December Worthwhile Stuff

📚 Books
Milton Place, Elisabeth de Waal: This is a wonderful post-war British novel written by the grandmother of the guy who wrote The Hare With Amber Eyes. I love the three main characters in this book, and even though their lives within a country house seem quite simple, there is so much going on emotionally just below the surface, which makes this book an unexpected page-turner. Highly recommended, but you might have to order it from England.

A Season for Second Chances, Jenny Bayliss: This is a sweet, cozy autumn-winter romance with a strong female protagonist. While it’s not as overtly Christmas-y as the romances I usually go for at this time of year, it’s still very enjoyable and festive thanks to a cast of quirky characters and its seaside setting.

🎶 Music
Indigo, RM: This was one of my most anticipated albums of the year (even though I had less than a month to anticipate it, since it wasn't announced until November 10th), and it does not disappoint. In a letter to ARMY, RM requests "I hope that you will listen to it chronologically" and Indigo is truly best enjoyed as a full album. Even though myriad genres are represented across the album, it is a cohesive artistic statement. It took me a while to settle on a "favorite" song, but "Hectic" tends to catch my ear every time I listen to the album, and "Still Life" is wonderfully upbeat with a catchy English chorus. The lead single "Wildflower" is also pretty great, with a soaring chorus from guest vocalist youjeen; "Closer" is filled with aching and longing; "Forg_tful" and "No.2" are lovely folk ballads; "All Day" is a fun and energetic hip-hop track, and opening track "Yun" sets up the manifesto of the album. "Lonely" and "Change pt. 2" are infinitely relatable, and they are the only solo tracks on the album. Like Calvin Harris, RM is adept at choosing collaborators who add a great deal of depth to the tracks to which they lend their voices or production skills, resulting in an album with so many layers that new ones unfold themselves with each listening experience.


🎤 🎭 Performance
Eddie Izzard Performs Charles Dickens' Great Expectations: This show answers the unasked question of "What would it be like if Eddie Izzard's wry and intellectual stand-up style was applied to a Victorian novel?" And the answer is that it makes a long, convoluted story accessible and digestible, just the way Dickens himself must have done on his reading tours. Izzard brings warmth, humor, and tenderness to her performance of this classic book, and she is spellbinding to watch on stage as she deploys a wondrous range of gestures and facial expressions, big and small, to bring characters to life. I was thoroughly captivated by this wonderfully nuanced and carefully crafted performance that conjures marshes, mansions, and bustling city streets out of thin air.


🎬 Film
Return to Seoul: This film is a fascinating character study of a young woman unsure of who she is, where she belongs, and what she wants out of life. There are so many deeply emotional and moving scenes, and the scenes in which characters struggle to communicate with one another due to not only language barriers, but also an inability to identify and express their feelings are especially illuminating.

The Fabelmans: Based on the trailer, I wasn't all that excited to see this film, but I felt I *had* to because it's Spielberg. And now I'm very glad to have seen it because it is one of the very best movies of the year. I was expecting to find this movie interesting because it's about filmmaking, but I fell in love with it because it's really about growing up Jewish in America, and it was completely relatable -- and hilarious, in so many moments -- for me. Thoughtful details like a samovar in the corner of an LA apartment (and shots framed so it stands out) are small touches that go such a long way. It also helped that I saw The Fabelmans at a cinema in NYC with a bunch of other Jews (at least this is what I am surmising, based on the moments and lines at which my fellow audience members laughed). Gabriel LaBelle is pitch perfect as Sammy Fabelman -- he's a character I would love to hang out and chat with. The insight on filmmaking and the classic coming of age story are expertly executed because it's Spielberg after all, but the way the film presents deep human and cultural truths that allowed me to connect with it and relate to its characters in a deep and meaningful way is priceless. 

 

Living: This deceptively simple film is given great depth by Bill Nighy's masterful, controlled performance. His character begins so restrained and resigned that it is a great joy to watch him smile as he discovers small joys in the world around him. Ultimately, Living is a great reminder that each individual can have an impact -- on those around them and on the world, or a small corner of it -- greater than they realize or comprehend. The structure of the film brings this message to life in an effective, tender, and subtle way. This wonderful film is a lovely way to bring one year to a close and face the next with optimism and hope.

Broker: I was very moved by this film about found-family and unwanted children. The film manages to be equal parts lighthearted and deeply thought-provoking. All the performances are fantastic, but Song Kang-ho and Gang Dong-won give especially expressive and layered performances as characters who evolve greatly over the course of the film. Im Seung-soo is also wonderful as the plucky youngest member of the make-shift family. Seeing different parts of Korea during the characters' journey was also interesting, but the tough moral questions at the center of this film are what make it so impactful.