This week, we discuss the influential 1966 Senegalese film "Black Girl," written and directed by Ousmane Sembene. The film follows a Senegalese young woman who works as a nanny for a white French family whose life turns into a nightmare when she accompanies them back to France and is forced to work as a maid.

Topics include the film's overt postcolonial politics, its thoughtful deployment of production design and costumes, its reception in the west, and more.

Overinvested Podcast

Ep. 277: Black Girl (1966)

Claire and Gavia discuss Ira Sachs’ acclaimed new romantic drama Passages, starring Franz Rogowski and Ben Whishaw as a married couple who become embroiled in a love triangle with a young woman (Adele Exarchopoulos). We delve into the film's attitude to queer identity, its best-of-the-year costume design, and its thoughtfully choreographed sex scenes.

Ep. 288: Passages

Gavia and Steffan review the new Hunger Games prequel movie, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Among other topics, they delve into its unexpected narrative structure, its political worldbuilding, its relationship to the other Hunger Games movies, and the complicated task of creating a successful prequel.

Ep. 289: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Claire and Gav review the beloved 1992 figure skating romcom The Cutting Edge, directed by Paul Michael Glaser (The Running Man) and written by Tony Gilroy (Andor, The Bourne Identity). Harking back to the spiky banter of the 1930s screwball era, sparks fly when a spoiled figure skater and a macho hockey player form an unlikely creative partnership.

Ep. 290: The Cutting Edge

Gavia and Steffan review the 2023 Doctor Who specials, discussing the return of David Tennant, Catherine Tate and showrunner Russell T. Davies, the arrival of Ncuti Gatwa as the wildly charismatic new Doctor, and various behind-the-scenes details involving the show's quasi-reboot status and new partnership with Disney.

Ep. 291: Doctor Who 2023 specials

Claire Biddles and Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reveal their top 10 lists for the best movies of 2023, running the gamut from indie hits like Return to Seoul and May December, to blockbusters like Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning - along with some true hidden gems!

EP. 292: The Best Films of 2023

Gavia and Steffan review Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things, a bold sci-fi comedy starring Emma Stone as a woman created through a Frankenstein-like experiment. Nominated for eleven Oscars, Poor Things is critically acclaimed but divisive - particularly regarding its depiction of female sexuality.

Ep. 293: Poor Things

Claire and Gavia discuss Steven Spielberg's acclaimed 2021 adaptation of West Side Story, a musical about two young lovers caught in a turf war between rival gangs. Among other topics we delve into Spielberg's unique technical expertise, West Side Story's complicated political legacy, the lost art of movie-musical filmmaking... and Claire's passionate love for Mike Faist, who earned widespread praise for playing the charismatic gang leader Riff.

West Side Story (2021)

Claire and Gavia dig into the blockbuster event of the year, discussing Dune: Part Two's astonishing production design and incredible all-star cast, along with thornier topics like Dune's messy political worldbuilding and director Denis Villeneuve's adaptational changes to the original novel.

Ep. 295: Dune: Part Two

Claire and Gavia review the much-hyped queer thriller Love Lies Bleeding, starring Kristen Stewart and Katy O'Brien. Plus, a multi-genre selection of highlights from this year's Glasgow Film Festival, including indie hits La Chimera and The Beast, and some excellent upcoming horror movies.

Ep. 296: Love Lies Bleeding and highlights from the 2024 Glasgow Film Festival

Gavia and Steffan review the Australian dramedy series Upright, starring comedian/songwriter Tim Minchin as a down-on-his luck musician who tries to drive across Australia with a piano, befriending a teenage runaway (Milly Alcock) along the way.

Overinvested Podcast 

Ep. 297: Upright

Overinvested is a weekly podcast from pop culture obsessives Gavia Baker-Whitelaw and Morgan Leigh Davies. Each episode, Gavia and Morgan dive into a film, TV show, or comic they just can't stop thinking about.

Ep. 277: Black Girl (1966)

Overinvested

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