F4A #15: The Barbenheimer Edit
Every day could be the best day of your life with these explosive finds....
This week, I watched two of this summer’s top blockbusters. One was a film that imagined a world wherein women draw their power like water from the well of community, support, and mutually-beneficial organizing, while vainglorious men chase the cheap temporary thrills found by basking in the warm, superficial glow of admiration from others, and especially from the respect and deference of their male peers (who are seen as competition) as they kneel in submission. The other was Barbie.
The set dressing in both films had me in a trance. In contrast to the decadent hyper saturation of Barbieland, Barbie’s sun-drunk Los Angeles seemed limp and lifeless. As the camera panned up for external shots of the Mattel headquarters in El Segundo, I found my mind wandering to the building’s passing resemblance to the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana in Milan, first built to house Mussolini’s propaganda ministry, and now home to Fendi’s global headquarters. It was a rare moment of grandeur at an architectural level in the film. Most of the film is shot in ways that collapses the built environment into play structures, not powerful pillars towering over its inhabitants. In Barbieland, you can be anything — the center of your own universe included.
In Oppenheimer, a similar contrast arises. Here, it is not between Barbieland vs. reality, but between what we do inside and outdoors. Classified briefings, work meetings, and friendly gatherings of likeminded communists are insulated from the external world, while the great outdoors is a place to observe, and to be observed, often to the detriment of those involved. As tensions rise, interiors close in on those within, suffocating them in their own words and actions. But outside, the world is a sublime place where chance encounters and errant decisions can change the course of a life. As the film reaches its peak, one character can’t bear to witness his creation from inside an observation cabin. Instead, he runs into the field and is bathed in the full glory of his actions, momentarily absolved of any feeling but wonderment and pride.
Anyway, both films had lots to say, and I’m still mulling over what worked and what didn’t. I’ve got plenty of time now: I submitted my dissertation this week, and I’m back on the job hunt again — if you know someone who knows something, let’s chat!
If you found yourself transfixed on the interior worlds of Barbenheimer, fear not: Below, you’ll find a hand-picked selection of explosive finds from around the world that will make every day the best day of your life, or something like that.