#9 Culture Fix
On Cannes Festival as an episode of Dix pour Cent, Viggo Mortensen as the ultimate Spanish anti-hero, Bridgerton 3, the latest gem from Italian cinema and Maggie Nelson's Bluets coming to the stage.
The Culture Fix is the place where I share the books, films, music, articles, interviews, plays, exhibitions, places, and even food, I’ve enjoyed recently.
Recommendations may refer to content in either English, Spanish, French or Italian and sometimes not available in English. But since this is a publication called Abroad written by a multilingual foreigner in London, and hopefully appealing to those curious to explore beyond their own borders, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Have you too watched the first part of Bridgerton 3 four times already or are you normal?
I told myself I’d wait until all episodes were out but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. I wish I hadn’t, but I did and now that episode 4 ending has left me wanting more of the apparently upcoming unmasking of Lady Whistledown and whether Eloise and Penelope will rekindle their friendship in this season.
Besides, I’m a total sucker for I can be partial to a good “friends to lovers” trope and I’ve quite enjoyed seeing Colin and Penelope getting closer and being more honest with their true feelings for each other. I’ve enjoyed it so much in fact that I’ve written a whole post about it to tell you why the Polin pairing (don’t blame me, I don’t choose the shipping names) and this season are perhaps the best yet.
What Bridgerton 3 can teach us about screen representation, body positivity and healthy masculinity
Although there are still four more episodes to go, Bridgerton Season 3 might end up becoming my favourite so far. And I thought nothing could beat Kanthony and this series-defining scene in Season 2.
The wait for the final four episodes is made more bearable thanks to lots of chaotic interviews with the cast as well as videos on how the set was built and calligraphy doubles, who apparently are quite difficult to source. Who would have thought?
As you read these lines I’ll be probably en route to do some people watching at the terrace of Les Deux Magots while listening to the song that has been my soundtrack these past days.
As the saying goes “I came to Paris for work and I stayed for the pains au chocolat”1
I already visited earlier in the week for a coffee, where I spoke to a nice lady from Avignon seated next to me and who shared my belief that this is a far superior viewpoint than the nearby Café de Flore. As we go through the pros and cons of the two most famous Parisian coffee dens (including which one has the best toilets, because all counts), she mentions that if I like tea I should visit The Tea Caddy2, a tea salon opened by an English woman in the 1960s and with beautiful interiors.
Both Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore happen to be a stone’s throw from L’écume des pages, one of my favourite bookshops in Paris.
You too can get a glimpse of L’écume des pages without travelling to Paris as it is featured in Season 3, episode 2 of Dix pour Cent (Call My Agent). Monica Bellucci steps inside the bookshop to flirt with a bookseller in her quest to find love with a normal man. Not even she succeeds in this endeavour which proves that finding a potential romantic interest in a bookshop is only realistic in my imagination3.
I’m seeing my sister par chance as she’s flying back from a conference in Oslo and stopping in Paris briefly while I am here. This is our first time together in Paris since she relocated to a different town in France after over 10 years of Parisian dwelling. There’s an “end of an era” feeling marking this encounter as Paris became a home away from home for us as we got to spend more time together in this city than any other place over the past decade.
C’est la vie, I guess.
Last but not least, since the last issue of The Culture Fix I have also published a new issue of my tech newsletter discussing the death tech and grief tech sectors and the role AI is playing in changing the way we approach a process that has remained pretty much the same since time immemorial. This has been a fascinating topic of conversation at the tech conference I’m attending in Paris, where AI is present all over and across any sector, and it has led to a great chat on religion, conversion to Catholicism and a call to action to watch Father Ted.
Not bad.
Short Reads
— Is Napoli ruined by overtourism?
— I went undercover as a secret OnlyFans chatter
— The age of Instagram face
— The death of the death of the novel
— 24 ways to make adulting easier and more fun
— The millennial body image curse
— Nicola Coughlan on why she was told to lie about her age and why she asked to be “very naked” in Bridgerton 3
— Why we are still so fascinated by Patricia Highsmith’s creations
— The many careers of Doddie Smith
— The Yard Theatre is to build a new permanent home in Hackney Wick
— A Willy Wonka reality competition show is coming to Netflix (can’t be worse than the Willy Wonka Glasgow experience, whose epic fiasco has inspired a documentary as well as a musical)
— TikTok is to start watermarking when content has been made using AI.
— Ukraine unveils AI-generated foreign ministry spokesperson.
Books
— Tres enigmas para la organización by Eduardo Mendoza
Of all Spanish writers to have lived after Quevedo and Cervantes, Eduardo Mendoza is their most advanced student as he has come to master the art of novela picaresca, of which his latest novel is yet another example and full of the delirious adventures and string of peculiar characters that have become the trademark of some of his best and most hilarious writing. As it’ll take a while to get translated into English, I invite you to explore his previous books already available in the language of Shakespeare, such as City of Wonders, which is perhaps his masterpiece and an ode to Barcelona, a city whose essence he’s captured on the page multiple times like only those who intimately know a place can.
Cannes Festival Special
The latest edition of Cannes Festival has left us with two moments where life imitates art in a way that is extremely satisfying to see as it involves women taking the stage, being their extraordinary selves and unreservedly supporting each other.
The first of these moments was served by Camille Cotin, who in her role of Maitresse des Cérémonies opened the 77th edition of the festival with a speech that reminded me of the episode of Dix Pour Cent (Call My Agent) where Andrea Martel has to accompany Juliette Binoche to Cannes and prevent her from falling prey of the very same practices Cottin warns are no longer acceptable etiquette at this annual gathering.
The second moment also made me think of that same episode of Dix pour Cent where Juliette Binoche is the one to play the Maitresse des Cérémonies at Cannes while trying to escape the unwanted attentions of a producer. In the series, Binoche eventually ends up on stage, a bit distressed, but quickly collects herself and uses the opportunity to draw attention to all female nominees and thanking them for their extraordinary and necessary work to change the way we look at women in life and on the screen. In real life, a visibly emotional Juliette Binoche reproduced her ode to women’s accomplishments in the industry as she addressed her admired Meryl Streep before handing her an honorary Palme D’Or.
Films
— Femme
Whatever I can say about this film doesn’t do justice to the extraordinary performances of George MacKay and Nathan Stewart-Jarret in this erotic psycho thriller. Hard to believe this is a debut for directors Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping, who really know how to keep you on your toes until the very last second. In Femme we follow how the lives of Jules (a drag performer played by Stweart-Jarret) and Preston (a closeted gay passing as an alpha male played by MacKay) cross over one fatidic night and the impact this will have on each of them as they cross paths again in a gay sauna. If you can only watch one film until the next Culture Fix, go for this one.
— Palazzina LAF
Italian cinema is having quite a year and after There is Still Tomorrow (Paola Cortellesi), Io Capitano (Matteo Garrone) and La Chimera (Alice Rohrwacher), I bring to your attention another gem coming from Il Bel Paese. Actor Michele Riondino makes his directorial debut with a film that denounces the abuses committed against workers at the ILVA factory in Taranto, where 79 qualified employees were confined to a building known as Palazzina LAF as punishment for refusing to sign a new clause in their job contracts that would have effectively demoted them to unqualified workers. Riondino captures the slow but steady erosion this forced confinement and the lack of purpose had on employees’ morale as well as how unqualified workers failed to grasp the seriousness of this situation and instead came to regard it as aspirational, ignoring how it contributed to enslave everyone. Palazzina LAF is a political film but also a love letter to Taranto and to the hope for a better future. Michele Riondino and Elio Germano have received a David di Donatello for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor respectively for their work and La Mia Terra by Diodato has been awarded Best Original Song. If your Italian is good enough, I invite you to watch Michele Riondino discuss the film further, as well as the real events that inspired it, in this video.
— The Fall Guy
In a recent interview Ryan Gosling said that he “realized that I have this opportunity to actually make the kind of films that made me love movies.” I’m really glad for him and for everyone who has joined him in this action-packed adventure, which has briefly brought to mind The Gray Man due to an equally impressive number of action scenes. However, the best thing Gosling’s ever said about that movie is that there were lots of snacks. His heart wasn’t clearly in it and if you’ve seen the film you can’t blame him. The Fall Guy is quite a different story and I couldn’t disagree more with a 2-star review I’ve read. This movie does what it says in the tin: the premise may be simple, but it’s fun, entertaining, the action makes sense because the main character is stuntman who is quite endearing but ultimately very good at his job, which is a clever way to drive the plot forward. Above all The Fall Guy is a homage to the series and movies that Gosling, who produces the film, and director David Leitch grew up watching and loving, as well as to the invisible work of stunt doubles and all of that transpires on screen. To the point that no one moved an inch from their seats when the credits rolled as we all wanted to see the behind the scenes extra takes despite those calling the movie a flop as it’s based on an IP that holds little interest for anyone below 50. As someone well below 50, and despite probably missing many references, I enjoyed this film. And when that Miami Vice scene and soundtrack kicked in, I was smiling from ear to ear.
And also…
— Viggo Mortensen was introduced in my life when a flatmate I had a university fell in love with Lord of the Rings, which to this date I still can’t be bothered to watch or read. However, he did get all my attention when he was cast in Alatriste, where he incarnated captain Diego Alatriste y Tenorio, a XVII century swordsman and soldier created by Arturo Perez-Reverte and the embodiment of the ultimate Spanish anti-hero4. I confess I’ve listened to Mortensen in more in interviews (almost always in Spanish as he masters it) than I have seen him in films. He has such a soothing presence as well as down-to-earth outlook on life and his craft that it is always reassuring to hear his voice for a while without too many things distracting you from it. Here’s a recent interview of him (in Spanish) talking about all things art while presenting the latest movie he’s directed The Dead Don’t Hurt (coming to the UK in June) and sipping a bit of mate, obvio.
Podcasts
— Very interesting episode on La Voix du Live exploring the relationship between publishing and luxury, two industries traditionally on opposing poles, and how books are perceived as high-quality accessories as brands like Chanel organise literary events with Charlotte Casiraghi or Le Bon Marché runs books exhibitions.
Music
— The Black Keys
A colleagued talked about having been to see The Black Keys. I asked what kind of music they played. He shared a playlist, I listened to it, liked it, told him so, and thanked him for having put on my radar a new band to enjoy. Except that I already knew them! And no, this is not to brag about my musical taste. Quite the opposite. I have a playlist with two of their songs, Lonely Boy and Wild Child, but in a typical me fashion I kept listening to them without knowing who the artist was. Until I joined the dots thanks to this colleague. They’re good. Very good, actually.
— Two Door Cinema Club
Now here’s a band that I do know and have seen live in concert. I could sing to you the songs of their first two albums by heart (and you probably know a few tracks yourself such as this and this) but then I got a bit distracted and next thing I knew they had published three more records. How? When? I’ve been doing lots of catching up and the more I listen to their new (for me) albums, the more I’ve been reminded why I liked them so much in first place. Quite enjoying the sound of Sure Enough, Satellite, and Bad Decisions. And while you should never play favourites with a band you love, we all know there is always a song of theirs that has forever lived in your heart since the first notes hit and you have to control yourself to avoid enacting the lyrics while drunk. Or sober. It really doesn’t make a difference at this point.
— Bluets at the Royal Court Theatre | Until Saturday 29 Jun
Maggie Nelson’s genre-defining and eclectic work revolving around the colour blue is coming to London in this new stage adaptation by Margaret Perry with Emma D'Arcy, Kayla Meikle and Ben Whishaw. Got tickets for June and looking forward to seeing how the words of Nelson translate into a play as Bluets is quite a singular book.
Abroad is an independent publication about identity and belonging, living in between cultures and languages, the love of books, music, films, creativity, life in London, and being human in the age of artificial intelligence.
Yes, it’s a saying. Who says that? I say it. There you go, a saying is born. Dispute terminée.
Tripadvisor informs me that the English owners have departed and regular patrons are somewhat disappointed by the new management, the downgrade to paper napkins and the lack of English charm. Quel domage.
And if you’re tempted to comment that in Season 1 of YOU a girl meets a cute bookseller at the bookshop where he works, I remind you things do not end well for either of them.
Two decades later, the screen adaptation of Alatriste is still a sensitive topic for die-hard fans like me. For context, the figure of Captain Alatriste became as iconic in Spain when the first novel was published as that of Sherlock Holmes in Victorian times. While the cinematography in the adaptation of Alatriste was excellent, the production really went above and beyond (for Spanish standards at the time) and the cast was stellar, bringing together the crop of the top of Spanish actors, the script tried to cram too much in two hours and condensed all the books published to date into one film, which made the action seemed rushed and didn’t give the characters a chance to develop. A trilogy would have done the novels more justice, but the choice of Mortensen as a taciturn Spanish XVII century soldier probably conditioned the ambitions for this adaptation as Mortensen was at the time one of the most demanded actors after the global success of Lord of the Rings, and perhaps not keen on embarking on yet another trilogy. Alatriste, however, is the film where he met Ariadna Gil, who plays his love interest in the movie, and who became his partner in real life and the reason why Mortensen relocated to Madrid. As a result, we all think of him as an honorary Spaniard, which in a way is a nice way to close the circle.
These are some nice recommendations for my trip to Paris after summer!
Enjoying the call my agent references. Also, did I ever mention my father owned a bookshop?