Necessary Fictions

Christopher Nolan is not okay

With "The Odyssey," Nolan has made his third film in a row about the end of the world and intergenerational guilt

Jul 21 • Elias Isquith

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The real monster in “Widow's Bay” is guilt

The Apple TV series buries its island in sea hags and satanic rites, but every curse is really an alibi — for the unforgivable thing someone did and…

Jul 19 • Elias Isquith

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What stuck: "A History of Violence"

Rewatch notes that didn't make Tuesday's essay — the two break-ins, the performance, and the door Edie won't open.

Jul 16 • Elias Isquith

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The question “A History of Violence” refuses to answer

Can we stomach peace and comfort once we know their true cost?

Jul 14 • Elias Isquith

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May 2026

The despair of “First Reformed”

How Paul Schrader's masterpiece grapples with "sickness unto death"

May 19 • Elias Isquith

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April 2026

Why Sam Altman reminds me of Anton Chigurh

To understand what the people building AI are really saying, it helps to spend some time with a man who kills people with a cattle gun.

Apr 20 • Elias Isquith

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Will we fail the test?

The uncomfortable and enduring question that “V for Vendetta” asks about freedom

Apr 10 • Elias Isquith

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March 2026

“Margin Call” in the age of “Epic Fury”

What separates the bankers of 2008 from the people running the Iran War? The difference between cynicism and cruelty.

Mar 26 • Elias Isquith

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“Unforgiven” is about an incompetent

“Worse than a crime — a mistake.”

Mar 23 • Elias Isquith

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“Network” is a prayer, not a prophecy

Inside one of cinema’s bleakest masterpieces, there is something hidden that feels like hope.

Mar 15 • Elias Isquith

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"There is so much work to be done on your heart"

Cameron Winter's "Warning" is an angry, devastating, God-haunted threat.

Mar 11 • Elias Isquith

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February 2026

"Deadwood" and the community of spirits

On rewatching David Milch's masterpiece in the age of the oligarch.

Feb 22 • Elias Isquith

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