Why This Film?

Why This Film?
  • 5.0 (23)
  • Film Interviews

 🎬 Exploring the Criterion Collection, one spine at a time. In each episode, I sit down with film historians, critics, filmmakers, and scholars for in-depth conversations about a single film from the Criterion Collection. I'm Ron, and I guide these expert-driven discussions examining the artistry, cultural significance, and historical context of classic and contemporary cinema. From French New Wave masterpieces to American westerns, from experimental shorts to beloved classics, we unpack what makes these films essential viewing. Whether you're a longtime Criterion collector, a film student, or simply curious about cinema history, Why This Film? offers thoughtful analysis and engaging conversations about the movies that shaped filmmaking. New episodes release 1-2 times monthly. Subscribe to join me for deep dives into the Criterion Collection.

  1. 6d ago

    Deep Cover (1992, Bill Duke) with Michael B. Gillespie - Criterion Collection Spine #1086

    "There was a great moment in the 90s with noir films, and I think Deep Cover should always be a part of that consideration." In this episode of Why This Film?, I'm joined by film scholar Michael B. Gillespie to explore Deep Cover, Bill Duke's 1992 noir thriller. Deep Cover follows Russell Stevens, a Cincinnati police officer recruited by the DEA to go undercover at "John Hull" and infiltrate the West Coast's largest cocaine supply chain. As Stevens climbs the ladder, the line between cop and the character he's playing starts to disappear. Michael B. Gillespie is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cinema Studies at NYU and the author of Film Blackness: American Cinema and the Idea of Black Film, which examines Deep Cover as a defining case study. His writing has appeared in Film Comment, Film Quarterly, and The Criterion Collection. He served as consulting producer on the Criterion release of Deep Cover, where he also wrote the accompanying essay. There's no one better suited to help unpack why this film is included in the collection. Together we move through the film and discuss: Why "neo-noir" fails to describe Deep CoverThe police department weaponizing trauma as recruitmentJeff Goldblum's and Larry Fishburne's interracial couplingWhether you're discovering Deep Cover for the first time or returning to it, this conversation explores why a film about a man forced to play a role became one of the defining noirs of its era, and why it still matters today. Michael B. Gillespie Who'll Pay Reparations on My Soul? Film Blackness: American Cinema and the Idea of Black Film Send us Fan Mail Hollywood ManeStays - Not a pin, not a clip. Just Better. Support the show Follow the Podcast: WhyThisFilm.com Instagram YouTube

    Deep Cover (1992, Bill Duke) with Michael B. Gillespie - Criterion Collection Spine #1086

  2. Aug 6 ·  Video

    Matewan (1987, John Sayles) with Jack Ryan - Criterion Collection Spine #999

    "You walk out taking away an awful lot of knowledge of American history that you were never told." In this episode of Why This Film?, I'm joined by film scholar Jack Ryan to explore Matewan, John Sayles's 1987 masterpiece and Criterion Collection Spine #999. Matewan follows Joe Kenehan, a union organizer sent to a small West Virginia mining town in 1920 to bring together workers all kept apart by a coal company determined not to let them realize how much they actually have in common. Sayles builds the tension until the ultimate massacre most of us were never taught. Jack Ryan brings his perspective as the author of John Sayles, Filmmaker (2nd ed., 2010), the definitive critical study of Sayles's career. Having spent years studying Sayles's entire body of work, Jack understands the patterns in how Sayles builds his films. This makes him the perfect guide for understanding Matewan not just as history, but as a film. Together we move through the film scene by scene and discuss: Sayles as a filmmakerHow direct contact with people of the region shapes the feel of a filmHaskell Wexler's use of darkness and palette sans primary colorsThe role of music bringing people togetherJoe Kenehan's pacifist's philosophyWhy the film refuses us any comfort at the endAmerican labor history that schools don't teachWhether you're discovering Matewan for the first time or returning to it, this conversation explores why a film about a massacre most of us never learned about became one of Sayles's most beautiful works and why it still matters. Send us Fan Mail Hollywood ManeStays - Not a pin, not a clip. Just Better. Support the show Follow the Podcast: WhyThisFilm.com Instagram YouTube

    Matewan (1987, John Sayles) with Jack Ryan - Criterion Collection Spine #999

  3. Jul 26 ·  Video

    The 39 Steps (1935, Alfred Hitchcock) with Sid Gottlieb - Criterion Collection Spine #56

    "See how far the truth gets you." In this episode of Why This Film?, I'm joined by, film scholar, Sid Gottlieb to explore The 39 Steps, Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 masterpiece thriller and a Criterion Collection essential, the film where Hitchcock became definitively Hitchcock. The 39 Steps follows Richard Hannay (Robert Donat), an ordinary Canadian accused of murder he didn't commit. Fleeing across the Scottish Highlands, he's handcuffed to Pamela (Madeleine Carroll), a woman who doesn't believe him. What starts as a spy story becomes a meditation on trust and survival. To survive, Hannay must convince strangers he's telling the truth. But truth doesn't always help. Sid Gottlieb is a Professor of Communication and Media Studies at Sacred Heart University, where he's taught since 1976. He co-edits The Hitchcock Annual and has spent decades inside Hitchcock's own words and interviews through books like Hitchcock on Hitchcock, Framing Hitchcock, and Hitchcock: Interviews. His writing extends to Welles, Capra, and beyond, the kind of range that comes from thinking deeply about how directors construct meaning. He's the ideal guide for understanding how a 1935 suspense thriller became the blueprint for everything Hitchcock would make for the next 40 years. We discuss: Why The 39 Steps is the film where Hitchcock's career took shapeThe "wrong man" motifPerformance and storytelling as survival strategiesHitchcock's critique of institutionsPamela refusing to be won over on charm aloneClass consciousnessThe MacGuffin and why it doesn't matterWhether you're encountering The 39 Steps for the first time or returning to it, this conversation explores a film that moves at breakneck speed while asking questions about who we trust and why. It's a thriller that is also political. It's a love story where the couple barely knows each other. It's a comedy and also a suspense thriller. And it's the film that taught Hitchcock how to be Hitchcock. Read more from Sidney Gottlieb Send us Fan Mail Hollywood ManeStays - Not a pin, not a clip. Just Better. Support the show Follow the Podcast: WhyThisFilm.com Instagram YouTube

    The 39 Steps (1935, Alfred Hitchcock) with Sid Gottlieb - Criterion Collection Spine #56

  4. Jun 30 ·  Video

    Birth (2004, Jonathan Glazer) with Carlos Aguilar - Criterion Collection Spine #1298

    "It captures an uncanny feeling that relates to grief, that there's something after, the hope we could get more time with someone we love." In this episode of Why This Film?, Film critic Carlos Aguilar joins me to explore Birth, Jonathan Glazer's 2004 psychological thriller and Criterion Collection Spine #1298. Birth follows Anna, a widow living a comfortable Manhattan life who has finally agreed to remarry, ten years after the sudden death of her husband Sean. Then a 10-year-old boy appears at her mother's birthday party claiming to be him. What follows is an unsettling exploration of grief, obsession, and the desperate ways we cling to those we've lost, asking whether the person we mourn is ever truly the person who died, or just the story we've constructed in their place. Carlos brings his perspective as a film critic, writer, and member of both the LA Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics. His work has appeared in The Wrap, Vulture, IndieWire, RogerEbert.com, and The Criterion Collection. He's a passionate advocate for representation and the cinematic legacy of Latin America, and his deep connection to the "mystery of the heart" in film makes him the perfect guide for Glazer's haunting formal precision. Together we move through the film scene by scene and discuss: How grief constructs the deadThe role class and wealth in Anna's griefNicole Kidman's devastating performance and why this remains one of her most daring rolesThe concert sceneWhether Anna ever truly completes the grieving processThe bathtub scene's reception in 2004What happens when we lose someone twiceWhether you're discovering Birth for the first time or returning to it, this conversation explores why a film initially dismissed and misunderstood has become recognized as one of the most essential meditations on grief in contemporary cinema. Send us Fan Mail Hollywood ManeStays - Not a pin, not a clip. Just Better. Support the show Follow the Podcast: WhyThisFilm.com Instagram YouTube

    Birth (2004, Jonathan Glazer) with Carlos Aguilar - Criterion Collection Spine #1298

  5. Jun 5

    La cérémonie (1995, Claude Chabrol) with Girish Shambu - Criterion Collection Spine #1199

    "It's an incredibly rich film." In this episode of Why This Film?, I'm joined by film critic and scholar Girish Shambu to explore La cérémonie, Claude Chabrol's 1995 masterpiece and Criterion Collection Spine #1199. La cérémonie follows Sophie, a withdrawn live-in maid hired by the welcoming Lelièvre family at their country estate. The family is pleasant. The job is fine. And then Sophie meets Jeanne, the local postmistress. Jeanne is sharp, reckless, and already on bad terms with Sophie's new employer. The two women become close. And that friendship, combined with a secret Sophie has been hiding since she arrived, sets the film on a course it can't turn back from. Girish brings his perspective as a critic who has spent years thinking about films that take economic inequality seriously from the works of Ken Loach, the Dardenne brothers, and Aki Kaurismäki. He's currently writing a book about the marginalization of women in the history of auteurism, which gives him a precise eye for how class, gender, and power operate in everyday life. Together, we move through the film scene by scene and discuss: How class war can still operate through politeness and generosityThe role secrets and shame play in shaping Sophie's identityHow critical reception of the film has recently changedChabrol as an underappreciated filmmaker of the French New WaveWhether you're discovering La cérémonie for the first time or returning to it, this conversation explores why a film dismissed for years suddenly became recognized as one of the essential films of its era. You can find more from Girish Shambu below: Girish Shambu The New Cinephilia Send us Fan Mail Hollywood ManeStays - Not a pin, not a clip. Just Better. Support the show Follow the Podcast: WhyThisFilm.com Instagram YouTube

    La cérémonie (1995, Claude Chabrol) with Girish Shambu - Criterion Collection Spine #1199

  6. Jun 1

    Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022, Guillermo del Toro & Mark Gustafson) with Caleb Tyson - Criterion Collection Spine #1201

    "It's a perfectly imperfect film." In this episode of Why This Film?, I'm joined by film editor Caleb Tyson to explore Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022), the Academy Award-winning stop-motion feature and Criterion Collection entry that reimagines one of the world's oldest stories through an entirely new lens. Set in Mussolini's fascist Italy, del Toro's Pinocchio follows a grieving woodcarver named Geppetto who, lost in sorrow after losing his son Carlo, carves a puppet from a pine tree grown near his son's grave. When a wood sprite brings the puppet to life, Pinocchio must navigate a world that sees him as either a miracle or a monster - all while Geppetto struggles to accept this strange new creation for what it is, rather than who he wishes it could be.  Caleb Tyson brings his perspective as a working film editor and animator to the conversation. His background in pacing, rhythm, and visual storytelling gives him a uniquely technical eye for how del Toro uses stop-motion, shadow, score, and imperfection to build a world that feels entirely tactile and alive. Together we move through the film scene by scene and discuss: How del Toro uses fascist Italy as a backdrop to ask: who is the real puppet?Guillermo del Toro's craft - his use of lighting, intentional imperfection, and stop-motion animationThe Christ imagery woven throughout the film and what del Toro is saying with itThemes of grief, identity, disobedience, forgiveness, and the father-son dynamic at the heart of the storyThe film's voice cast, including Ewan McGregor, Cate Blanchett, Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton, and David BradleyWhy a puppet who refuses to obey is more human than the people around himWhy Pinocchio earns its place in the Criterion Collection as a perfectly imperfect filmSend us Fan Mail Hollywood ManeStays - Not a pin, not a clip. Just Better. Support the show Follow the Podcast: WhyThisFilm.com Instagram YouTube

    Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022, Guillermo del Toro & Mark Gustafson) with Caleb Tyson - Criterion Collection Spine #1201

  7. Apr 25

    Kagemusha (1980, Akira Kurosawa) with Michael Repsch - Criterion Collection Spine #267

    "Is our identity predetermined or something we can create?" In this episode of Why This Film?, I'm joined by Michael Repsch, President of Dark Star Pictures, to explore Kagemusha - Akira Kurosawa's sweeping historical epic and Criterion Collection Spine #267. Released in 1980, Kagemusha follows a thief who is spared execution because of his uncanny resemblance to the powerful warlord Takeda Shingen. When Shingen dies, the thief is forced to assume his identity, and the fate of the entire clan depends on if the illusion can be sustained. Michael brings his perspective as a longtime film distributor who has helped release over 200 films and now leads Dark Star Pictures. He discusses what makes Kagemusha endure not only as a viewer, but as someone who understands how films are preserved and passed on to new audiences. Together, we move through the film scene by scene and discuss: Akira Kurosawa's style and use of color, shadow, and movementHow Kagemusha differs from the traditional samurai epicThemes of identity, power, and successionWhy the film rewards repeated viewingsWhy Kagemusha remains one of the most visually stunning, thought-provoking, and essential films in the Criterion CollectionSend us Fan Mail Hollywood ManeStays - Not a pin, not a clip. Just Better. Support the show Follow the Podcast: WhyThisFilm.com Instagram YouTube

    Kagemusha (1980, Akira Kurosawa) with Michael Repsch - Criterion Collection Spine #267

  8. Apr 7

    The Royal Tenenbaums (2001, Wes Anderson) with Chris Cook - Criterion Collection Spine #157

    "To me, it's a perfect film." In this episode of Why This Film?, I'm joined by assistant director Chris Cook to explore The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Wes Anderson's meticulously crafted family drama and Criterion Collection Spine #157. Released in 2001, The Royal Tenenbaums follows the once-brilliant Tenenbaum siblings - Chas, Margot, and Richie - whose early promise has long since faded. When their estranged father Royal suddenly re-enters their lives under false pretenses, the family is forced into a reluctant reunion. Chris Cook brings his perspective as an assistant director working across film and television, with credits including The Killer, Ted Lasso, and The Morning Show. He talks about what stands out in The Royal Tenenbaums not just as a viewer, but as someone who understands how a film like this has to come together behind the scenes. Together, we move through the film scene by scene and discuss: Wes Anderson's visual style and early run of filmsThe ensemble castThe film's production design, soundtrack, and use of montageRoyal Tenenbaum as both a deadbeat father and an oddly compelling force within the familyThemes of early success, failure, grief, and reconciliationWhy The Royal Tenenbaums remains one of the most emotionally resonant and distinctive films in the Criterion Collection. Send us Fan Mail Hollywood ManeStays - Not a pin, not a clip. Just Better. Support the show Follow the Podcast: WhyThisFilm.com Instagram YouTube

    The Royal Tenenbaums (2001, Wes Anderson) with Chris Cook - Criterion Collection Spine #157
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About

 🎬 Exploring the Criterion Collection, one spine at a time. In each episode, I sit down with film historians, critics, filmmakers, and scholars for in-depth conversations about a single film from the Criterion Collection. I'm Ron, and I guide these expert-driven discussions examining the artistry, cultural significance, and historical context of classic and contemporary cinema. From French New Wave masterpieces to American westerns, from experimental shorts to beloved classics, we unpack what makes these films essential viewing. Whether you're a longtime Criterion collector, a film student, or simply curious about cinema history, Why This Film? offers thoughtful analysis and engaging conversations about the movies that shaped filmmaking. New episodes release 1-2 times monthly. Subscribe to join me for deep dives into the Criterion Collection.

Information

  • Creator
    Why This Film?
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Why This Film?
  • Show Website
    Why This Film?

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