FilmStack Challenge #5
Cinematic surprises and second chances....how talking about cinema changes us....
Every month us FilmStackers are given a challenge or a writing prompt, by one of our fellow FilmStackers, to answer on our own. When we all answer with our individual ideas and post them, it creates this amazing extended joint post/conversation about film. And it’s quickly become one of my favorite things on here each month!
This month’s challenge came from
:
So, for this challenge, I would like you to share a conversation, an article, a podcast, an interview, or any experience that gave you a redefined insight - and therefore a renewed appreciation of a film.
This could be as fundamental as completely changing your mind about a film you didn’t like on first watch (as I alluded to in the title), or it could be a subtler moment: reading, watching, or discussing something that allowed you to access a different way of thinking about a film, or even about cinema as a whole. It might even be a fleeting spark of perception that made you absolutely have to see a film you were previously indifferent about.
One of the things I love most about cinema is how it sparks conversation, hence the name of my newsletter: Talk Cinema, Save Cinema. It is through these conversations and dialogues about cinema, both internal and with others, thatI find myself continually growing, learning, and even changing my perspective. Not just my perspective about cinema but at times my perspective about life.
That said, even knowing how transformative those conversations can be, I have to say this challenge really challenged me. Mostly, probably due to overthinking and trying to come up with the perfect example. See, I know it has happened to me countless times throughout my life but pinpointing specific details, articles or interviews or recalling exactly when or where feels nearly impossible, especially with my not so great long term memory. But that’s what these are for right?! I mean they are called challenges after all, so here’s my go at it…..
The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of how to answer this isn’t just an article or an interview, it’s a person. I was fortunate enough to cross paths with a man named Thomas Ethan Harris many years ago while working for Filmmakers Alliance. Thomas has had a profound impact on many filmmakers and the world of cinema in many ways. He was Co-Creator/former Director of Programming of the Los Angeles Film Festival (1995-2020), he is a written and Visual Property Consultant and Film Producer, whose feature credits include the original Blair With Project (1999), George Washington (2000), Juno (2007), Blue Valentine (2010) and he also developed an extraordinary seminar series on visual and aural design in cinema through the American Cinematheque. Although this series is not currently going, we are working on bringing it back and can’t wait to share it with all of you when we do.
Although I’m a film school graduate, I often say that I truly learned how to watch, write, and make films through Thomas. He is more than a consultant, he’s a muse.
Thomas taught me how to read films. How to understand visual language, cinematic design, and the emotional context beneath the surface. He introduced me to films I might never have discovered on my own. Ambitious works that weren’t always perfect, but that dared to try something new, to communicate in ways that expanded my understanding of what cinema could be. Much of my taste in film and my sensibility as a filmmaker, has been shaped by his influence.
So knowing people who love cinema and love talking about cinema in a deep way really helps to expand your own mind as it comes to cinema. I am fortunate to have several of these people in mine.
Which leads me to a recent, more specific example of this that happened with the animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters on Netflix. While trying to figure out what to watch one day, my kids saw an ad for it and were immediately curious. I dismissed it without a second thought. I hadn’t even watched the full trailer, I just caught a glimpse of it and assumed it was some shallow animated series about glamorous pop stars who also hunt demons, the kind of thing that might inspire my kids to idolize fame, beauty, and wealth for all the wrong reasons.
Then I received a text from a friend of mine who, although not a filmmaker herself, is incredibly insightful and thoughtful when it comes to watching films and someone I genuinely believe should be a filmmaker. Her message completely changed my mind.
Here’s the full message:
Just finished processing after watching the animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters on Netflix.
I think this could be a great one for the kids; not only is it PG, but it really speaks to how even people in the limelight can feel othered or ashamed of parts of themselves.
To me, it felt like a personal reflection - mature in theme, but still completely kid-appropriate. It’s not an “adult” film, just one that sprinkles beautiful shards of lived truth of being othered throughout a story about defeating evil through friendship and music.
Like most Netflix movies, it has some narrative holes (not everything is explained), but it’s gorgeously animated and full of heart. I especially appreciated how it portrays the characters:
- The girls pig out before a concert without a whiff of body shame — it's a joyful, unapologetic moment about fueling your body.
- The boy band does get briefly objectified (mostly for laughs), but that turns into an overarching joke about appearances being deceiving.
- The main character lives with inner shame about being “part demon,” and overcomes it not by erasing herself, but by embracing all of who she is. Her voice only returns when she stops hiding.
The music is also really catchy. Like most K-pop, it’s mostly in English with some Korean lines woven in. One track, “Takedown,” is meant to insult the rival demon boy band, but the main character actually ends up telling her bandmates they can't use the song. She thinks hate isn't how you win. That song ends up being used against her, in a really powerful scene where the demons impersonate her bandmates and weaponize her shame during a performance. It's like an allegory for being careful of what you put out into the world, and how it gets reflected back at you.
It doesn’t dive deep into toxic fan culture, though there are hints - and when things get weird, the main girls do cringe appropriately. I also really loved how the characters don’t always make “pretty” faces. Their expressions are emotional, honest, even awkward sometimes, and it makes the whole movie feel more grounded and real.
Anyways, just thought I'd share that.
Wow! My mind was blown. I ended up watching the movie with my kids, and with the help of her notes it sparked some really thoughtful conversations afterward. Since then, they’ve been watching it on repeat for weeks, and damn those songs are catchy as hell. I’m so glad my friend sent that message and challenged my assumptions. It turned out to be a fun and valuable viewing experience for the whole family, and one we would’ve completely missed if I hadn’t been nudged to give it a chance.
This not only shows how valuable it is to stay open, especially when someone you trust sees something worth paying attention to, but it also shows how having a bit of context before watching a film can really make the experience more meaningful.
That’s something I’d love to build into a screening series someday, whether it’s someone giving a quick intro before the film or just having a little write-up available in the lobby. Nothing that spoils the film, just something to help enrich the viewing by giving you themes or ideas to look out for.
These days, there are so many films out there and our time is limited, so it’s rare to get the chance to watch something more than once. For me, that first viewing is usually about being fully immersed in the characters and the story, which means at times, some of the deeper visual or thematic stuff kind is harder to access. I mean it’s there and I feel it, but to really notice it consciously and be able to articulate it accurately, usually takes a second viewing. So I think having a little heads-up going in, some things to be aware of, could really help you take in more of what the film is doing the first time.
That said, I also love discovering things on my own. So for folks who are like that, the info could always be something to read after the screening. Either way, the idea is just to spark deeper conversations and connections around the film, because that’s often where the real power of cinema happens.
One last example of this that I’ll share, came from this post by
about Back to the Future Part II.
Every Saturday night, we do a movie night with the kids. We had just watched Back to the Future and it was the next weekend, and naturally time for the sequel. As Charlotte’s post discusses, like most people, we initially wrote this one off as the weakest of the bunch. We almost didn’t even show it to our kids. But out of a sense of cinematic completeness, my husband and I both being filmmakers, we decided that even if it wasn’t great they should still see it.
Then, right after we watched it, Charlotte’s article came out. I honestly wish we had read it beforehand, it would’ve totally reframed how we experienced the film. But I had rewatched it recently enough where after reading I could look back on the film with this new knowledge that Charlotte gave me and see that:
Back to the Future Part II is actually a metatextual masterwork, and why Zemeckis might actually be a secret time traveller himself, since he was sick of the current state of filmmaking long before we ever had to bear the brunt of it.
Thanks to this post, I was able to recognize the hidden brilliance in a film I had once dismissed. Really just about all of Charlotte’s posts do that, so you should really subscribe to The Treatment if you haven’t already.
In cinema, knowledge and context can make all the difference, so seek them out, stay open, and the experience can be way more rewarding.
I would also like to thank all of you here for sharing your thoughts and knowledge and for giving me so much to think about and so many things to expand my cinematic world with daily…..THANK YOU!!!
Much love, Amanda!
Amanda! You're so sweet.
Thank you for sharing my text on K-Pop Demon Hunters! I didn't realize how much that resonated with you. I kinda just immediately wanted to talk to you about it after I saw it, and I'm glad it helped change your mind. Your insights and shares in this article have been really lovely, and enlightening. Keep posting!