Deep Cut: A Film Podcast

Wilson, Ben, and Eli
  • 4.5 (31)
  • FILM REVIEWS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Deep Cut: A Film Podcast is a director-focused film podcast featuring deep-dive discussions about international, art-house, and independent cinema. Each episode we discuss either a director's most popular film or a "Deep Cut Pick": a personal favorite chosen by one of us. We've covered movies from filmmakers like Hirokazu Kore-eda, Agnes Varda, Éric Rohmer, Kelly Reichardt, Wong Kar-wai, S.S. Rajamouli, Bong Joon-ho, and more. Looking for film recommendations off the beaten path? This is the pod to follow! Links to our Discord and other socials here: https://deepcutpod.com

  1. 123. The Best Movies of 2025, according to Deep Cut (with discussions on Sinners, Wake Up Dead Man, Left Handed Girl, Sirat, Magellan, It Was Just an Accident, Sentimental Value, Black Bag, and MORE!)

    1D AGO

    123. The Best Movies of 2025, according to Deep Cut (with discussions on Sinners, Wake Up Dead Man, Left Handed Girl, Sirat, Magellan, It Was Just an Accident, Sentimental Value, Black Bag, and MORE!)

    Sorry Baby, but it’s One Battle After Another, as we clash and debate our favorite films of 2025! We’re covering obligatory mentions of the biggest films of the year and picking up our Weapons to dunk on some that we’re Regretting You watched.  Which of these films will we look back on with strong Sentimental Value, 28 Years Later? Which are winners, which are Sinners?  I’m afraid you’re going to have to Wake Up Dead Man from your Dreams (Sex Love), some might even call that a Resurrection, because you’ve got No Other Choice but to listen and find out. Links Wilson's Reviews: News from Home, Eat Drink Man Woman Ben's Reviews: Avatar: Fire and Ash, What Does That Nature Say to You  Eli’s Sinners Review Ben’s Kinetoscope Piece: The Spirits in the Medium List: Full List of films discussed on Letterboxd List: Deep Cut’s Top 12 of 2025 Tell us your faves at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:58 General 2025 thoughts 00:12:08 Non-2025 gems 00:16:22 2025 on Deep Cut 00:20:16 Eli's fave Letterboxd reviews from Wilson and Ben 00:21:46 Obligatory Mentions 00:22:06 Marty Supreme dir. Josh Safdie 00:24:08 The Secret Agent dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho 00:25:44 Frankenstein dir. Guillermo del Toro 00:28:38 Sentimental Value dir. Joachim Trier 00:30:59 Hamnet dir. Chloé Zhao 00:38:36 Hamnet spoiler 00:40:27 If I Had Legs I'd Kick You dir. Mary Bronstein 00:42:27 Bugonia dir. Yorgos Lanthimos 00:44:13 Kpop Demon Hunters dir. Maggie Kang & Chris Appelhans 00:46:55 Train Dreams dir. Clint Bentley 00:48:49 Avatar: Fire and Ash dir. James Cameron 00:54:30 Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning dir. Christopher McQuarrie 00:56:48 Eddington dir. Ari Aster 00:57:14 Wicked For Good dir. Jon M. Chu 00:58:16 No Other Choice dir. Park Chan-wook 00:59:48 Magellan and Phantosmia dir. Lav Diaz 01:01:54 The Phoenician Scheme dir. Wes Anderson 01:05:34 Weapons dir. Zach Cregger 01:12:28 Materialists dir. Celine Song 01:13:40 Materialists Spoiler 01:18:02 Regretting You dir. Josh Boone 01:19:38 Sirat dir. Oliver Laxe 01:22:27 Sirat Spoiler 01:25:41 Sirat Spoiler 2 01:26:19 Deep Cut Upkeep Overview 01:28:35 Honorable Mentions 01:28:40 Viet and Nam dir. Truong Minh Quy 01:29:14 Blue Moon dir. Richard Linklater 01:30:25 Boys Go to Jupiter dir. Julian Glander 01:31:04 Baby dir. Marcelo Caetano 01:31:33 Nouvelle Vague dir. Richard Linklater 01:32:48 Black Bag dir. Steven Soderbergh 01:34:36 Cactus Pears dir. Rohan Kanawade 01:35:35 Seaside Serendipity dir. Satoko Yokohama 01:36:33 Sorry Baby dir. Eva Victor 01:37:58 Misericordia dir. Alain Guiraudie 01:39:06 Silent Friend dir. Ildikó Enyedi 01:41:20 Caught by the Tides dir. Jia Zhangke 01:42:48 Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk dir. Sepideh Farsi 01:44:51 My Sunshine dir. Hiroshi Okuyama 01:46:56 Superman dir. James Gunn 01:48:52 100 METERS dir. Kenji Iwaisawa 01:53:31 Reflection in a Dead Diamond dir. Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani 01:54:28 Afternoons of Solitude dir. Albert Serra 01:57:05 The Wedding Banquet dir. Andrew Ahn 01:57:19 Top 5 01:57:30 One Battle After Another dir. Paul Thomas Anderson 02:05:57 Resurrection dir. Bi Gan 02:07:51 Peter Hujar's Day dir. Ira Sachs 02:12:19 Christmas Eve in Miller's Point dir. Tyler Taormina 02:17:10 I'm Still Here dir. Walter Salles 02:19:14 28 Years Later dir. Danny Boyle 02:21:06 Dreams (Sex Love) dir. Dag Johan Haugerud 02:25:37 Resurrection dir. Bi Gan 02:26:29 Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery dir. Rian Johnson 02:28:07 It Was Just an Accident dir. Jafar Panahi 02:32:05 Cloud dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa 02:33:32 Left-Handed Girl dir. Tsou Shih-Ching  02:37:29 One Battle After Another dir. Paul Thomas Anderson 02:40:04 Sinners dir. Ryan Coogler 02:45:41 Outro

    2h 48m
  2. 122. Hong Sang-soo: Yourself and Yours

    FEB 8

    122. Hong Sang-soo: Yourself and Yours

    In this episode, we get into Ben’s favorite Hong film of all time, Yourself and Yours. If On The Beach At Night Alone is Hong’s first reflection on the scandalized reception to the reveal of his relationship with Kim Min-hee, Ben shares the theory that Yourself and Yours is secretly the one about its beginning.  In our discussion, we try to pin down Minjung’s slippery personas, pick apart the film’s dream sequences, define the qualities of Hong’s surrealist and yet mundane approach, and ask, what does it take to be a Hong film that believes in love? Links: Yourself and Yours segmentation Inexplicable doppelganger list Hong Sang-soo Notarized: Yourself and Yours Break a leg at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:00 Film Intro 04:05 General reactions 09:12 AFA Post screening discussion  11:45 Film context 15:20 Structure / segmentation 20:28 Doppelgangers and dreams 26:06 Perception of Mnjung 31:09 The ending 33:47 Context in Hong’s career 36:25 Ben’s favorite scene 40:15 Parallel characters and Hong-isms 46:00 Reflection on discussion 53:45 Outro

    55 min
  3. 121. Hong Sang-soo: On the Beach At Night Alone

    JAN 25

    121. Hong Sang-soo: On the Beach At Night Alone

    What do Inception, Tim Robinson, Luis Buñuel, Woody Allen, and Chantal Akerman have in common? They all get compared to Hong Sang-soo’s On the Beach at Night Alone in this episode of Deep Cut! Listen on as we unpack the movie that’s loosely about Hong’s and Kim Min-hee’s career-changing relationship, digest more awkward dinner scenes, and discuss the merits of going to the beach in the winter. Links: Scold your friends for being inauthentic at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:31 General reactions 08:00 Context / Hong+Kim relationship 14:32 SG public opinion survey 18:04 Hong Sang-soo's 'Inception' 20:08 Hong Sang-soo / Tim Robinson 21:43 Hong / Buñuel 25:45 Hong not planning era 27:17 Ryan Swen Notarized and dinner scene 33:16 What to do with this movie? 38:13 Hong's Chantal Akerman 41:10 Hong as Woody Allen 😬  43:35 Shape of this film 46:43 Outro

    49 min
  4. 120. Chantal Akerman: The Meetings of Anna

    JAN 11

    120. Chantal Akerman: The Meetings of Anna

    Is traveling through Europe too expensive? Then hop aboard a train with the Deep Cut trio and Chantal Akerman for another sensitive, lightly autobiographical story of a surrogate character experiencing ennui and/or despair. Along the road trip, there’s sex, ‘70s outfits, and… windows. Ultimately, we struggle to decide: how well can we know Akerman through her work (or, for that matter, anyone)? Meet Ben, Wilson, and Eli (kinda) at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 03:46 Summary 04:27 General reactions 11:33 Jeanne Dielman vs The Meetings of Anna 16:39 Mom and Akerman herself 22:37 Plot sequence and Akerman’s subjectivity 30:32 Other Akerman films 34:20 Akerman and loneliness 37:39 Ending 40:12 Sex 43:29 Singing

    53 min
  5. 119. Chantal Akerman: Je Tu Il Elle (featuring Justina Yam)

    12/28/2025

    119. Chantal Akerman: Je Tu Il Elle (featuring Justina Yam)

    We are joined by none other than friend of the pod and the artist behind all of our DC covers, Justina Yam! Justina comes on the podcast to take us back to the works of Chantal Akerman, with her first feature Je Tu Il Elle. Justina talks about her personal connection to Akerman’s films, and discusses how she continues to play with time in her filmography. Wilson and Eli talk about expressions through body language and narration, and Ben has a theory about Je Tu Il Elle being a non-linear film.  Do you want DC merch? Tell us on the Discord! Links: Justina’s Instagram Justina’s recent photojournalism project: 風流 (Feng Liu) Ira Sachs on Je Tu Il Elle Eat sugar at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:44 Introducing Justina Yam 00:07:09 Je tu il elle introduction 00:08:04 General thoughts on Je Tu Il Elle from Justina and Wilson 00:13:21 General context of the film 00:15:27 General reactions from Ben and Eli 00:18:09 Sugar? Long Takes? 00:20:56 Feminism and Akerman  00:23:30 The three act structure 00:27:44 Blocking and the body 00:34:06 Long takes 00:36:42 Sex scenes 00:41:43 Autobiographical nature of the film 00:47:16 Temporality  00:53:49 The ending and career context 00:58:49 Discomfort within Akerman’s cinema  01:04:03 Outro

    1h 12m
  6. 118. SGIFF36: A Useful Ghost (2025) - Interview with Director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke

    12/23/2025

    118. SGIFF36: A Useful Ghost (2025) - Interview with Director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke

    Ben got a chance to interview director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke for his film A Useful Ghost (2025) that played at the 36th Singapore International Film Festival, where it also won the Special Mention Prize for the Asian Feature Film Competition.  Learn about Boonbunchachoke’s creative process, how he developed the story, and his approach to filmmaking as a whole that tends towards artificiality, deadpan humour and an engagement with history. Special thanks to the SGIFF team for helping us with securing an interview time/location, and to Momo Film Co, the film’s Singapore co-production team for helping to coordinate the interview.  Suck less at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:47 Reception 04:00 Queer readings 07:39 Developing story and themes 12:02 Political / historical references 13:24 History, memory, surveillance 18:19 Artificiality, worldbuilding, craft 25:36 Spoilers: Frame story 27:25 Spoilers: Ending 31:43 Other appliance candidates 33:42 Upcoming work 34:35 Outro

    36 min
  7. 117. 36th Singapore International Film Festival (2025) Dispatch (Resurrection, Silent Friend, Two Seasons Two Strangers, Amoeba, and MORE!)

    12/14/2025

    117. 36th Singapore International Film Festival (2025) Dispatch (Resurrection, Silent Friend, Two Seasons Two Strangers, Amoeba, and MORE!)

    Another festival coverage episode? We’re back to back with Asian film festivals and Ben returns to Singapore to cover the hottest films from the festival circuit and the region for the 36th Singapore International Film Festival. Our film coverage spans the most hotly contested tickets (Silent Friend, Girl, Resurrection, Sentimental Value), cinema classics (Matador, Water, Bye Bye Love), and promising first features from the region (Amoeba, A Useful Ghost, Old Man and His Car) This is a spicy and fun episode where Ben reflects honestly about his festival experience and Singapore’s cinema culture, as well as sharing his optimism with the concurrent ground-up efforts (The Daily, FFIGS) reinvigorating that culture. On top of all that, we also find the time to do a very special celebration in the middle of the episode. Links: Correspondence / The Daily ⁠Ben’s piece on the Cinephile Pass FFIGS Deepa Mehta Write-up Luca Guadagnino video on costumes  Hilma af Klint: What Stands Behind the Flowers at MoMA Madame Morible Wicked Witch meme Interview with Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke (forthcoming!) Correspond with us at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:15 Festival as a whole  00:08:45 Netflix acquisition of WB 00:11:51 Festival operations 00:20:33 Festival passes 00:24:15 Banned films 00:27:48 SGIFilmFeud 00:28:25 Correspondence / The Daily 00:30:56 FFIGS 00:34:40 Optimism 00:38:14 The films / Bye Bye Love (1974) dir. Fujisawa Isao 00:43:10 How Dare You? (2025) dir. Mipo O 00:46:14 Two Seasons, Two Strangers (2025) dir. Sho Miyake 00:48:29 Audience behaviour 00:51:25 Girl (2025) dir. Shu Qi 00:56:20 Resurrection (2025) dir. Bi Gan 01:02:25 Water (2005) dir. Deepa Mehta 01:07:02 A Celebration 01:09:00 Sentimental Value (2025) dir. Joachim Trier 01:11:25 Hamnet (2025) dir. Chloe Zhao 01:14:25 Late Fame (2025) dir. Kent Jones 01:18:07 Matador (1986) dir. Pedro Almodovar 01:21:20 Silent Friend (2025) dir. Ildikó Enyedi  01:27:00 SEA Shorts Programme 01:31:36 The Old Man and His Car (2025) dir. Michael Kam 01:36:50 Amoeba (2025) dir. Tan Siyou 01:43:10 A Useful Ghost (2025) dir. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke 01:51:16 Wrapup 01:57:30 Bonus

    1h 58m
  8. 116. TIFF38: Morte Cucina (2025) - Interview with Pen-Ek Ratanaruang and Bella Boonsang

    12/07/2025

    116. TIFF38: Morte Cucina (2025) - Interview with Pen-Ek Ratanaruang and Bella Boonsang

    While attending the 38th Tokyo International Film Festival, Ben was able to interview director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang and lead actress Bella Boonsang for their film Morte Cucina. Morte Cucina follows Sao as she takes an unconventional path toward revenge against a man who has wronged her. Listen in to hear about Ratanaruang’s candid thoughts on his approach to filmmaking, Boonsang’s initial trepidation and determination to tackling this tricky role, and Ratanaruang’s evolving working relationship with the film’s DP, Christopher Doyle (their third feature film collaboration!). Special thanks to the TIFF team for arranging the interview! Get revenge at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:22 Inspiration for the film 04:30 Bella’s reaction to the script 06:23 Casting Bella Boonsang 09:45 Cinematography with Chris Doyle 13:15 The movie is made on set 17:30 What is love? 22:17 Outro

    24 min
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About

Deep Cut: A Film Podcast is a director-focused film podcast featuring deep-dive discussions about international, art-house, and independent cinema. Each episode we discuss either a director's most popular film or a "Deep Cut Pick": a personal favorite chosen by one of us. We've covered movies from filmmakers like Hirokazu Kore-eda, Agnes Varda, Éric Rohmer, Kelly Reichardt, Wong Kar-wai, S.S. Rajamouli, Bong Joon-ho, and more. Looking for film recommendations off the beaten path? This is the pod to follow! Links to our Discord and other socials here: https://deepcutpod.com

Information

  • Creator
    Wilson, Ben, and Eli
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    124
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Wilson, Ben, and Eli
  • Show Website
    Deep Cut: A Film Podcast

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