying to rebuild from nothing. I work multiple jobs, and I’m doing everything I can to survive while continuing to create something meaningful.This podcast is my soul work. It’s how I stay alive. It’s the archive of my em...
2025-10-1407 minHer Head in FilmsRainer Werner Fassbinder's 'The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant' (1972)In this episode, I talk about Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1972 film, "The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant." The film tells the story of Petra, a successful fashion designer in a complicated and obsessive relationship with a younger woman named Karin. Set almost entirely in Petra’s apartment, the film unravels the entanglements of power, desire, and emotional dependency.This episode is one of my most personal. I reflect on the ways the film mirrors an experience I had with unrequited love—an experience that consumed me for over two years. I talk about the madness and chaos...
2025-10-071h 37Her Head in FilmsHayao Miyazaki's 'Kiki's Delivery Service' (1989)In this episode, I talk about Hayao Miyazaki’s 1989 film, 'Kiki’s Delivery Service.' It’s about a 13-year-old witch who must spend a year away from home, learning to live independently and share her gifts. As Kiki opens a delivery service and begins to grow weary and uncertain, she meets women who offer her refuge, wisdom, and friendship. I talk about how this film explores what it means to lose your magic and to slowly find it again. I recorded this at a time when I’m learning to believe in myself again after great loss.All My...
2025-09-021h 20Her Head in FilmsHayao Miyazaki's 'My Neighbor Totoro' (1988)In this episode, I talk about Hayao Miyazaki’s 1988 film, "My Neighbor Totoro." It’s about two young girls who discover magical forest spirits after moving to a rural home with their father to be closer to their hospitalized mother. I recorded this episode in the wake of my own mother’s death, and I speak about how grief has shaped my experience of the film. I talk about watching the entire Studio Ghibli catalog and reflect on childhood, absence, and how nature and cinema offer solace when nothing else can.All My Sources:Hayao Miyazaki, The Au...
2025-08-051h 10Her Head in FilmsIngmar Bergman's 'Cries and Whispers' (1972)In this episode, I talk about Ingmar Bergman’s 1972 film, "Cries and Whispers," a haunting and intimate portrait of a woman dying and the people around her. I begin by sharing about my own mother’s death, how I was with her to the very end, and how this film has taken on a deeper resonance for me now.Though the episode was recorded before her cancer diagnosis and passing, I was already in the role of caregiver. I reflect on how "Cries and Whispers" captures the loneliness of illness, the coldness we sometimes encounter in the worl...
2025-07-011h 29Her Head in FilmsLife Update: My Mom's Cancer DiagnosisNote: My mother passed away on June 14th, 2025. Thank you to those who sent her a card or reached out to me. I have removed the Google document that is mentioned in this episode.This isn’t a film episode. It’s a personal update. My mom has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and I’m using this space to speak honestly about what that means for me, and what I’m carrying right now. We've been told that she has six to nine months left. This is a devastating and heartbreaking time for me. Thank you for list...
2025-05-1838 minHer Head in FilmsFrédéric Back's 'The Man Who Planted Trees' (1987)In this episode, I talk about Frédéric Back's 1987 Academy Award-winning animated short film, "The Man Who Planted Trees." Adapted from a book by Jean Giono, it tells the story of a French shepherd who plants trees for decades and revitalizes an entire region. It's a film about how to live, how to care for the earth, and how to make the world a better place through small but meaningful acts. This has become one of my favorite films of all time because of the way it inspires me to think about what I want to con...
2024-09-201h 07Her Head in FilmsDelbert Mann's 'Marty' (1955)In this episode, I talk about Delbert Mann's precious 1955 film, "Marty." It tells the story of Marty, a 34-year-old butcher who has struggled all his life to find love. One night, he meets Clara, a woman who can relate to his loneliness. This is a film about the pain of invisibility and the power of connection. It's about what it means to finally feel seen after a lifetime of rejection.This is a deeply personal episode for me, but it's one that I hope reaches anyone who might need to hear it and to be reminded that...
2024-08-171h 11Her Head in FilmsFranco Piavoli's 'Voices Through Time' (1996)In this episode, I talk about Franco Piavoli's luminous 1996 documentary, "Voices Through Time." It captures the daily life of the inhabitants of a small Italian village. From children playing in the woods to lovers kissing in the grass to couples rapturously dancing, Piavoli shows us the human condition in all its richness and beauty. My episode is a tribute to this life-affirming work of art, and it is a manifesto on what it means to be fully alive and how art saves us and even heals us.This is my first episode in 3 years. I d...
2024-08-0256 min