Our Writers Recommend...(10/1/22)

FILM: Spencer (dir. Pablo Larraín)

The late Diana, Princess of Wales, has dominated a lot of media as of late (continuing a long tradition of her dominating a lot of media since the early 80’s). Naomi Watts received mixed reviews for her performance in Diana (2013), akin to the criticism Diana herself faced; Emma Corrin shot to superstardom in their portrayal of the People’s Princess in The Crown, season four - and there was even a musical iteration of Diana by Jeanna de Waal in 'Diana: The Musical' - which deserves an article of its own. 

Kirsten Stewart has her go in Larraín’s psychological drama. Larraín also directed Jackie, so he specialises in claustrophobic films about the breakdowns of the wives of highly-ranking officials. And claustrophobic Spencer is! I cried, like I always (inevitably) do when watching anything to do with Diana. But mostly I was struck in half-confusion, half-terror while watching Stewart dominate every borderline-surreal scene she was in. As she herself says in the mirror upon arrival at the disastrous Christmas celebrations, ‘It’s just three days.’ Larraín manages to make a film spanning just under two hours feel like every single awkward extended family holiday rolled into one. The audience, like Diana, feel uncomfortable, left-out, and unable to tell truth from hallucination. While only chronicling a few days of her life, it’s necessary viewing for anyone who wants to understand a further layer of Diana’s life.

Mica Anderson

PODCAST: 'The Children of 9/11' - Today in Focus

3051 children lost a parent in the 9/11 attacks and in this podcast, three of those are interviewed: twins Mike and Dan Friedman, and Robyn Higley, whose mum was pregnant with her when her father was killed. Robyn discusses navigating grief without having met her father and how the media has been a huge part of her life as a ‘9/11 child’ and the tension this has caused within her family. Dan and Mike, named ‘The Twin Towers’ before the attacks occurred due to their extraordinary heights, have since set up a sock company for those with above average size feet - ‘Tall order’ - donating part of the profits to ‘Tuesday’s Children’, a charity supporting families impacted by 9/11. This podcast is heart wrenching and emotional, providing a perspective perhaps less explored with regards to the 9/11 attacks.

Amy Knowles

DOCUMENTARY: The Rescue (National Geographic)

Available to watch on Disney+.

'The Rescue' follows the events of the Tham Luang cave rescue - the 2018 incident where twelve young football players and their coach were trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand for 18 days. I'm sure we can all vividly remember when this catastrophe gripped the world: the daily updates, the endless debates as to how best to conduct the rescue, even Elon Musk's despicable public Twitter-feud with the rescuers. However, this documentary provides a new, first hand insight into this miraculous event and reveals details of the incident that I'm sure most of us had no previous idea about. It chronicles the day-by-day events that led up to the final rescue - the planning, the endless life-threatening dives, the medical consultations - and it contains interviews with all the divers who were involved in the final rescue. It is truly one of the most emotional, uplifting and inspiring things I have ever watched - the utter selflessness and bravery of everyone involved this monumental mission is something I still cannot truly wrap my head around. If we did already not know that this was a true story, you would never believe that something so utterly miraculous and against-all-odds could actually happen in real life.

​Ellie Williamson

PODCAST: Every Outfit

​'And Just Like That’ has probably been the most anticipated and papped series of 2021, and as an avid fan of the original 'Sex and the City' series, I have been keeping a close eye on it all courtersy of the Instagram account ‘Every Outfit on Sex & The City’ (@everyoutfitonsatc). I was therefore equally delighted to find out that the women who run the account, Chelsea Fairless and Lauren Garroni, also have a podcast dedicated to the series, ‘Every Outfit’. Here, they give a run down of each episode’s events (it appears Miranda will have every storyline bar the kitchen sink thrown at her this year) and, of course, the outfits. Though I do not understand all the cultural references the two make throughout the episodes (it’s like when all the American teenagers quote endless American literary figures in every TV show I’ve ever watched - who even knows that at 17??), I do thoroughly enjoy their takes on the character’s outfits, their analysis of certain events and their unwavering belief that Lily Goldenblatt (Charlotte’s daughter) is out to ruin Carrie’s life (I kinda agree). 

Abby Gilchrist