Can a film be both brilliant and problematic? This video explores One Battle After Another, a technically stunning film with a disturbing social message. I examine how the movie’s portrayal of Black women echoes historical patterns of racial exploitation, drawing parallels to Birth of a Nation and the dynamics of slavery. While acknowledging the film’s artistry, I question what happens when cinematic brilliance collides with cultural blind spots. In this analysis, we’ll look at: The divide between technical achievement and social responsibility How racial blind spots shape representation in film Why audiences must examine not just the craft, but the message behind it 🎥 Brilliant Filmmaking, Disturbing Message is not a critique, but rather a conversation about the responsibility of storytellers and the power of cinema to reflect or distort history.

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One question that has become popular for executives to ask screenwriters is, 'what is your personal connection to the material?'. The question is misguided in the assumption that writers need to be able to verbalize or explain why they are "authorized" to write the tings they write. In this episode I talk about why that question is wrong and should be avoided.

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