Nov 6, 2026 · 1h 46m
Three films test Hollywood’s faith in empire, class, and memory
‘Wild Horse Nine’ Is a Hilarious American Tragedy. Plus: ‘Possible Love’ and ‘Once Upon a Time in Harlem’.
The episode connects contemporary film criticism to questions of political guilt, class inequality, and the fragile preservation of cultural history.
- 1Wild Horse 9 turns dark comedy, Catholic theology, and American imperial guilt into an awards-season argument.
- 2Possible Love offers a richly observed class drama whose deliberate structure complicates its emotional payoff.
- 3Once Upon a Time in Harlem recovers a volatile gathering of Harlem Renaissance artists through decades of archival labor.
Don't miss
David Greaves and Anne de Mare explain how footage from a Harlem Renaissance gathering was shaped into a living portrait of creative conflict.
The brief
Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins begin with Wild Horse 9, reading Martin McDonagh’s dark comedy as a pessimistic study of American empire, aging operatives, faith, and guilt.
Their discussion weighs John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell’s performances, the film’s allusions to assassination and Catholic ideas of sin, and its uncertain position in the awards race.
Possible Love shifts the focus to class, documentary ethics, and emotional entanglement, with the hosts divided over whether Lee Chang-dong’s patient structure deepens or diffuses its impact.
David Greaves and Anne de Mare describe recovering, restoring, and editing footage of Harlem Renaissance artists gathered at Duke Ellington’s apartment across decades of work.
The standout is the documentary’s living sense of argument: archival images, separately recorded sound, and jazz-like editing preserve creative conflict rather than flattening it into history.
Books & mentions
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Of Mice and Men
Its themes of displacement and American hardship echo the episode’s discussion of Western structure and political pessimism.
Streets of Laredo
The Western novel came up as a reference point for Wild Horse 9’s genre and themes.
Dangerous Liaisons
Its focus on manipulation and social power surfaced in the discussion of performance and dramatic relationships.
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