Things to soak in

I read this morning that Ana de Armas is dating Tom Cruise and said out loud to my phone, "Oh girl no." Let's all send a message into the ether that she will hopefully receive in her dreams: Walk away now before they strap you to an E-meter!

I've got a doozy of a movie for you today so let's waste no more time on religious zealots.

🎥 The Swimmer (Criterion, Prime rental)
Run don't walk to your television sets and queue this up immediately. The premise is that a man decides he's going to get back to his house in Connecticut by swimming through all his neighbors' pools. Kind of like the journey Ferris Bueller took to beat his sister home. (John Huges definitely loves this movie.) But it doesn't take long to realize you're watching something very different unfold. A hero's odyssey set against a backdrop of mid-century American suburbia, this is a satire of capitalism that is so dry it feels at times like you're the butt of the joke. There is a sub-plot about a family named Bizwanger and their hot dog wagon, for god's sake. It has all the awkward film tricks of the late 60s - extreme close-ups, treacly acting, parties with AMAZING dancing - but they are more than worth it for a plot twist that will make you want to watch the whole thing again.

📖 Absolution
And to keep the mid-century going, check out Alice McDermott's Absolution, a book about military wives in Vietnam during the war. I recommended this in the Sharp Skirts newsletter last week because the way she navigates the narrative is an interesting writing trick. It didn't always work for me but I appreciate the craft in it. And the story is good enough to keep you around.

🎥 Exhibiting Forgiveness (Hulu)
This is a good movie about family and working through old wounds but what gave it the extra oomph for me was the production design. The main character is a successful painter and his house and studio and car and clothes are all gorrr-geous. The singer Andra Day plays his wife and wrote the music so you're really just swimming around in beauty while he navigates some painful emotional territory. Turns out the director and writer of the film painted all the character's works, which makes it even better.

Have a great week, my friends.

xoxo,
Carla