Hello Void People!
Welcome back to another outing of Thoughts for the Void. Autumn is well and truly upon us - the leaves are falling, the clocks have gone back, and it is a lovely time of year to fall in love with film. This might be a shorter post than usual - but in this episode, I just want an excuse to talk about one of my very favourite filmmakers, Paul Thomas Anderson, and in particular one of my very favourite films - the 1999 character epic that is Magnolia.
Fate, Forgiveness and Falling Frogs
A few weeks back I went to the local cinema on a quiet afternoon to check out PTA’s latest film One Battle After Another - a mad Pynchonian caper that feels entirely fitting in our current era of conspiracy jitters and societal disappointment. It’s bigger than a typical PTA flick, but still has his small, focused love of character.
Most of PTA’s films somehow manage to conjure up this emotional magic despite their nebulous and shifting focus. From Phantom Thread, to There Will be Blood, The Master to Punch Drunk Love. But my very favourite of his filmography does it more vivaciously than the rest - Magnolia - a sprawling bonanza of character drama like no other, a whirlpool of broken people and life decisions that always brings me to tears and reminds me of what film can do for you when life happens.
“I really do have love to give, I just don’t know where to put it”
Quiz Kid Donnie Smith
I first saw Magnolia on DVD when I was a melancholic but romantic 18-year-old - the whizzing camera moves, thumping momentum and Aimee Mann soundtrack hit me at just the right time. The character struggles and imperfections were wrapped together in a kind of frenzied madness that felt all too real. From the cocaine addled Claudia, to the dying and bored Earl Partridge - the film is grand in scope (covering fate, addiction, grief, acceptance and more importantly, forgiveness) but still small and personal. For me, it was a film about broken humans and one which made sense of the world in a way that my own brain could not.
A year prior, I’d watched my grandfather pass away from lung cancer in a similar fashion to the character of Earl Partidge. When Magnolia came along, it was one of the first experiences I had where art (and specifically film) had helped me process it - it helped me come to terms with a world that felt all too big and confusing. The reflections on death and grief - the dread of it, as well as the dreariness of it - felt so utterly honest and plain that I was finally able to face the experience. It was a formative film in so many ways, and since Magnolia, film has become a kind of escape and support for me in those moments.
After my father’s death during the pandemic, it was Charlotte Wells’ beautiful Aftersun which acted as a similar support. Another heartbreaking film that helped me process the terrible confusion of life in a way that no therapy or other support could.
So, all of this is simply to say, go watch some Paul Thomas Anderson. He makes films for the living. Phantom Thread is always my recommendation if you’ve never seen a PTA film. It’s wonderful and digestible. But for me, Magnolia will always be my favourite. It might be messy and have its issues, but it is the film that taught me something about loss, life and the bits in-between. The first film that really comforted me in the face of life’s never-ending challenges.
“We may be through with the past, but the past ain’t through with us”
Narrator
Things of Note
On that rather self-serious and dour note, I’d like to leave you with some other recommendations from things I’ve enjoyed this past month. Enjoy!
BBC Archives
Firstly, if you aren’t subscribed to the BBC Archives Youtube channel then you’ve messed up. It’s a great source of strange reflection - like an Adam Curtis feed on the state of a failing nation.
Brian Eno on AI
I recently saw this interview with Brian Eno who had some interesting things to say about technology and AI. Specifically around the question of - “Are you playing the technology or is the technology playing you?”
The Real (Economic) AI Apocolypse is Nigh
I know I said I’d shut up about AI here, but I recently read this wonderful article by Cory Doctorow which seemed to hit on some important points.
“AI cannot do your job, but an AI salesman can 100% convince your boss to fire you and replace you with an AI that can’t do your job, and when the bubble bursts, the money-hemorrhaging “foundation models” will be shut off and we’ll lose the AI that can’t do your job, and you will be long gone, retrained or retired or “discouraged” and out of the labor market, and no one will do your job. AI is the asbestos we are shoveling into the walls of our society and our descendants will be digging it out for generations”
Sven Mikulec on Magnolia
This wonderful article discusses Magnolia much better than I ever could so go read it - https://cinephiliabeyond.org/magnolia-paul-thomas-andersons-absorbing-mosaic-compassion-humanity-importance-forgiveness/
The Girl with the Needle
And lastly, another film recommendation. A while ago, I watched The Girl with the Needle and very much enjoyed it. Dark, sinister and full of gothic dread.
That’s all from me. Remember to get outside and soak up some Vitamin D now that the nights are drawing in. Until next time, stay safe and stay sane.
Jordan
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