ESSAYS
Personal stories, analyses, and explorations.
Jimin’s Muse: Perfect, Blue
‘Muse’ is not Jimin saying, “I was sad, but now I’m happy and in love.” It is, instead, a refreshingly honest look at how one emerges from a low point—a cautious, curious exploration of how to love and be loved again.
Maybe the Real Friends Are the Monsters We Made Along the Way
The kids riding bikes, the crawling through gutters, the guardrails, the fence, the isolation in a crowd—when I saw “Domodachi,” I saw Hirokazu Koreeda’s 2023 film Monster echoing through every frame. It is a reference I did not expect and a word I have not related to Namjoon for a long time.
The Liminal Shades of ‘Monkey Man’
From the onset of the film, its protagonist—Kid, played by Dev Patel—is placed in the context of the animal-human-god trichotomy.
Love is a Losing Game
It’s safe to say we rarely see tennis through a lens like this. While broadcasted tennis matches commonly use overhead shots, capturing most of the game from a safe distance, the points of view in the Art v. Patrick match become more and more diverse over time, gradually diminishing personal space to reveal the secrets and motives of the characters one by one.
‘May December,’ the Frog Prince, and Adultification
Joe is a rich character, haunted without fully knowing it, and so many of Melton’s acting choices—from his manner of speaking to his body language—echo those unseen burdens.