37 – The Worst Italian Vacation Ever Never the Twins Shall Meet

This week, we’re taking a trip to 1950s Italy as we discuss Patricia Highsmith’s classic thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley and its acclaimed 1999 adaptation directed by Anthony Minghella. Topics of discussion include the novel’s iconic con artist protagonist, the twisty plot, homoerotic subtext, and how Minghella put his own spin on the themes and characters. 
Media Mentioned
Scrapper (2023) dir. Charlotte Regan (note: Lulu was wrong, the lead actress’s name is actually Lola Campbell, not Lola Chambers)
Aftersun (2022) dir. Charlotte Wells
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
Dune by Frank Herbert
The Artful Dodger (2023), starring Thomas Brodie-Sangster, David Thewliss, and Maia Mitchell
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Saltburn (2023) dir. Emerald Fennell
Do Revenge (2022)
These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
“Patricia Highsmith” by Richard Brooks for the Guardian
The Bourne Identity movies
Nimona by N.D. Stevenson
Sorry to Bother You (2018) dir. Boots Riley
The Celluloid Closet (1995) dir. Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
Hannibal (2013-2015)
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword dir. Guy Ritchie
Ripley (upcoming Netflix show)
BBC Sherlock
And Don’t Look Back by Rebecca Barrow
All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley
Content Warnings: discussions of antisemitism, racism, murder, violence, homophobia, gaslighting, suicide, and classism.