12.17.20

The 33 Project

Earlier this week I released my second short film, Knock Me Down. It’s a film about a boxing coach and actor trying to make sense of his life. I wrote it while wrestling with a stuck-ness that I’ve found doesn’t really ever go away. Things happen, then they don’t, then they do again. It’s rarely something exciting or life-changing. I guess that’s the big secret of aging.

It’s complicated because exciting popular content often focuses instead on the exceptions. Not on rules. Not on the daily grind. There are a few directors that have made exceptional work of the “rule.” I’m thinking of Chloe Zhao with The Rider (though it’s not lost on me that the catalyst for that film is a life-altering event) or pretty much all of Kelly Reichardt’s films. I guess this is, like, mumblecore, too. It’s just hard to align my interests with that ish. Because, obviously. Anyway, just something I’ve been sitting with for a while and working through. So yeah, distraction one for this week, is my short!

1/ Knock Me Down. Available for free on vimeo. Let me know what you think of it.

2/ I can’t stop listening to Talk Easy. This podcast is just so wonderful and the conversations are so stimulating. I really loved Holland Taylor’s episode and despite the horrific background noises, I loved Amy Seimetz’s episode as well. It’s a wonderful podcast.

3/ Lastly, I really liked this piece, from a while back, about food. I recently finished the Ruby season of Bake Off and I’ve considered getting her cookbook. This piece jumps around a lot, but at its core explores how we think about food and disordered eating. It’s never as simple as feeling just one way or another. You’re never just one thing. I always appreciate a statement pushing for the acceptance of complexity over simplicity.

That’s all for this week.