SAFF - Music is My Life, Honeymoon, Bama Rush & Influencer === [00:00:00] Intro --- KT: It's another week in the four year reference household and not just many, many, many OT. This is the first time we've done two ref maxes in the same week. Oti: Yeah. KT: What a time. What a time. It's going to get muy caliente, friends and lovers, grab a beverage. Grab a snack. Thank you to the PR and filmmakers, um, for the screenings and the screen is today. Let's get on with the show. Start --- KT: Hey, friends and lovers. Welcome to reference max, where we will be reviewing films from the South African film festival. Music is my life. The fragile King, the honeymoon, as well as call me miles, the recently released HBO documentary bomber rush, as well [00:01:00] as. A delightful, delectable, albeit social media of it all, influencer. Oh, we have a tasty, tasty lineup indeed. Oti, um, let's start off with the South African Film Festival. Thank you so much to Jasmine, Nicole, and the team at the Atticism as well as the team at the South African Film Festival. ~Um, ~unfortunately OT wasn't able to make it, but I went to the opening night. Oti: Tell us a bit about that. KT: Oh, I will. Absolutely. If you let me get into some delicious detail first, if you don't mind, if you've missed the nasty. Oti: next bit. KT: And we also, um, were granted access to three screeners, um, as a part of the Film Festival as well. The South African Film Festival is currently in its fifth year. It had in screening cinemas from the 4th to the 11th of May, and the online festival started on the 11th and it's going all the way to the 31st of May. Oti: 31st of May. KT: ~Um, ~it's very exciting. ~Um,~ you know, [00:02:00] even just in our recent sort of, um, podcast feed, you'll notice that we do have some coverage, ~um,~ in film festivals and, um, you know, Sydney Film Festival is coming up as well. So it's very exciting. Perhaps you could say we might be, you know, dipping our toes into the most learned of spaces OT. Um, something that I really, ~um,~ saw as a point of difference that, you know, was also very impressive as well is that the net proceeds from the hybrid festival support the not for profit Education Without Borders, providing life changing educational programs for students from under resourced and socially disadvantaged communities in the Western Cape of South Africa since 2002. Oti: Impressive. KT: Yeah. Okay. Well, you wanted to get a tasty tasting, ~um,~ of the opening night of the South African film festival. Um, so in regards to that, I might as well just talk generally, and then we can, you know, also go into some more detail, ~um,~ about the actual film [00:03:00] festival overall. You know, it would have been really great for us to experience it together, but all in all, I had a great time. Um, you know, not only was it the screening, even leading up to, there was a little bit of nibbles, a little bit of drinkies. In way of nibbles, uh, there was catering provided from Misanci Fusion. ~Um,~ and it was really nice because, ~um,~ I brought home, you know, some tastings and the samosas are tea. Oti: It took me back. KT: I think it brought you back to health. Oti: it did. KT: It was so interesting because even just taking that one bite. I could tell. Oti: I could tell. I could tell. The Hans that made them. KT: Oh, absolutely. Oh, so many favorites, ~um,~ in that tasting sort of platter, but I definitely really loved the doughnuts, ~um,~ that was wrapped in coconut as well. ~Um,~ it was a buzzing night. It was great. Music is My Life --- KT: The opening film was definitely the way [00:04:00] to open a film festival. It surrounded the life of Joseph Shabalala. And it was interesting because one of the producers, uh, Judy Noque was there. Which was really exciting and, ~um,~ she was, she gave a speech before the actual screening as well. Speaking of speeches and before going to the screening, there was a raffle for six luxurious prizes. Unfortunately, we didn't win OT. I'm not taking my side piece. We didn't win. ~Um,~ so this was a really interesting documentary because it talked about the life and the ongoing legacy of Joseph Shabalala, as well as Lady Smith, Black Mambazo. And literally, you know, they talk about the Wu Tang name generator. They should talk about the shabbalalah name generator. Solid, solid name. ~Um,~ it was really interesting, especially for me to understand. Cause you know, we even did [00:05:00] like an episode on, um, you know, hip hop and how it's had a lasting impact around the world, even in my brown sort of communities. Right. Um, so it was interesting to hear. not necessarily hip hop, but to hear about music that was created in times of labor of black bodies in South Africa, in the mines, in the caves, for example. So there was a name for, you know, this genre of music and even the way that, um, this music would be performed. It's very like hush and it's like, you know, very light steps because, you know. The peoples be hearing it. Oti: know, KT: There's certain peoples that shouldn't be hearing, um, you know, your unfiltered truth and your unfiltered pain. ~Um,~ and you know, in the documentary, it talked about how Joseph brought his own style to it. Um, Isthulu, which is a Zulu word for calm. So, you know, [00:06:00] finding that sort of balance between traditional paying homage, ~um,~ as well as, you know, modernizing it and making it make sense, um, in a contemporary sort of lens. So, it was really interesting, um, you know, I, I wrote down a couple of quotes, um, during the film as well. One of the quotes, ~um,~ that Joseph had was, when we talk about music, we talk about our life. Oti: talk about music, we KT: The best, the best art, the best music absolutely speaks from experience. Oti: Mm. KT: Um, they were talking about how, you know, especially in a country like South Africa, the music that was available at the time, it didn't fully explicitly say what the struggles were. Who the struggles were against, but there was definitely, you know, some coding and some hidden sort of messaging, especially in the seventies in South Africa. So it was really cool. Like, um, I think of the, um, the activists masquerading,[00:07:00] um, as an artist, Richard Bell in the, you can go now film that we covered in January 26. And, you know, we even spoke about how, yes, it was about the life. The life and legacy of a man, but it also by default, when you're speaking from a place of culture, when you're speaking of a place of community of spirituality, it's not just you, right? And that's absolutely what music of my music is. My life is about. It's, it's about Joseph, but it's about the come up. It's about everyone around him because that's who makes him. Oti: Oh, a hundred percent. KT: I loved that the documentary was ready to go there, to go all the way there. Um, you know, unfortunately, um, you know, there is death knocking on, um, the door of many. And I guess that's a play on the song, Knocking on Heaven's Door. With Dolly Parton, of all people. Paul [00:08:00] Simon was also in here as well. Um, Michael Jackson, like it's just the, the lasting sort of impact. And they even talked about, Oh no, I'm forgetting now. I might need to check my notes, but it was some sort of household. I think it was a food product that they use their voices and their music. So everyone in America knew them as like, they already knew their voices before they even knew who the band was. Oti: or the KT: Um, and I guess also if we're talking of realness, I guess, you know, Lady Smith, Black Mombazo winner of five Grammys. Oti: Mm-hmm. KT: Um, and I guess also if we're talking about a place of realness, Joseph Shabalala was the first black South African to record an album. Yeah. So a lot of history, um, a lot of detail. Um, um, there was some moments that I thought was funny. Um, [00:09:00] You know, we're talking about, um, Joseph as well as his brothers, um, you know, biologically and also brothers in Lady Smith as well. Um, and they were talking about the first time that they went on tour. It was, I think it was a folk tour and it was in Cologne, Germany. I believe, and you know, there's, there's archival footage and Joseph's like, Oh, there was so many white people there. I didn't realize there was so many like white people. And I thought that was very funny. Oti: was very funny. And you're the only one that laughed. KT: Well, they might be laughing in their hearts, Oti. Yeah, all in all, um, it was a great documentary. I guess the only thing that I would say that they kind of talked, like they kind of, um, approached in the documentary, but they didn't necessarily address it was, you know, they even talked about Paul Simon potentially being past the peak of his career and was he potentially using [00:10:00] Joseph and Ladysmith as a way to boost his career, you know what I mean? So I kind of wanted to dive a bit more into that, especially the optics of it all. You know what I mean? But for the most part, I had a good time. Oti: Nice. Sounded like you had fun. KT: Yeah, absolutely. Well, let's go into, um, one of the screenings that we watched together. Call me Miles --- KT: We have Call Me Miles, which is a documentary following the life of a young trans boy named Miles. Um, and it really. zooms in and it really focuses on Miles loved ones, um, and, you know, transition journey as well. Um, the film is in English, but there's also, um, some Afrikaans as well. Um, how did you feel about it, Otey? Oti: Afrikaans as it started off quite promising and I thought that we'll build up into getting to the nitty gritty of stuff, but it felt as if it sort of, it [00:11:00] sort of balanced on that line. I didn't really cross over for me KT: Yep. Stay there. I'm with you Oti: where we. Get to see miles have insinuate all this struggle, but we really didn't get to see how it played out. Like they'd have moments where they said how they struggled and the family wasn't accepting enough. KT: Yeah. Oti: But when we cut off to the family, they're like singing kumbayas. And I'm like, okay, is this, is this intentional? And I know there's a journey that everyone had to go through. I wanted to get through, I wanted to experience some of that as well. To see what was the moment where it all clicked and they started supporting. KT: Yeah, because there's nothing, Oti: there's nothing wrong in admitting that there was an issue at the start, but we're humans and it's all about the journey, isn't it? KT: know, at, at [00:12:00] the helm of your pain. Right. Um, and I absolutely agree with you. In regards to that, you know, we're not, we're not going to spoil anything in regards to the documentary, but you know, you're absolutely right because we're sitting there in hindsight and, you know, um, the mom in particular would talk about it all being, being all good, but it isn't. Oti: and it's not that I wanted to just see the pain because we know the pain, they brought up the pain and it's weird to set it up like that and not really delve. I feel like they didn't really delve as much as they could to sort of create that lasting effect that we would have. Or as an audience in Africa watching this movie, You know, because we talked about a lot of, we've talked about LGBTQI movies in Kenya as well. We covered Rafiki not too long ago and we saw the problems the director had to go through just to get it aired. Yeah. So it's, I don't know. It should be a [00:13:00] learning process for everyone to see this and to see, Oh, this is, you know, there's a journey. KT: Yeah, so let me I'll pick up off of that because there are a couple of, uh, baby qualms, um, that I had with this documentary. And I guess the first one is. Exactly what you're saying, because yes, we're all on different journeys, but it is the 2020s. And, you know, definitely give me some insight because you did give me some insight in the Rafiki episode, especially when it comes to queer issues. In Africa. Um, but I thought it was interesting that they spent a lot of time explaining, you know, um, sexuality can be this way, just like gender can be this way. And I don't know, it might just be that friends and lovers, every year we cover pride month. I am the PI and the aapi, and that month is almost over. Um, so it may just be we are, you know, on a different [00:14:00] part of our journey of being allies and understanding the struggles and the unique life experiences of queer people. But I found it very interesting that, um, you know, it, it, it was, it was explained on a very, um, entry. Sort of understanding of potentially what a young trans boy might be experiencing. Oti: boy might be experiencing. I think, just because. Not everyone is vast. And I'm thinking, you know, maybe I'm bringing you my African mentality here. KT: I think it's equipped with you everywhere, my love. Oti: A lot of this stuff isn't covered. So regardless of where our journeys are here, I think a Kenyan OT back in the day, wouldn't be as well vast. KT: day wouldn't be as well versed. Okay. I do get that. Um, I guess the other baby qualm that I have with this documentary is there was no, as far as I could say, I might've missed it near the start. There was [00:15:00] no reference. There was no trigger warning to self harm and suicide. And whether they chose not to do it or not, they went into like detail, detail, um, which if you're saying they're at the starting levels of explaining stuff, it doesn't make sense that they would go into really deep level of that. That's all I'm saying. Um, but I kind of want to go back to what you were saying. So it's one thing. In the way that information is distilled to give context to the audience, which we don't agree on, which is absolutely fine. But I think something we do agree on is, you know, the best sort of documentaries are the documentaries where you can really face things and really go all the way. Miles was absolutely ready to speak on his truth, but you could tell, especially with the mum in particular, they weren't ready to talk about it, which is fine. But then it just feels like we're withholding in the documentary. Oti: in the KT: You know what I was [00:16:00] about to mention it too, but as our, um, fellow correspondent, it's good of you to mention that as well, but, um, yeah, I, I, if, if this is, I guess the way to say it is if call me miles is going to be a way to open dialogue, to shatter stereotypes and to allow the path of healing, then I'm all for it. Oti: it. The Fragile King --- KT: Let's move on. Uh, this is a film that I had the opportunity, um, to watch. One of the screeners as well. This is called The Fragile King. It's a coming of age film, um, set with a young boy, a young white South African boy. Um, and it's in the, it's in the, um, trailer. It's in the description, but I won't go into too much detail. Um, but unfortunately he loses his mom and he has to leave. to live with his grandfather. Um, I haven't watched a lot of South [00:17:00] African cinema, but I will say on this specific podcast, we had our beloved friends from film busters and we covered district nine. Oti: 9. KT: And that's kind of my standard, to be honest. I understand that every country has its, you know, specific sort of conflicts. Um, and you know. Ongoing, uh, unspoken pain and struggles and legislations that continue to oppress. I understand that. Um, but what District 9 achieved is what I expect to see. Oti: So only the best movie ever made, sort of level. Hi, hi, hi. KT: so, guess so. The only reason why I mentioned that is, um, you know, this, this is focusing on a white South African young boy. Um, and there are black South African people in it, but they're in like servitude sort of roles and you know what, like, you know. Oti: Mm hmm. KT: Um, there's even a moment and it's not that [00:18:00] serious, but the optics of it, like, um, you know, um, Michael's mom, they get an eviction note. Um, and obviously understandably, she's very upset. Um, however. The optics aren't great because you just see her like beating up this black guard in the apartment building and I'm like, if you know, you know what I mean? Like if that's the only sort of coverage we get, you know, compared to a fucking prawn, um, in District 9. The interesting thing, which was kind of in Call Me Miles, but definitely more so here, was it felt like this story could have been in any setting. Oti: Oh. KT: You know, like if you were to watch like, I don't know, Narcos, for example, well, I guess that's very politically driven, but like, even if you're, if you were to watch City of God, for example, there are very specific, even if they're just passing comments, there are very specific, you know, sort of references or [00:19:00] commentary to what's happening around them in the country. Um, you know, so it kind of, yeah, so it kind of felt like detached from South Africa because we know that's where it is. Um, which I don't know if that was like a creative choice, but it, there wasn't any sort of fantasy element. But again, I'm not necessarily sure of what the climate is in South Africa, but the point is it didn't feel super specific to where it was set. Um, and because this is a coming of age, it kind of just relied on the. Story, you know what I mean? Like we weren't living and, and, and, and breathing in the context of a world. Um, and in regards to the storytelling, there was no levity at all. Oti: regards to hijinks at all. KT: Like, I'm not talking about like passion of the Christ level. But it was like, cause you have this young boy, 15 years old, just lost his mother. Right. And the grandfather's getting mad at him because he's [00:20:00] not eating dinner, telling him to throw away the dinner and go to bed if you're not going to eat it. Like, and then like, there were just moments in this film where I'm just like, can we have, like, can we exhale? Can we breathe? Um. And even, you know, even moments with his mom, it reminded me of the UK, um, show that we covered on another reference max called rain dogs, right? Where, you know, no parent is perfect. And I think we all get to a point where we see our parents as human, whether that's a good or a bad. thing. Um, but there's so much reliance on the kid to grow up and, and definitely be forced to, or choose to forgive the parent and also take some of that parenting role on themselves. Oti: So, KT: So, so I, and you know, friends and lovers, I am so happy to dive in the waters of say it. Of like really deep shit, but like, give me something, give [00:21:00] me something to hold on to. Um, which is kind of what I also said in another Ref Max with A Man Called Otto. Like I just wanted a Sam Neill situation, like a hunt for the wilder people sort of situation. But I got Tom Hanks in A Man Called Otto. Oti: called Otter. Wow. KT: Instead. Well, let's round off the South African Film Festival with a rom com, OTL Correspondent joining us here. Oti: here. Honeymoon --- Oti: Oh ho ho! The honeymoon! KT: The, almost honeymoon. It's, it's in the trailer. It's also in the description, friends and lovers. So this isn't a spoiler, but we have the main character Kitty, um, who's a talented fashion designer. And unfortunately, I'm even just remembering the circumstances of this, but, um, her fiance dumps her. I think it's the day before they're supposed to get married. And then she ends up using that sort of honeymoon getaway with her two best friends.[00:22:00] Oti: It was a light hearted, hilarious movie, you know, with characters for every sort of person to cling on to. Based off your personality or whatever you like, you'd find them in this movie. I gravitated more towards Lu, just because she seemed to be the only one with a level head. or I think a bit of both, man. Ah, I don't know there are noxes out there, but this movie was fun. You know, it didn't take itself too seriously. It had moments where you'd think that you'd want to shake the main character to just fucking grow up. Get your senses together. Come on now. You're not 18 or some shit. KT: had moments where you'd think that you'd want to shake the main character to just fucking go Oti: I guess so. It's hard to imagine characters that are so funny. far removed from their center that they would, you know, just cling on to the whims of a man despite everything that he [00:23:00] tells you. KT: Yeah, no, but like, you know, regardless of gender, to love fully, to love truly is to relinquish some level of control and sometimes that level. Oti: Is KT: But sometimes that level of control can make you look like a fucking clown. Oti: of control can make KT: And that's the point. Oti: And that's the point. Do KT: wouldn't follow me around like a little puppy dog. Oh my. Welcome to ref max after dark friends and lovers. Oti: little puppy dog? Oh my. Welcome to Refmax Jim Matti up in here. No, but seriously, I think it did bring up a lot of things that you could find, you know, things to talk about in the movie as well. KT: also fun. It's nice to have fun. Oti: it was fun to see them travel to Zanzibar, you know, get here's some Swahili in my ears. KT: Oh, that's why. Why did he sound Jamaican though, the guy? Oti: Yeah. I don't know. Not everywhere. Let me find KT: Let me find out your opinion through [00:24:00] Jamaica, Oti. Oti: Oh yeah. KT: But you know what I also loved about this film as well, it felt very specific to South Africa. Oti: It did. KT: Like even the, the slang, we didn't understand specifically, but we got Oti: Mm-hmm. KT: We understood it. Um, it was cool, man. It was a lot of fun. Um, you know, everything OT takes from it is the East African influence, but okay. Oti: it is, uh, East African KT: It was really cool. Like, um, they definitely tackled on some themes, but it always stays cute and light and tight. Speaking of cute and light and tight after this recording, friends and lovers, we're off to watch the second season of young, famous and African. Oti: am loaded in South Africa, O. KT: I am learned in South Africa, Roti. Uh, thank you again to Jasmine, Nicole, the team at the Addison, as well as those that are organizing the South African film festival, you can still buy [00:25:00] online passes in Australia and New Zealand to the 31st of May. Oti: of May. Nice. KT: Ooh, are you ready to, um, fly out of the motherland and fly into Alabama? Oti: Well, Bama Rush --- KT: Well, that's where we're going OT, strap in. Thank you to the team at. Binge, this is also a max original that has just come out. Thank you so much for giving us early access to the screener. It was interesting because when this came through, I was trying to understand what it was about. And then I Googled it and I still didn't understand what it was about. But, um, uh, in a crux, this documentary film surrounds. Uh, the university of Alabama, and it talks about the sorority recruitment known as Bama. I'm saying Bama as Obama, but if it's Alabama, then it's Bama rush. Oti: Hmm. KT: How, how does our correspondent say?[00:26:00] Oti: Obama Rush. KT: Oh, very nice. Michelle Bama rush? Um, so it's, it's an age old sort of tradition, um, in the university of Alabama, but recently it was getting a lot of traction. It was getting very viral. Um, on Tik TOK, um, I think they also talked about on YouTube, there's a well known, uh, influencer as well that records, you know, her being as a part of the, you know, sororities as well. Um, so no spoilers. Um, but what, what are all your thoughts on this documentary? Oti: I felt conflicted. At one point, I felt that I understood what the director wanted to show us, and towards the end, I sort of lost that. It felt that there was a lot of moments where she would have covered a lot of deeper insights that I thought she already laid out, but didn't really dig [00:27:00] into it at all, and just left afloat, and I was wondering why that was. KT: Okay. So to clarify, the filmmaker Rachel Fleet, she has alopecia and um, I guess if you already know her, that's not a spoiler, but it does get revealed, um, in the documentary. And she, like OT saying she's, she makes parallels throughout the documentary film of these young women. You know, being pressured and feeling the pressures during Bama Rush. Um, and you know, her struggles of hiding the fact that she wore a wig and that sort of thing. Oti: Yeah, because at the end of it, I felt like it was a discovery for her to her journey of, you know, getting to an acceptance level of whether or not she wanted to wear a wig or not. It KT: It felt like oil and water. It felt like her struggles with alopecia didn't necessarily correlate or translate directly to the young women in the Bama rush. Oti: Yes, and I could see what she [00:28:00] meant by trying to draw parallels, but it felt so different. KT: draw parallels, but it felt so different. Yeah. And it's okay that they're different. Yeah. It's a Oti: okay. I think I just wanted her to dig a bit more. Into any, the stories that she did uncover, you know, we get to, I don't want to put a spoiler because I think it's quite interesting for you to all go in and watch this, um, there's things that are uncovered that happened to, you know, people there and it was just left like that. And I'm like, no explanation on anything. Not even a follow up question and we just left to without all devices. I'm like, okay, cool. What was the point of even letting that in? You know, KT: If, if I can, um, if I can lay out, I guess something, not that I need to work on, but something that I'm very aware of, this, um, like sort of sorority sort of, um, like it doesn't [00:29:00] necessarily resonate with me, you know, that's probably why I didn't like Legally Blonde. That's a shock, friends and lovers, if you're new around here, um, but the whole like recruiting and sororities and that sort of thing, it's definitely not a world that I understand, but even then I don't find any sort of universal themes to resonate with. Um, so that's something that potentially that it, it wasn't, it wasn't the fold of the documentary. It was more that, okay, I need to focus more so I can get something out of this documentary. Right. Um, but even then exactly what you're saying, because. It kind of just felt like it was following a day in the life of, they talked about a lot of secrecy, um, in the sororities. They also hinted to potentially, you know, um, a secret sort of society. Um, so from that point of view, you can understand that potentially there might have [00:30:00] been constraints that Rachel couldn't work around the filmmaker. Maybe in order for her to be able to interview these young women, she couldn't dig too deeply, but you know, it's kind of like call me miles as well. Like, what are we uncovering? What are we discovering? What are we learning? We understand that you can't go all the way there, but if you're not going all the way there, what are we doing? Oti: You could sort of get the inkling that to gain access she had to do above the board stuff. Not that trying to dig deeper is anything shallow, it's anything shady or anything like that. Yeah, but it was wild. Uh, I think at the end it was interesting to see how much effort people go through to get into their sororities KT: And how Oti: how much it takes up of their time and life and just, it's a whole new world. I didn't even know bloody existed to this extent. KT: Well, it's like, cause you know how, um, well, I don't know about [00:31:00] in Kenya, but like, well, maybe it's just where I grew up in Western Sydney, we didn't have rules of like, your lawn needs to be at this level. Your bins need to be put back in your garage at this particular point. Right. So those always felt like very American movie things. as opposed to real things. But like the fact that that feels egregious, but after watching what the sort of hoops that these young women go through to get into sororities, it kind of just slides into, it's so interesting. Cause it's like belonging. Is also being controlled. And I don't mean that in like a alert, all of the web pages sort of view, I just mean, like, if you, if you want to belong to like a sorority, for example, there's rules that you need to follow. You know what I mean? And the level of the rules that they had, and you know, they even addressed it in the documentary. Some of these were like hundreds of years old sort of rules that didn't even [00:32:00] make sense, or they're definitely not applicable now. Oti: now. KT: So, yeah, I don't know. The following, um, of that, I guess, was interesting in and of itself. However, the lack of challenging, um, definitely made me question what the point of this documentary was. Um, I won't go into detail, but there was some heavy sort of subject matter in regards to assault that was very casually handled in this documentary. Um, which I, it made me uncomfortable because we're watching this. These young women, you know, they feel comfortable to share, which is great, but it wasn't even noted, even in like a title screen that they were being supported, you know, um, some of the young women already talked about, you know, getting services, whether it's therapy or having access to resources, but what did the documentary do in particular upon learning that you understand what I'm saying? Oti: Yeah, I [00:33:00] hear you. I think also another aspect of the documentary that left me wondering is the Block Factor. KT: You know what? I think, um, to just break the tension, not that we have to give you levity, friends and lovers, but you know, we talked about, no, I think it was in a patron show, but, um, you know, we've even mentioned it on the main podcast about Kamau Bells, we need to talk about Cosby. Um, his new documentary is great. Oti: yeah, cause it, it, it delves into, um, the sort of interracial people and what that means. KT: means. Yeah. I guess as a tonic, watch that after. Yeah. Oti: Because this will raise some questions and I think Kamau does a good job to sort of let other people explain it. Yeah. KT: Yeah, and, um, it's just interesting the way that it was explored. It was [00:34:00] touched on. I think, you know, even, I think the thing to say about Bammarush were it wasn't deliberately ignoring. You know, issues, whether it was to do about race or whether it was to do about the vulnerability of young women, but it could have gone further the same way with the way that they, you know, they, they kind of addressed race. They had, you know, some mixed young women, um, that were interviewed, but they never really dug deep into it. Oti: Well, those particular people do raise other questions as well. So it's, it's, it's definitely, KT: you fighting? Oti: fighting. I'm KT: Who you fighting? Oti: just KT: saying, but do you want a revolution? Oti: revolution? No, Cack Franklin won't let me in on this man. Influencer --- KT: Okay, ~um,~ well, let's move in to our last and, uh, may I say my most excited on the docket today. Thank you so much [00:35:00] to writer, producer, filmmaker, Curtis David Harder, um, for reaching out to us and providing us with a screener for his upcoming film, Influencer, that will be available on Shudder US, as well as Shudder Australia on May 26th. Ooh, Ooh, Ooh. Wow. He even got my who, who, who inside of a ref max. Oti: of a special innit? KT: Um, we are very excited again. Thank you so much for access, um, to the film. We're going to talk a little bit about it, but I'm just going to say right off the top, grab some popcorn, grab a beverage and watch this film. It's fucking ace. Oti: It is ace. Um, Influencer probes the disparity between online facades and authentic living while masterfully unveiling exciting twists through brilliant performances that enrich the narrative. KT: Oh, oh, it seems like you were front row in your [00:36:00] best friend Elon's dick ship. Oti: Elon's 10 spent. KT: 10 it went. Use OnlyFans like a normal person, Oti. Oti: like a normal person, Richie. KT: Uh, I absolutely, absolutely, absolutely agree with you. Influencer is able to cut through competition by delivering compelling visuals, tantalizing arcs, and villainous commentary. A thrilling ride in what makes us human, perfect, and unhinged. Oti: Hoo KT: Yee haw! Oti: Oh, this was a wild ride. I really didn't know what to expect. KT: Um, you know, even when we were talking about Bama Rush, you know, the documentary about, you know, sororities and all that sort of thing. Um, when it comes to films that cover like, I guess, social media and, you know, influences and how that feeds into the psyche and that sort of [00:37:00] thing. Um. We've definitely seen a lot of these sorts of films, so I guess, you know, there there's definitely the understanding of, um, you know, there, there is a popular sort of genre within the genre. Um, but I was able to get this film straight away. Like I don't think it was, um, You know, distancing in a sort of way, like where the hot people and you watching are the ugly fucking ducklings. Like, you know what I mean? Like we were able to just key in, um, to the film, I think right off the top. Um, I just want to lay love and splooshes to the cinematography and the directing and the visuals of this film. Oti: the visuals of this film. Right. And the pacing. We don't talk about pacing enough. Yep. Because it makes or breaks a lot of the things we watch. Yeah. Um. KT: was like a, um, it was like Bohemian Rhapsody and I'm not talking about Rami Malek's Bohemian Rhapsody. [00:38:00] I'm talking about the OG Queen song where you have like, you know, key notes, tonal changes and shifts within the same song. Like I was feeling that. In this film, you know, um, not that you are losing interest, but when you're ready, you know, and you, you are riding on this adventure, you switch positions and it feels great. It intensifies Oti: Oh wow. , you've been getting a whole different experience from KT: Oh, there are many roads to being an influencer. Oti, Oti: Oh, clearly . No, but you are right. Like it. It solved up a, something fresh each single time that he thought. the story was going one way with pivot, you know, there's like, I thought the characters I thought wouldn't play such a big part in the whole sort of, um, narrative, but they do and it works. Well, I was, I was, I was, I was pleased by this. I think it was such a great way in which, um, it all unfolded. And [00:39:00] even the end, I remember shouting at you, well, not at you, but shouting that. They, it shouldn't end in a sudden way, because I would have lost it. I would have lost it. But KT: you mean Lindelof lost on an island? Is that what you're saying? Oti: Lindelof Oof. No one can be that lost. KT: No, I absolutely, absolutely, um, agree with you. And you know, you know, what was really interesting about influencer is. It didn't need to speak to greater sort of scenarios outside of the world or the matrix that was built inside of Influencer, it didn't need to have any sort of social commentary. Um, but it did. And I was. I was pleased by that. I was like, Hmm, but it also didn't need to go into depth either. You know what I mean? So I love that it was able to be, you know, fully immersed in balls to the wall shenanigans, but it [00:40:00] was also cool. Cause obviously we are talking about, you know, how on some level there is an appeasing, there is a feeding the machine. Um, so to say, or the audience, um, or your following. So I really liked the way that it explored it, but it wasn't overly serious or overly pretentious about it either. Oti: Yeah, definitely a great addition to the Shadrach catalogue. KT: Yeah, I, I have no notes aside to say, I think this will be a great double feature with infinity pool. Oti: Oh! Right! Yeah, it would be, it would be. KT: I think this is the entree and you can finish off with infinity pool. ~Um, ~but wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Thank you so much. Curtis, David Harder, um, and congratulations to the cast and crew, um, in the making of influencer. We had a fucking cowboy of a time. Oti: a tongue. We sure did. Mm hmm. KT: ~Um,~ if you would like to see our hot doggies on Twitter and Instagram, we're out for your [00:41:00] fun. Oti: Write us an email at hellofipodcast. com. KT: We'll also see you. Do you know what the next episode OT is? Oti: False text? KT: You know it. Oti: Ha ha, it's all about the family. KT: Bye.