Cabbage Patch Core

Summary

Podcast Summary: Dear Movies, I Love You – Episode: Cabbage Patch Core

Hosts: Millie De Chirico and Danielle Henderson Release Date: November 12, 2024

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1. Introduction and Personal Banter (00:00 – 03:09)

The episode opens with Millie and Danielle engaging in light-hearted conversation about their current moods and personal lives. Millie humorously reveals she's dealing with a hangover despite not having a wild night, setting a relatable and candid tone for the episode.

Notable Quotes:

• Millie (00:43): "You're hungover today. You look like you were in a movie about having an extramarital affair..."
• Danielle (01:19): "So I'm going to reveal all. And the answer is yes. Fuck everybody. No, I'm kidding."

2. Navigating Social Invitations and Self-Presentation (03:09 – 08:17)

The hosts delve into the challenges of socializing as they age, discussing feelings of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and the pressure to appear effortlessly cool. They share anecdotes about last-minute decisions to go out, the struggle between comfort and presentation, and the evolution of their personal styles.

Notable Quotes:

• Millie (04:22): "I rolled out last night. Like, no makeup. I just put on some lipstick... that's really the only thing that I figured out makes me look awake."
• Danielle (07:37): "I’m to the point where... how do I dress to look nice? I've never known how to put on makeup."

3. Serial Killer Self Care Game Segment (08:17 – 42:44)

Millie and Danielle engage in a playful yet insightful game segment titled "Serial Killer Self Care," where they categorize various actions as either harmful (serial killer moves) or beneficial (self-care practices). This segment highlights their perspectives on maintaining personal boundaries, valuing one's time, and fostering healthy professional relationships.

Notable Quotes:

• Millie (20:18): "Serial killer self-care question 1: Googling liquor while you're standing at the bar."
• Danielle (26:22): "It's self-care. I'm with you."
• Millie (31:24): "Question 3: Scheduling a meeting while you're currently in a meeting. That's a serial killer move."

The segment covers topics such as:

• Unpaid Labor: Emphasizing the importance of compensating individuals for their work, especially in public-facing roles.
• Meeting Overload: Critiquing the excessive scheduling of meetings and advocating for more efficient communication methods.
• Cringe Culture: Rejecting societal pressures to conform to certain standards of "coolness" and embracing authenticity.
• Ending the Podcast: Balancing the decision to conclude the podcast as both a self-care act and a significant change for their listeners.

4. In-Depth Discussion on "Parasite" (43:03 – 89:15)

The hosts transition to a comprehensive analysis of Bong Joon-ho's acclaimed film "Parasite." They explore the movie's examination of class disparity, power dynamics, and the parasitic relationships between two families from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Key Points Discussed:

• Character Breakdown: The Kim family's underprivileged status contrasted with the affluent Park family.
• Metaphors and Symbolism: The semi-basement apartment representing societal lowliness and the meticulous portrayal of different living spaces.
• Infiltration Tactics: The Kim family's strategic methods to integrate into the Park household, highlighting their desperation and ingenuity.
• Class Commentary: The film's critique of wealth and its impact on personal relationships and societal structures.
• Emotional Impact: The hosts share personal reactions, including stress and anger towards the portrayal of wealth excess.

Notable Quotes:

• Millie (57:03): "Their toilet is kind of on a pedestal that goes above where they sleep and eat and live."
• Danielle (76:25): "The family again, Kim family is all in. Park family has hired all of them. They're all like, yes, they're gone and they take over the house and it's pouring rain and they get drunk."
• Millie (84:43): "It's crazy, how people get so caught up in, like, oh, it's like so obvious when he's trying to say, like, people on a yacht..."

5. Exploring "Triangle of Sadness" (89:15 – 112:24)

Following their discussion on "Parasite," Millie and Danielle delve into Ruben Östlund's "Triangle of Sadness," another film that scrutinizes modern class warfare and the illusions of equality among the wealthy.

Key Points Discussed:

• Film Synopsis: An exploration of the film’s narrative, focusing on the dynamics between models, influencers, and their interactions aboard a luxury yacht.
• Class and Power Dynamics: Analysis of how wealth influences behavior, expectations, and personal relationships within the film.
• Cultural Critique: The hosts critique the superficiality of wealth displays and the destructive nature of overindulgence.
• Personal Reflections: Both hosts share their discomfort and frustration with the portrayal of excessive wealth and its implications on societal values.

Notable Quotes:

• Millie (90:36): "I don't think generational wealth should exist. I think, spend your fucking money."
• Danielle (100:07): "These are markers of wealth everywhere."
• Millie (112:24): "The most rich and powerful people insisting that everyone is equal in this world."

6. Conclusion and Final Thoughts (112:24 – End)

As the episode winds down, Millie and Danielle reflect on the themes of authenticity, self-worth, and the impact of societal pressures related to wealth and appearance. They encourage listeners to embrace their true selves and prioritize genuine connections over superficial standards.

Notable Quotes:

• Danielle (113:32): "I will never charge to do an event that involves charity, children, libraries, things like that."
• Millie (113:43): "It's a losing game."

The hosts also tease future episodes, hinting at lighter, more humorous content to balance the intense discussions of the current episode.

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Key Insights and Conclusions:

• Authenticity Over Appearance: Both hosts advocate for embracing one's true self rather than conforming to societal expectations of "coolness" or appearance.
• Critique of Wealth and Class: Through their discussions on "Parasite" and "Triangle of Sadness," Millie and Danielle highlight the detrimental effects of wealth disparity and the superficial nature of luxury.
• Self-Care Practices: The "Serial Killer Self Care" segment underscores the importance of setting personal boundaries, valuing one's time, and avoiding exploitative practices in both personal and professional settings.
• Cultural Reflections: The hosts connect the themes of the films to broader cultural and societal issues, encouraging listeners to critically examine the structures of power and class in their own lives.

Final Takeaway: "Dear Movies, I Love You" Episode "Cabbage Patch Core" offers a rich and engaging exploration of personal authenticity, societal pressures, and the complex interplay of class and power as depicted in contemporary cinema. Millie and Danielle provide thoughtful insights, blending humor with critical analysis, making the episode both entertaining and intellectually stimulating for listeners.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign. Hey, everybody. Welcome to another episode of I saw what you did. My name is Millie de Chirico.

[B]

I'm Danielle Henderson.

[A]

And yeah, we're here with y'all. Last couple laps. How you feeling?

[B]

Feeling good. I'm very dark today. I'm in a closet recording.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

My. My new place. So hopefully.

[A]

Is that your bedroom?

[B]

Yeah. But hopefully. This just sounds like a voice from the dark. I'm like, ragged sounding today. I didn't even do anything fun last night. You're hungover, But I didn't do anything fun last night.

[A]

Big reveal. I'm hungover today. You look like you. You look like you were in. You were. This is like a movie about you having an extramarital affair and you're. It's like the morning after where you've been processing. Like, what are you going to do? Like, are we going to tell the husband? Or, you know, like the soft bedding. There's like a soft bedding behind you and you're kind of like front. It's like front of camera.

[B]

So I'm going to reveal all. And the answer is yes. Fuck everybody. No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding.

[A]

Well, I think we. It looks like we've both had a night, I think is what I mean by that.

[B]

I had an old person night of just ragged sleep and now my glasses are fogging up on the bottom, which means, like, my face is really hot for some reason. So, yeah, we both. We were both in it.

[A]

Yeah. Well, yeah, I decided to go out last night. Very last minute. I had actually, I had a lot of responsibilities that I needed to attend to. And I was like, I should just stay home and like, you know, prepare for things that I'm doing and, you know, like, I don't know, just get the, like, get the week started early. Which is so sad. Cause it's like, I don't know.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Anytime I use like a weekend to prepare for the next week, it makes me want to.

[B]

I know.

[A]

Unalive myself, you know?

[B]

I know.

[A]

So I'm like, God, what is my life? But then at the last minute, I decided to go out. Cause some friends of mine were like, where are you? Where are you? Which is. I caved to that very quickly. I don't know if you do. If somebody calls and is like, where you at? Where you at? How come you're not here? I bet you. You don't leave the house. I bet you just stay like a normal stay.

[B]

If someone is like, where are you at? It's usually nighttime and I'm usually I'm ready for bed at 6pm let's just say that like you got to get me early in the day if you want me to go out at night if you want to. Like where you at? Where you at? I'm like, I'm, I'm where I'm supposed to be. I'm home. Yeah. I'm getting ready for bed. My night routine is done. The retainer is in.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But I don't know, that's, that's country Danielle City. Danielle might be a different person if someone's like, where you at? You know, 8:00 I might be able to rally but usually I stay home because I live in the woods.

[A]

Yeah, well, and this is the thing too, is so like I just, I think I'm just very, you know, I have a little bit of FOMO in me where somebody's like, where are you? You're miss the greatest time of all time.

[B]

It is.

[A]

And if, especially if it's like multiple people, like if it's multiple friends at the same thing and they're all texting you, I get so I'm like, fine, I'll just get out of my pajamas. But I will say this, it doesn't now I just kind of go as is. I mean I'm not wearing pajamas, but I'm also like not putting on the Ritz.

[B]

Yeah. There's no outfit prepared. Yeah.

[A]

And it was funny because in my 20s I was always like out and I would see sometimes a middle aged person, mostly men who just looked like disheveled like guys in like their Carhartt outfits. Like I don't know if they just came from work or whatever. Like, and they were not like they were the only person in the club that wasn't like kind of dressed up in some kind of way. Like they just looked like they came off the factory line or you know, and now I know why.

[B]

Because their friends dragged them out.

[A]

Yeah, they had fomo as a middle aged person decided to just go out because they wanted to experience whatever it was, but they didn't want to get ready or anything. They were just like, I'm just going to wear my fucking sweatsuit and have not coat my hair. I'll maybe brush my teeth, but that's about it. I'm not doing anything else.

[B]

You wanted me, you got me.

[A]

Yeah, I rolled out last night. Like, no, no makeup. Like I just was like, I put some lipstick on, no makeup. I put on a wool cap. I look like Mike Nesmith from the Monkeys. I Just was like, whatever. And I was, like, rolling around, like. And it was. It was one of those nights, too, where, you know, it's a fall evening in Atlanta. Everybody's out.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's crazy. Like, there's, like, a dude in, you know, like, a Michael Myers mask, like, shredding on a guitar with his amp. Like, on the corner, on the street corner, there's, like, people making out on the street, puking in the street.

[B]

Oh, my God, I love this for Atlanta.

[A]

I know. No, it's East Atlanta Village, which it's. I think we've been there, like, East Atlanta Village. And I'm not just saying this because I'm a East Atlanta gal, is like, if a Bourbon street was punk rock. Like, it's nice. It is absolutely a mess. It's a mess. But the people that go there are cool as fuck, if that makes sense.

[B]

It sounds fucking perfect.

[A]

Yeah, it is, like, truly kind of perfect. And it's, like, super rough around the edges, like. But it's like, the cool. Like, it's a. It's this, like, beautiful mix of, like, different races, different genders, different ages. But there's, like, no frat boys or anything.

[B]

If you have a corner of your city where you can go out and if you're a drinker, if you can drink or just hang out with your friends and it hasn't been infiltrated by a frat boy set, keep it protected, Gatekeep it, lock it down. That is the pinnacle of wonder.

[A]

Yeah. And that's. And I think that's because. Because it retains a little bit of its grime. But, like, all the bars in that neighborhood are, like, kind of punk rock, heavy metal bars. There's, like, a lot of black clubs down there. There's, you know, obviously Mary's. There's, you know, a bunch of places to see concerts. So it's just like, this cool neighborhood. And then when it gets, like, lit, like when the magic, the alchemy of the. Of the fall night happens and it gets just insane. It really feels like anarchy. But in the best way.

[B]

That is my favorite. I've only experienced it a few times, but that is my absolute favorite kind of night out. And I bet you looked cool as shit. And I say this not just because I. I know that's true, that you look cool as shit, But I have to believe that anyone who is comfortable looks great, because that is my entire M.O.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, I'm to the point where, while I'm here in L. A. I'm considering hiring a friend of Mine, who's incredibly stylish to, like, teach me how to be a person again.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

Like, how do I. How do I dress to look nice? And I've never known how to put on makeup, so I might ask her to help me learn how to put on makeup, because I just feel like, all right, girl, you're 47. You don't have to change who you are. But if you would like to look more awake when you leave the house, there are ways that you can do that.

[A]

I mean, I'm just going to tell you. Lipstick, that's really the only thing you need. Honestly, that's like. That's what I'm wearing right now. I have nothing on my face except for lipstick.

[B]

Really?

[A]

Oh, yeah. It's like, the one thing that I figured out makes me look awake. Like, I'm just like, oh, I'm. I'm up for the day. I don't know what it is. It really is the secret sauce. And European woman, for generations have believed this, so. And you have perfect skin. So it's like, just wear a little lipstick and you're fine. And it's not even about, you know, vanity or anything. It's just a. No, it's just even a balm, like.

[B]

A bomb, just to how many. I'll. I'm going to dig back in a little bit. You might see me at an Ulta or a Sephora around these parts. Yeah, but I don't know.

[A]

You should look at your nipple and find out what your perfect nude shade is.

[B]

I'm sorry, what?

[A]

Yeah, that's like, how you find out.

[B]

What. How do people just know this shit? What are you talking about? I mean, I'm constantly looking at my nips, but for lipstick, well, that's.

[A]

That's like this whole. They say that the perfect nude shade or the perfect lip color for your face is what the color of your nipple is.

[B]

See, now I instantly know so much about people out in these streets. Like, everyone I meet now, I'm going to be like, so that's what your nips look like. I don't hear any of this shit. I miss all of this.

[A]

Is it? Or is it. You'll never know, boys. You'll never know.

[B]

I love when. When people wear bright red lipstick, I'll be like, all right, there's some issues going on.

[A]

I know. I. Sometimes I go for that. Like, I used to. There was, like, a period of, like, nine months where I wore only hot pink lipstick and people. I used to get complimented all the time, but then I was Like, I don't know, that just felt like a moment. I didn't, I don't feel like that's a long term look for me. But yeah, yeah, listen, I'm always going to advocate for if you just want to, you know, a little, a little feel good, you know, just throw it in there. It's like no commitments. But honestly, like being comfortable going out is absolutely crucial.

[B]

Totally. Everyone who, everyone who looks who. I remember when I used to go out, who I was like, wow, they look fucking great. Effortless, comfortably cool.

[A]

Yeah, Yeah, I, I think so too. And like I, I think it's because of when I was young and I was going out, I was so, you know, like wanting to be in the mix and was really self conscious about like wanting to impress like, especially older people. I was always like, oh my God. Like I like older people and like wanting to like fit seamlessly into their scene. So I was always so concerned about whether or not I looked cool enough or like was able to occupy the space. So sad. But it's true. That's what your 20s are for. And now I'm like, oh no, I'm the dude in the Carhartt against the wall, not giving a fuck. And everybody's like, who is this? Like, what a cool customer.

[B]

For, for real, for real. And this is where I feel like I'm also, I've got like lifelong dirt bag problems maybe because I've just never, I've done that like 20 year old wear like, you know, the tight thing and the Victoria's Secret underwear. And like I've, I've tried that and just instantly decided it wasn't for me.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So I feel like I've just maybe never outwardly expressed how cool I feel inside because I think I'm pretty cool. But on the outside I look like, what is that go? What is going on there? So I feel like I just want them to match. Yeah. Now, not like changing my style, but I want them to match because I think I've just been a lifelong dirtbag.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I have no reason to change if I, when I live at home. But then I have to come out in the wild like this and I'm like, oh, I've been wearing the same T shirts for 25 years. It's literally a T shirt I had 25 years ago because I buy all of my T shirts. Huge.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So, yeah, I gotta, I just want the outside to match the inside and the inside is cool as shit. So.

[A]

Yeah. And listen, I'm like, I'll Tell you right now, kids, Kids don't worship you. They will. Like, one thing that I have figured out, and this is no slight to, to Gen Z or to anyone younger, is that, you know, y'all are really into core, right? I think that's been established is that.

[B]

Y'All are into blank core.

[A]

Yes. The aesthetics of things. Blank core, Carhartt core.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Lipstick only core, whatever the fuck you want to call it.

[B]

Cabbage Patch core.

[A]

Cabbage Patch core. And most people our age had to really commit to a subculture, right? We had to, like, we had to commit and we had to, we had to like go through the motions of going to the club and being worried about whether or not older people were going to like us, you know. Now I think these young kids don't have that as much as we did. There was no, like, gatekeepers that we needed to like, you know, right, to, to. They had to buy into us or whatever. But when it comes to the style part, like, they know y'all know what y'all are doing. Y'all are just doing the aesthetic. There's no commitment to the lifestyle yet. We got the commitment to the lifestyle. We have like the track record of all the triple xl T shirts that we had to like fight for and these concerts. And we were like, really livid it. So it's like when, when y'all see somebody in, in Gen X that was like a stone cold fucking real head, they're like, they will walk up to you and be like, oh, my God, you are so hocus pocus core. Like, you really live it. You're beautiful. You're like, thank you. Yes. I existed before hocus pocus. By the way, did you know that goth existed before hocus pocus and people were dressing like fucking witches for a very long time? Oh my God, we really lived that fucking life.

[B]

Oh, for real. I. I was. This is. I was in a parking lot the other day and I was backing up and it was a really tight squeeze. So I was, you know, backing up and there was a, like this red SUV behind me and I was fine. I was completely fine. I wasn't even just completely fine. And the guy in the car, like came out of the store and was like just kind of looking and it wasn't. He wasn't angry about it. He was just like. Which I get because LA drivers are fucking nuts. And when I finished my little three point turn, I rolled down my window and I was like, you're cool. Like, I didn't hit your car. And he's like, no, no, no. He's like, I came out because I wasn't worried you were going to hit my car. I was just impressed that you were able to do that. And I was like, oh, well, I learned how to drive in like the 80s and 90s, so I don't even use these cameras. Like, it's all, it's all fucking visual. Like, I'm on. I'm.

[A]

Turn that head.

[B]

I don't even turn that head. So he was like, oh, he's like 80s and 90s. And he was like, but you look so young. And I said, well, you got to keep it tight, but I'm old as shit. And then I just drove away. It was the funniest and coolest fucking moment of my year, probably.

[A]

Listen, I literally just came off of a TikTok where I watched Jack Harlow, the rapper Jack Harlow talk about he only likes women who were born in the 70s. And I was like, my man, like.

[B]

Jack Harlow knows what's up. Because he was like 25.

[A]

Like, I was like, right, listen.

[B]

Oh my gosh. No, I was just like this, this young man was just like, I'm impressed by your. And I'm like, if that's all it takes, then ask me out. Because he was like fucking flummoxed.

[A]

That's I think the thing about. And, and this is all going to pull back to eventually what I'm going to talk about today, even though we've gone about 20 minutes already. That is the thing that's so hard to figure out as you get older, is like, what's my value in the world? Because the world doesn't value you anymore. They put you out the pasture, they throw you away in the fucking dumpster. Yeah. But like the thing that I have to remember is that younger people have no confidence that they have no way to navigate, you know, simple things. Like we do, right? Like our lived in experience, our toil is equals authenticity to them and they will always worship us for that. For the most part. Like, unless you're absolute goblin and you're a horrible person, for the most part. Like, most cool individuals will, you know, lean towards authenticity and real people. You know, I did when I was in my 20s. What the fuck you think I was like riding around like trying to find the Carhartt guys to be like, can I hang with you against the wall?

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

Like, I wanted that when I was their age. So I feel like now we just. The baton has been passed, you know, go out with no fucking makeup on. Do whatever you gotta do. Do not Use the rear view cameras. You can do it yourself. People will literally come out of a store and worship you for it.

[B]

So it was. I just. It was definitely a moment where I realized that some kind of baton had been passed. Yeah, because he also at one point when I said, like, oh, I learned how to drive in the 80s and early 90s, and he was like, I was born in the 80s. And I was like, like, oh, okay. Like, okay, I gotcha. But like, a baton has been passed for sure. And I'll take that baton. But I just. If that's all it takes is me just being real. Well, I can't do anything but be real. So. Just saying I'm old as shit and zooming away and leaving this man standing there, like, staring after me. I just felt like I was, like I was getting on a horse and riding off into the sunset after, like, robbing a saloon. It felt great.

[A]

Oh, yeah. It's like the fucking, like. Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson plays. That's you. Well, yeah.

[B]

You did have something else that you want to talk about though. So I don't want to get too mired down in how cool we are now that we're older.

[A]

Well, this will glide gently into another round of serial killer hell.

[B]

Yeah, it's probably our last round.

[A]

Maybe. Maybe.

[B]

Oh, my God, I haven't done one.

[A]

Of these since you failed miserably.

[B]

Since I failed miserably because I hadn't hung out with you in so long. I didn't realize you were the kind of. You put lawn ornaments all over her anymore.

[A]

You weren't like, this is a betrayal.

[B]

And I'm like, man, that's the true betrayal.

[A]

Crumble our relationship for Jesus.

[B]

No, it was. It was a stark realization that, like, I need to hang out with you more than we did. So I fixed it. But like, that was the true betrayal. Everyone's like, oh, your Chernobyl answer was the betrayal. No, the true betrayal is Millie becoming a whole different person in between rounds of serial killer self care.

[A]

Yeah, well, you know, we throw surprises at each other. We can't know each other completely. Right. Gotta keep a little mystery in the. Keep it spicy.

[B]

You know, all about a mystery. I'm angling towards becoming more mysterious as I get older.

[A]

Well, you're already again, like you just said, fucking people coming out of stores trying to figure you out. I think you're doing a good job. Okay, so there's five. Five of these. Are you ready for five?

[B]

I'm ready. I got my coffee. I've got water.

[A]

Okay. Good.

[B]

I'm ready.

[A]

Hydrate. Hydrate.

[B]

One more. I'm hydrating for this shit.

[A]

I'm.

[B]

I am treating this like a sport.

[A]

Okay, so maybe some of this won't make sense, but I don't give a fuck. We're ending the podcast, so who cares? Serial killer self care. Question 1. Googling liquor while you're standing at the bar.

[B]

Okay. For you, self care.

[A]

Absolutely correct.

[B]

For me, serial killer move. That person is looking. How to poison you or get you as drunk as possible for you. You want that information about how to level that drunkenness out.

[A]

Okay, here's why. Because, you know, people get. There's like, so people who get, like, super crazy about bar rules. About, like, how if you don't, like, don't approach a bar unless you know exactly what you want. Like, you know all this stuff. Fuck you. Like, we're all just, you know how much alcohol is there is right now in the world. Okay. I will admit something is that I do not know shit about alcohol.

[B]

Yeah, me either. Because we didn't. That wasn't the goal when we were coming up.

[A]

No, no, no. There. No. None of my friends were curatorial about drinking whatsoever.

[B]

Nope.

[A]

Everybody was just like, give me a handle of Mr. Boston's. We will figure out a hundred different ways to drink it. You know, like, there was no. I mean, first of all, there weren't even a ton of liquor brands. I think that's kind of my thing is that people like, you're out, and you're like, oh, let's get you a Tito's and soda. And I'm like, and I know what Tito's is. Okay. But, like, back before I knew what Tito's like, let's do a Tito's and soda. I'm like, what the fuck is a Tito's?

[B]

Right? We didn't order by the brand.

[A]

Yeah. I'm like, is that tequila? Is that whatever?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I'm just like, I don't know these, so I don't know the brands. Number one for sure. I'm actually unclear about what is even what. Like, the difference between bourbon and whiskey and Cog Kyog. How do you. I don't even know how to say cognac. How do you say it? Cognac.

[B]

Cognac.

[A]

Cognac. Fuck. I don't even know how to say that. So that's. To that point. So the other night, I went to the Hawks game.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

Season opener of the Hawks. No big deal. We won. Okay.

[B]

My boys.

[A]

My boys are my boys. So we go to The Hawks game. I'm hanging out with, you know, we're in this big group, and I'm hanging out with one of my friends, brothers who was in town or whatever. And we go to the bar, and this woman who's. Who's the bartender was like, do you want to put a couple shots in this lemonade? It's like frozen lemonade. And I was like, do people do that? And she was just like, yeah. And he goes, my friend's brother goes, why don't you pour some Hennessy in there? And I was like, I certainly heard of Hennessy because I like rap music, but do I even know what Hennessy actually is? So I turned. I turned to, you know, the side and googled Hennessy because I was like, I'm even unclear what Hennessy is.

[B]

Ah, I am surprised I didn't get you kicked out of Atlanta.

[A]

Well, I'm like, that is to your point. So then my other friend walks up and she sees my open browser on my phone with, like, Hennessy. And she goes, did you just Google Hennessy at the bar? And I was like, yes, I did, because I don't know what the fuck Hennessy actually is. So there you go. I'm gonna admit that to everybody. I don't know what it is.

[B]

Oh, God, we're so overwhelmed for choice. A cognac. Cognac. It's a cognac Crown Royal Hennessy fucking cognacs.

[A]

Okay. You know how many towns had your crown in high school? I didn't even know what it was.

[B]

This is the thing. Your commitment to ordering a drink depends on when you were, what era you were born in. We did not have brands.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

When we started drinking, it was the drink. Like, I want a tequila and soda. I want this. I want. And it was basic. When cocktail came out, we were young. We were in our, you know, 10, 11 years old. But yeah, we were floored that somebody could flip that cup around and not just pour it directly into the glass. Like, we came up in a way that was not brand related. So now when people are like, I want Casamigos, and I'm like, why do you want George Clooney specifically to give you tequila? Because I know that all tequila comes from the same fucking area of Mexico. It's only one plant.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And every. But so they just put their name on it. And now it's a different liquor to you. Like, what is happening? So I'm. I'm with you there. And there's so many fucking celebrity brands. And, like, yeah, I can't do it. I want. I don't want to put lemonade in a drink. And it's this. I'm the same way with coffee where I'm like, give it to me straight. Like, do not. You don't have to fancy it up. If my goal is to get fudgeing.

[A]

Rocked, yeah, well, I'd like. And I, I appreciate people who are very knowledgeable about it. Like, I'm like, hey, you know, if you're into whiskey and you got like, crazy opinions on it, that's fascinating to me. Tell me more about passion or whatever. But, like, I'm also trying to be a real person at, like, I'm like, I don't know. I simply do not know. You don't mess call. That's not a thing that existed when we were in, in high school. Like, I had never heard of Mezcal until I moved to la and I was basically like, oh, I guess people with Mezcal, it's kind of like a tequila suppose. But I never heard of that shit until. I mean, that's the thing is that, like, the. It's gotten so complex that my, you know, high school brain has to, like, catch up. So that's why I'm Googling Hennessy at the fucking bar. Don't shame me.

[B]

It's self care. I'm with you.

[A]

Thank you. Okay, Just try to educate myself. Do not embarrass me. Exactly. Okay, so you got one, right? Ting, ting, ting. All right, number two, serial killer of self care. Not paying people for working your event.

[B]

That is a serial killer move.

[A]

Hell yeah, it is. And you know it is. And you know who you are? Serial killers, murderers.

[B]

No hesitation. You're a serial killer. Someone's doing anything for you, pay them.

[A]

Yo, it's like, we got a problem. There are so many people who are out here being like, hey, will you DJ my work party? Will you, you know, come and host a thing for my job in front of people? This is public facing shit. Y'all are selling tickets to shit. And you're not paying people to do that in any kind of way.

[B]

Like, no.

[A]

You don't even give me a hundred dollar gift card to Applebee's. Nothing.

[B]

No, that is no longer the move. We put a. I say we, but I think that's actually a. A Gen Z, possibly millennial move where they're like, we're not doing unpaid, unpaid internships anymore. Like, high five to them for being like, no, my time is valuable. You got to pay me. They. They shifted the tide.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So if you are still out here not paying people to work your event, not only are you revealing how old you are in your heart, but you have no, there's no conscience. Like, like there has to be something. The pay doesn't always have to be financial. It should be, it should be financial. But like you said, you have to offer something.

[A]

Yeah. And I will make this distinction as well because it's like there are also, I think it's deplorable that if you're going to go work for somebody and you're doing like physical labor, right? If you're like cleaning dishes, if you're organizing, if you're doing stuff, you, that is a paid job, period. Like, that is. If you're not paying people to do that, then you're an absolute monster. But then there's this type of job where it's like, oh, it's forward facing. It's like something where they can be in front of people and maybe that's the reward. The reward is me standing in front of people and talking about whatever, like a movie or some kind of concept or a DJ thing or something like that, playing albums. I'm like, why is that not a job to you? Why, why do you think that? Especially somebody at my age and my level of the game or whatever. I'm like, right. You think it's easy for me to like constantly just go in public and talk and like I got to, you know, it's like as much as I am kind of okay with being a public speaker, but it's like it still takes a lot for me to prepare, for me to figure out what my nipple color is so I can wear the corresponding lipstick so I could like do my hair, take off my car heart, put on a church dress. Like whatever it is, like, that is part of it. That's part of the labor of this thing. And I find that people really don't pay for that around here. Especially here in Atlanta. They're not really doing in la, but they were doing like, they don't pay for that here. And I'm just of like, you know what? Like that's work.

[B]

So I will say simple as simply as possible. My life and career changed when I started saying no to things that people wanted me to do for free. Yeah, just say no. I'm not even gonna get into it. About like, you're not paying me, why don't you pay? Nope, I ain't doing it. If you want me. My time is worth something. If you want to ask, oh, would you consider doing It. If we pay.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Then we can have a negotiation. We can talk.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But if you just flat out come at me with do this thing for free. Nope.

[A]

Right. And if you're a for profit business, like, I mean, if you're a nonprofit, you know, if. If it's a charity thing, of course. What the fuck?

[B]

Of course.

[A]

Do that all day, every day. But if you're money for your business and you're not paying people for things, man, come on.

[B]

Like, oh, they used to have me all the time when I was a freelance writer. Like, oh, you can do this for the exposure. And I'm like, you, ma'am, are Elle magazine, like, someone getting paid. Yeah, I ain't doing nothing for the exposure.

[A]

Yeah, well, I just had to throw that in there. I knew you would agree with me, so you got that one right too. Oh, my God.

[B]

I will never charge to do an event that involves charity, children, libraries, things like that. But the rest of y'all better come with something. Even if I just donate the money, you better come with something.

[A]

I mean, a shrink wrapped gift basket goes a long way. I'll just say, throw that out there. Okay, so two for two, third serial killer, self care question. Scheduling a meeting while you're currently in a meeting.

[B]

That's a fucking serial killer all around.

[A]

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. That is absolutely right. Oh, my God. Gotta tell you, one of my biggest pet peeves in the world is being in a meeting with somebody. And then there's. All of a sudden it's like, ping, ping, pong. And then you're like, what, you just scheduled another meeting with me as you're talking to me right now?

[B]

No, that is. That is pure psychosis. That is. That is someone who's had too much of the sauce, the corporate sauce. Because my. My. My real party line is there are too many meetings.

[A]

Absolutely. A hundred percent, there are.

[B]

Like, if I shouldn't be meeting with people more than depending on the job, but more than once a week, I.

[A]

Have to agree with you. I feel like there. We're in a. We're in an epidemic of too many meetings. And I don't know if it's because there's this perceived, like, disconnection feeling from COVID that is kind of still happening where people are, like, many people are working from home still. There's people spread out around the world. We got to overcompensate for it by having meeting after meeting after meeting, because otherwise we'll just drift away into, you know, unproductiveness. And I'm like, nah, bitch. The fucking meeting sometimes is the problem, like nothing is getting done. A lot of times, yes, absolutely. Talk and a talk and I'm like, there's like, just because we're not meeting everybody day about something, does that mean that people aren't working? And I just feel like sometimes the meeting is just the pomp and circumstance that needs to get kicked out the door.

[B]

Well, there's also, there seems to me to be a new layer of the corporate structure. And I don't know when it happened, when it came in. I've seen it become more prevalent over the last like five years. I'll say. But there's a new level where on this level the person's job is to justify having their job.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

So they are setting meetings all the time so that it looks like they're doing their job or that is the job or whatever. There just seems to be this new layer of like, my job is to prove that I'm doing my job. I don't need it. I think what makes me probably a great boss because I have been told by some writers that I'm like the best boss they've had or like it's the best room they've been in, is because I hire the best people possible and then I let them do their fucking job. Yes, I'm available to you for questions, I'm available to check in. I will let you do your fudgeing job. We will have a meeting if there is something that I need 10 people to know at once. Otherwise it's an email. Like, what are we doing? Yeah, hire the best people, let them do their fudgeing job.

[A]

Yeah, I agree. That's the best kind of boss to have, is somebody who kind of just leaves you alone. I, I have been a boss very rarely in my life. Like I think I was a boss when I was in my 20s actually. Like, I think my one of my first like jobs out of undergrad, I worked at a marketing research firm and I was technically like a supervisor or like a key holder or something like that. But I never want to be anyone's boss. I don't want to tell you what to do. I don't want to be responsible for your life. I don't want you to clock, you know, hours with me. I don't want to give you goals, none of that. I just want us to all be like free floating, you know, we can all. It's like a socialist dream of everybody's in charge and we just kind of figure things out, you know. In that way, I know it's a dream, but I'm just saying I don't want. I don't want a boss and I don't want to be anybody's boss because of this, because of the, the weird kind of like, communication styles, like trying to figure out, like, what the best way of, you know, being in touches. And some people do it too little, and then some people do it too much, you know, so it's like finding a balance is probably the key, but it's like man meetings also.

[B]

I got to say, I love being a boss. And if you are a boss and you're like experiencing some of this and you want to stop having all these meetings and feeling like this, I'll say, I will also just offer this unsolicited advice. Ask people how they like to communicate before you, when you're interviewing them. How do you like to communicate if you have, if we have a pressing need, like, you know, would you text me, would you call me? Would you set a meeting? You know, ask them how they like to communicate, Make a note of it and then do that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, that's really all it takes. If I tell you, like, look, I just need you to be available that if I have a question, I can get it answered within three hours. Done.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, that's it. Like, it's so hard too, as. As, you know, like I said, I just said I didn't want to be a boss. But I mean, it is hard to know because there's certain people that really, really need a lot of feedback.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And really need to be hand held and they want that. And so. And sometimes those people will pretend to not need that and then you figure it out much later or vice versa. You know, I get that it's hard to figure it out, but. But yeah, I think that's a good plan, is to just sort of check in with people and. And I would say check in with people, like, not just in the interview, but after they've been hired and give them some time to settle in and be like, all right, so what's your vibe now? You want to hear from me? You don't. You don't want me to use your personal phone number. Duly noted.

[B]

You don't want me to ever use your phone at all. You want me to just. Just email? That's fine. That's fine.

[A]

All this is to say you got another one, right?

[B]

Yes, I did.

[A]

And you know that that's serial killer move. Okay, question four. We're almost done. Question four. Serial Killer Self care. Being cringe.

[B]

Self care.

[A]

Absolutely correct. Do not give a fuck about being cringe.

[B]

Cringe doesn't exist. It doesn't exist. I mean, cringe is. Is only our friend Sarah Brown's former diary reading series that she wrote a fantastic book about in. In two different countries. That's what cringe is to me, Sarah Brown. Cringe. Look it up. Otherwise it does not exist. I'm not, I'm not going to. I'm not. I'm not going to absorb this cultural notion that I should be upset about everything I do. Fuck off.

[A]

And then at a certain age, you are just cringe and you gotta let it go.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like period, point blank. No, that's the thing is that, like, you to me. I refuse to be like, you can tell me that I'm cringe and I'm talking to you kids, right? Because you're the, you're the people that I'm mostly addressing in this calling me cringe. You know, about some shit, fine. But I reject it. I. I do not listen to it. I do not give a shit. It doesn't exist. Like, I am who I am. It ain't cringe.

[B]

Cringe to me is just somebody saying I'm uncomfortable with how little you give a shit about this.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And you're never going to make me give a shit about something I fundamentally don't give a shit about. And that could be the way I look, the way I talk. If I'm not harming someone, actively. Fuck off. Cringe doesn't exist.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, like, it's just. It's just another word for being uncool at a certain age. That literally never enters my mind. Like, it never enters my mind to be cool. To walk out of the house and be cool, you know?

[B]

So, hell no. Haven't thought about it since I was a fucking teenager.

[A]

Yeah, I'm glad you got that right. We're. You're four for four. Are you ready for the last one? Yeah, but that was so tense. Potentially the hardest.

[B]

Oh, God, this is so tense because I've been doing so well.

[A]

Okay, the final question for serial killer or self care? Ending this podcast.

[B]

God damn you.

[A]

Ha.

[B]

I think self care.

[A]

Okay, I'll give it that to you.

[B]

I think it's both.

[A]

That's a trick question. It's both. It's both.

[B]

I thought you might say serial killer, but I know it's self care. We just talked about it when we told people we were ending the podcast. Like, it's self care. I would have rioted if you said serial killer. I know you're trying to throw me. It's self care. I'm five for five. No, I ain't going out like that.

[A]

Absolutely correct.

[B]

I hate going out like that.

[A]

Of course, of course you got a perfect score. I'm just saying, if you would have said serial killer, I would have said it was correct too. It's just, you know, and I mean, this. I mean, obviously this is a joke, but I made this in the best way. I mean, it is, like, both sad and happy. I mean, honestly, it really is. I mean, there's gonna be stuff like this that we're not gonna do anymore, which is. Which I'm gonna miss. And ending it feels like a serial killer move, but then it's also self care to end it. Yeah, like we're happy. We're in a good place about it. So it's so true.

[B]

And I'm laughing because it's like, oh, wait, that's every decision I make in my life where everyone's like, why are you stop. When I stop doing feminist Ryan Gosling, they're like, why not keep this going for 45 years? And I'm like, oh, no, I'm done with it. Serial killer move to just walk away from something successful that makes you happy.

[A]

There are no. There are no water signs on this podcast.

[B]

Not a one.

[A]

So we're not getting sentimental about. Once it's done, it's done. We're like, bye, bye. Like, please, even Casey. Casey's a Capricorn. He couldn't care less. Cut ties, no problem, move on.

[B]

Well, also, it's. It's kind of up in a way because we're not going anywhere. I'm not going to be missing out on anything.

[A]

But our.

[B]

Our listeners will be, which I'm sad for them, but I feel like, oh, nothing's going to change because we will still be able to talk to each other and talk to Casey and have our thing. So that is a serial killer move. To be like, yeah, nothing's going to change. And then your whole audience is like, yeah, everything is changing for us, you fucking psychos. You're not going to be here for us anymore.

[A]

These cringe bitches. No, you got.

[B]

You got to learn how to walk away. It is the most valuable lesson in your life. Learn how and when to walk away from things.

[A]

Yes, we know how to fold them for sure. Or we know when to fold them, I should say. Okay, so you got a perfect score.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Congratulations. You even handle that curveball I threw at the End very nicely.

[B]

So you really tried it. But I ain't going out like that.

[A]

No, no, you're absolutely not. Should we start this podcast or what are we doing?

[B]

I mean, we're like an hour in, so why not. Why not talk about a movie or two?

[A]

Okay, so we got a theme. Stressful. This is stressful. But I was gonna ask if you would tell people what it is.

[B]

I would love to tell people what it is because our theme this week is eat the rich. We're talking about modern class warfare.

[A]

Yeah. 2000s style, wouldn't you say? Wait, actually it's more like 20.

[B]

Well, yeah, more like 2020s.

[A]

2020S style.

[B]

Mine came out in 2019, but it's on the cusp. But yeah, it's like last five years. Last, you know, six years of eat the Rich mentality.

[A]

Well, and we've been talking about wanting to do your movie for a while.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And I haven't seen it since it came out and glad I saw it again. Obviously. It's a. It's a great, great film.

[B]

Oh, it's a masterpiece.

[A]

Yeah. This is an interesting. Like, I was actually kind of trying to figure this out a little bit when we were doing research for this week, because I'm like, these are two movies that came out relatively close together. Kind of like post Obama, maybe pre pandemic, or at least, you know, at. At the heels of the pandemic. And they're kind of addressing the same thing.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

There's so many parallels that now that I've watched. I've watched each of them, obviously separately before. Now that I've watched them together. There are some very interesting parallels in our films, which we'll get into when we talk about them. But it's also nice. I think it's a nice shift culturally that there are now so many ways to look at and confirm that we should be eating the rich and engaging and paying attention to modern class warfare at least. And I say this as a person who in a recent episode commented on how my lifestyle is possible because I'm making more money.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I'm not rich. I'm not. I'm not the per the people we're talking about. I'm just. I've got a good job. But what I. And personally, and this is maybe a bridge too far in validating myself, but I don't need that much. So when I make a certain amount of money, I give the rest away. It drives my business manager crazy, but I don't need that much. I just give it away.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, honestly, I think that there's generational wealth that's happening when some of the characters in these movies this week, which, gotta say, not my experience. I got none of that.

[B]

And I don't think generational wealth should exist. I think, spend your fucking money. Let your kids spend for themselves. What are you doing?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Generational wealth does not create. Instantly create better people, as far as I'm concerned. It creates hoarders and people who then become, you know, generations later, the kind of people that we live with now who think because their money isn't earned that it's better and that they deserve more or that their. Their lives are somehow more valuable.

[A]

Yeah, well.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I just, you know, I think it's really interesting because it really does feel like these two movies this week are kind of united by this idea of everybody in the world is fighting each other at the feet of extremely wealthy people.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And why are we doing that?

[B]

Why aren't we fighting them?

[A]

Yeah. And why has the tone shifted? I was reading this one article about my movie in reference to, like, a bunch of, like. There's, like, a lot. You know, I think the obvious, you know, parallel to my film would be something like White Lotus, where there's this kind of, like, recent. And Glass Onion and all these movies about, like, rich people on yachts and things kind of like. Which is so true, like, resort. Like, how there's this double message happening where it's like, yes, we are trying to deconstruct and criticize this wealthy, you know, elite class and their bullshit, and they're, you know, the ways in which they navigate the world and make everybody feel like shit. But we're also, like, fascinated by their world.

[B]

That's what fucks me up, is like, it's aspirational to people.

[A]

Yeah. And about how can these things exist at the same time? Is it pleasure to watch people drinking expensive champagne on, you know, super yachts saying bullshit while, like, the people below the deck are, like, serving them while also criticizing it, like, is there, like, a double thing happening? And I'm like, yeah, I don't know, because I texted you when I hadn't watched my movie since it came out, which wasn't that long ago. Halfway through it, I had to stop the movie and I text you and I said, I'm too. I'm about to have a panic attack. I'm so mad at rich people right now that I have to turn the movie off.

[B]

And I. I want to know when we get to your movie, I want to know exactly what scene that was or what moment that was. But I completely agree that I find it genuinely physically sickening to watch a gross display of wealth. It is physically sickening to me that people feel comfortable.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Hoard like having those resources and using them to become worse. Like more terrible people. And yeah, it makes me. It makes me fudgeing sick to see the excess and the waste and the. Just the focus on things that do not fudgeing matter. Like the clothes and the jewelry and the fucking things. Yeah, it just makes me fudgeing ill.

[A]

But yeah. And like, what is the psychological moment where people are like, this is like. Like, oh, like, I love watching Jennifer Coolidge be a fucking rich bitch in a resort. But I also hate rich people and wish that, yeah, you know, our. Our current form of capitalism would disappear. Like, I guess I just don't understand what the worship and the hatred is happening at the same time because it feels like I can't do that. I have to just hate them. And so I don't know. I think that that's. That really gave me a lot of food for thought this week. And then these two movies, of course, same thing. It's like, you know, your film in particular. I will not shut up about Snow Peak. We're going to get to it now. But I'm like, these are iced out in Snow Peak camping gear. And that's all I got to say about that.

[B]

The water in their refrigerator are several bottles of Voss. It's that kind of shit.

[A]

Like, I get glass bottles. I don't even know if they're plastic. They might be glass.

[B]

I've never even touched one of those bottles. They look so rich. My water, for me, this is not water for my dumb ass.

[A]

The first time I ever drank one of those boss bottles was what I went to. I went to a rap show, like a long time ago. It was basically like Ti Twista and the guy that sang the hook on I like the way you move by Big boy. And it was like, it cost like $50 to get into the club. And then they were serving that water. And I was like, what's this water? Why is it so chic and slim and. And I immediately was like, oh, it's because this. It cost $50 to get in here. That's why they're so stupid. Water. And now it's just everywhere. But like, especially in your movie makes me sick.

[B]

So I was reading. I like to read on the. On the strategist that like things I can't live without celebrity Shopping kind of thing, just because it's interesting to me to see what people buy.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And I think it was on one of those where I saw someone who couldn't live without a $400 notebook that they wrote in with a $200 pen.

[A]

Hell no.

[B]

And I'm like, this is where I lose the plot completely and become apoplectic. Like, what are you. You can live without that. You can get a ME notebook for a dollar if you had to. And a 10 cent Bic pen.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, you might be. And I understand that the whole concept of that is basically to be like, these are the things I like the most. Which. Okay, fine, I get it. I also have favorite pin.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But a 400 notebook, you're gonna act like that's normal.

[A]

Yeah. No, no, no. The only time. And I like reading it too. The only times where I actually like, like, am like. Yes. Are when the celebrity reveals. Like, it's like when they are using, like, a very simple thing that exists at, like, the drugstore. It's like Charlie XCX uses like an old man foot powder and it costs like $4 at Walgreens. Like, that's the only time where I'm like, this. This should exist. Like, I care about a celebrity's products is when they're just like, real simple, boring shit. When they do. Yeah. When you do get the one where it's like, I only, you know, eat, like, strawberries that were, you know, picked from the fucking base of the Himalayas or whatever the fuck.

[B]

You're like, you've lost the plot you've lost.

[A]

And now everyone knows you have because you just said it in an interview and that.

[B]

And truly, truly, like, Debbie Mazar is the best one, if you ask me. If you go look up Debbie Mazar, what I can't live without, or I think they even did one, that's like 100 products I love because she lives in Italy, so she's like, got a real mix of high low.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

But she's also like a down home New York girl. So she's got, like a real mix of high low. But it's. For me, it's also a way to gauge, like, how out of touch a celebrity is or how much money they make. Because I'm like, oh, you can't live without something that cost $400. That will be done in three weeks. You'll be done using it. You're. You've got your. You make so much money that you literally have. Are not in touch with reality anymore.

[A]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. It's. It's shocking. But, oh, my God, I cannot wait to talk about your movie. Like, all right, it's gonna be a good, stressful week, but I'm ready.

[B]

Let's get it. A good and stressful week. My film was released in 2019. It was directed and written by Bong Joon Ho. Han Jin Woon also did the screenplay with Bong Joon Ho. And my movie is called Parasite. Now. I fucking love this movie. I'm gonna give you the one sense in synopsis. A family down on their luck infiltrates a rich family one by one.

[A]

Nailed it. Of course.

[B]

So that is just the premise. And I'm only gonna walk you through about half of this film, because if you have not seen this movie before, I want you to watch it at some point. And if I explain to you what has happened, what happens in this film, it will not be the experience that I had when I first watched the movie. So I'm just gonna say that I know people would love for us to spoil it, but guess what? We got two episodes left, and we're still not doing it. Get over it.

[A]

Get over it.

[B]

We made it four years. Not spoiling shit for you most of the time. Ain't happening now either. So what I love about this movie, and I do think it's a fucking masterpiece, and it blew me away. And it's such a rich and layered and unique story that is simultaneously so funny and so terrifying. So the film itself, taking these shifts between humor and, like, abject terror, is just a masterstroke. Bong Joon Ho is an incredible director in that way. He did, you know, Memories of Murder and Okja, and he's. He's made a lot of unbelievable films. This particular film won so many awards. Like, so many awards. It won the Academy. It won a bunch of Academy Awards for Best Picture and best directing. In 2020, it won the fucking Palme d'or at Cannes. It won the Golden Globe. Like anything it could win, it won that year. And Bong Joon Ho was also delightful to watch, accepting an award if you haven't seen any of his acceptance speeches. But I think this movie really spoke to people in a big way. And again, I think it's the way that Bong Joon Ho was able to direct and present it that helped with that. But the story itself is. It's so well written, so I just love it. And it's really the story of two families. So we first have the Kim family, Chung Sook, who's the mom, Kai Taek is the dad, Ki Woo is the son, and Ki Jung is the daughter. And forgive me if I'm mispronouncing those because it could be Ki Jung. But I was listening closely in the movie and I listened in some interviews, and I think it's Ki Jung. So that's the family that we're starting with who is completely down on their luck. Like poor, poor, poor, poor, poor, sub level poor. And it's really demonstrated in the film how poor they are by looking at poor their surroundings. So they live in a. They call it a semi basement apartment. So it's kind of half underground, half above ground. Let me put it this way. Their toilet is the. Is higher than their living space. Their toilet is kind of on a pedestal that goes above where they sleep and eat and live.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So that metaphorically and visually is just a way to kind of construct how. How low they are societally. And then you have the park family. And the park family is Dong Ik, Yon Ko. Dong Ik is the dad, Yeon Ko is the mom. Da Song is their youngest child, who's a boy, and Da Hye, who's their daughter, teenage daughter. They also have three dogs, Zuni, Berry and Fufu. All these tiny little dogs running around. So cute. And the first scene in the movie is the Kim family in their apartment, which is kind of drab. And they can't get WI fi because they've been surfing WI fi from a neighbor and the neighbor put a password on it. So just again, conceptually, to live in a world in 2019, 2020, where Wi Fi is not available to you, or that. That digital divide is so stark that you cannot do anything without the Internet. To the point where the. The mom, Chung Sook, has been waiting for information on WhatsApp about a job that she applied for that now she can't access because they don't have WI Fi. And again, it's a small apartment. Drunks come and piss right in front of their window. You learn they're peeling mold off of old bread. They're surrounded by stink bugs again. And it's four people living here. So they're waiting to hear from the pizza generation business because the whole family is going to make pizza boxes for money. And then the fumigation truck comes by and dad decides to leave the windows open so that their apartment can also get fumigated. I mean, the pizza boxes are also getting fumigated now. But that is where they are in life, where they're like anything that we can get for free that we don't have to spend money on. We will take. Because we're all. No one is working. We're all down on our luck. The kids can't afford to go to college. And again, these are incredibly smart people. As we watch the film, that becomes more and more prevalent that everyone is so smart and they're pushed to a place where they have to use their intelligence in devious ways because of where society has placed them.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

So. So they don't do a good job on the boxes. And there's this one scene where, like, the whole family kind of. And it's right in the beginning of the film, so it sets a very interesting tone because the pizza woman comes to collect the boxes and she's like, half. Like a quarter of these are not folded well, I'm gonna dock your pay 10%. But then the whole family kind of slowly starts to surround her so that Ki Woo can ask for a job. He's like, you know, I know that the reason you're in this position is because your box guy didn't show up, so why don't you just hire me? And then his sister kind of comes in and is like, yeah, you should hire him. And then the mom kind of comes in. And that is the tone of the whole movie, how one by one, this family is going to surround someone of means and get everything they can from them and try to influence them. So that, again, a small scene that to me, is masterful as a way of explaining what this family is willing to do to make money. So then the movie really kicks off when a friend of Ki Woos comes by. His name is mine, and he's got this rock. It's called a scholar's rock that he's got for Ki Woo's dad, Kai Taek. And it's supposed to be like, you know, this great prestigious thing that he's presenting and his grandfather gave to him. And he's obviously been a friend of the family for a while. And Ki Woo was really upset that he came into the house because he's embarrassed by where he lives. But also Min, even though they're friends and of the same age, Min is doing much better, clearly. So they go out for drinks. Min is in college. He's about to study abroad. And he tells Kiwu, tells him, like, you know, my whole family's out of work, we're struggling. And Min suggests that Kiwu take over for him as a tutor for a rich kid while he's studying abroad. So the reasoning for this is a little fucked. He's like, I want it to be you because I actually am in love with this teenage girl who's a sophomore in high school. But I'm gonna wait until she goes to university to ask her out. And I don't want any of these, like, frat boy, like hitting on her while I'm gone. And I know that you, Ki Woo, would never pose a threat. Essentially, yeah, he nagged him pretty good.

[A]

I have to say, right?

[B]

He nagged him into a job. So you're like, oh, this is a weird, like you're helping him. But also, huh. So Kiwu is like, all right, but I'm not a college student. He's like, I'll have to pretend to be a college student. And Min, to his credit as a friend, is like, well, you're smart enough, you just don't have the piece of paper. And he does say that eventually to his parents. After his sister Kijun doctors up a fake degree, he's like, well, I'm gonna go to this university next year. I just printed the degree early. Which is like a stunning rationalization. So then you watch him literally climb up from their apartment to the house. Because one thing I also love about this film is you are constantly going to be questioning who is the parasite, right? And a parasitic relationship in general is one where, you know, a parasite is. Is viewed negative. It's a negative thing. It's something that is like infecting you or your life. So you're watching them kind of climb up and replicate these parasitic bug like moves where they're climbing into a territory that they don't belong in, right? And the difference in the living spaces is so vast because when he gets to the Park's house, they have like a bamboo lined front entry. They have a huge yard, there's tons of sunlight. The inside of the house is glass and it's, you know, bright. And it's designed by a famous architect and they have a housekeeper who's like a house manager that they meet. And you know, there's kind of these perfect photos of the park family on the wall. The reality of the park family is a little different. Park family's a little bit of a mess. Mom's passed out on the table when Kiwu first arrives, just like head down, falling asleep on the outdoor picnic table. And he meets his. He meets his student Dahai, and he crushes it. Mom wants to. Mom is very discerning. She wants to sit in on the first lesson. She kind of wants the best for her kids. And you can tell that her job is to kind of create the perfect family and make sure they have everything they need to be the perfect family. And she's very naive and very easily influenced, which we will come to find out. But she wants to, when we first meet her, she's, she's got a backbone and she's discerning and she wants to sit in on the first lesson, blows everyone away. She starts calling Kiwu Kevin, which is I think culturally in wealthier families in Korea. Because this movie takes place in Korea, I think it's common if you're learning English to kind of replicate English names. When I used to teach college classes, I would have, you know, international students and they would always give themselves or have been given a more European name. And I always ask like, you know, like, I can pronounce your name like, like if you prefer. But I think it's a way of assimilating essentially well.

[A]

And a lot of times those rich kids come to Canada or America or you know, English speaking countries like New Zealand and Australia to learn English or to go to school and they get Americanized or English names.

[B]

Yeah. So we're already kind of engaging in this wealth disparity where you get to choose your name, you get to kind of choose how you are in the world and you have a little bit more of a pathway to respectability because you have money. And so as Ki Woo is leaving Das Song, the little boy comes in and his mom is very concerned that he's not focused. She thinks he's like this eccentric genius artist, but he's really the kind of kid who just like lays around with an arrow in his butt. And Kiwu is like, oh, you need an art tutor for him? I've got the perfect person. And he lies and says that this person was in art school with his cousin and it's actually his sister, it's actually Kijung. And there's a really funny scene where he looks at one of the kids paintings and he's like, it's a chimpanzee, right? And the mom just says, oh, self portrait. They know nothing about art. They know nothing about any of this. But they are absolutely. He's going to get his sister a job now, right? Because he's, he's zoomed in on the fact that this woman needs things for her children. That is her pride and joy. So he suggests his sister. And when she arrives, his student Dahai is already jealous of Kijung. He thinks she doesn't know that they're brother and sister obviously. And she already has a crush on Ki Woo, but she's also pissed off because she's like, my little brother is pretending to be an artist. He's pretending to be this total weirdo when he's just a fucking freaky little kid. But they kiss and they kind of have a moment and you know, you can tell that things are going to get started for them. But everyone's. Everyone's trying to be respectful of the fact that she's a sophomore and wait till she's in university to make a move, but, like, already making the moves. And I'm like, I don't know about this, guys. I don't know about this. But basically the sister is hired and her given name is Jessica by the mom, whose name we don't know yet, by the way. Interestingly enough. And it turns out that Kijung is so adept at crafting this psychological story about her own abilities that she makes it seem like it's her decision to take the kid on and not the other way around. So she's like, eventually when she's talking to her parents, she's like, yeah, I just read some shit about art therapy and like, I googled some stuff. And then like, this woman was mesmerized and her parents are actually kind of proud. They're like, oh, in another life, she would have been such a great con artist. But she's like, worked her way into this family by focusing on the thing that the mom is most worried about, that her kid is having some kind of psychological issue that he's expressing in art. And she does kind of say that something happened to this little boy in first grade. We later get the story and there is a reason for what happened. There's an explanation for what happened. He saw something and there's an explanation for it. But she's just like super concerned. So this is how this family starts working their way in. So basically at this point, we've got Ki Woo is working three days a week in the house, two hour sessions for tutoring, and now Kijung is working four days a week in the house during two hour sessions. So they're basically like full brother and sister are full time in this house. Then we get to meet the dad, Dong Ik. And let me just tell you, this cast is also so hot. Lee Soon Kyun, who plays Dong Ik is so, so handsome.

[A]

Handsome? Yeah.

[B]

Unreal. Also, I gotta say, I kind of like Ki Woo. Choi Wuk is very, very cute. If you're. If you're not going to be a British man, you should Be for me. You should be Choi Woo.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

Very cute. So the dad comes in and he's like, you know, he's exact everything you think it. Like, he has, like, this, like, this firm that he runs, like, this business. And. And it's a very nebulous business. You don't know what it is, but it's something with tech or whatever. And he's, like, very poised and confident and, you know, kind of walks into his house and just owns the space.

[A]

So RPG is king, by the way.

[B]

Yeah. Died, like, super young, like, right after this film, too, right?

[A]

Yeah. I mean, he. He unalived himself. I don't know if there's a better way to say that, but, yeah, it's actually sad, to be honest. And I mean, then this is like a larger issue, I think, that's happening within the South Korean entertainment industry is just the amount of pressure that exists for famous people in that country where they're kind of expected to be these, like, perfect people, you know. And, you know, by all accounts, I mean, this is just, you know, stuff that I've read on the Internet without doing, like, a huge dive into it, you know, like, he cheated on his wife, perhaps, and, you know, maybe did some. Smoked some weed and some other types of drugs, but it became this huge scandal, right to the point where, you know, I think that, you know, obviously felt the pressure of it, to the extent of which he, you know, basically committed suicide. And it just. Now that I'm kind of, like, paying attention a little bit more, I think, to that entertainment industry, that seems like a very, like, common thing that happens there. I mean, I'm not saying it's super common in the extent that, but it's happening more there than, I think, here, where I think just the celebrity culture there is just so tied into respectability, politics, and, you know, honor and all this stuff where I just think that the pressure gets to certain individuals. They can't live real lives, you know.

[B]

Absolutely. Which is another facet of wealth and class. Like, if you reach a certain point in this culture, you have to act a certain way and kind of fall in line. And if you don't, there are consequences one way or the other, by your own hand or by our hand, so to speak.

[A]

Yeah, and there are pockets of very toxic fandom culture, like, in that country, too. I mean, they're all over the world. I mean, just generally, I think that fandom obviously has reached kind of a fevered pitch of toxicity in terms of just the ways in which certain people feel like, they own celebrities, right? I mean, this guy was pretty much our age. He was 48 when he died. And he couldn't be. Like, in a way, it's this feeling. I mean, you know, whether or not we don't know his personal life, if he had addiction issues or if he was really struggling with mental health, but it's like, I'm sitting here going, this guy, you know, was just sort of living a private life. And then, you know, people criticized him to the point where it felt like he. I don't know. I just think that's so. I don't know. We gotta examine that as a culture. Like, we gotta figure out why that's happening. And especially there, where it feels like it happens a lot more, you know, than regular. So which is.

[B]

It is. It's a shame. And I know that people, especially young women, are in America, at least, you know, famous young women are starting to speak out about toxic fan culture things.

[A]

Oh, yeah. Like Chapel Roan and. Yeah, I even saw, like, a thing with Tyler the creator. Like, I think that Tyler the creator, you know, the rapper, He's. He's got, like, a new album out, and he is basically like, listen, I don't owe you anything. Like, I am a celebrity, but I am. I don't owe you. Like, you're my fan. You can like the music, but, like, I'm not a role model. I'm not trying to, like, give you access to my personal life. Like, it ain't happening. So, you know, good.

[B]

Yeah, we need good for them, and we need to address it in a much bigger way.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And you're right. And it is an international issue. International issue.

[A]

Sorry to sidebar, but I had to know Sidebar. Lee Sun Kuhn so.

[B]

So basically, we do meet the dad, like, the patriarch of the family. And he has this driver, Yoon, who comes in with him when he comes home. And Yoon gives Ki Jung a ride home. Like, the family insists that they give her a ride home. And he's being a little. He's just being very friendly, you know, he's really a friendly driver. He's kind of chatting with her. But Ki Jun gets an idea while she's sitting in the back of that car. And she takes off her underwear and leaves it under the seat. And at first you're like, what the fuck is going on? Like, what is she doing? Because this guy wasn't mean to her or cruel to her or anything. Like, what is she doing? But Dong Ik finds the underwear, and he thinks Yoon is, like, a total scumbag. Who's having sex with women in his car. So then they, like, he and his wife start speculating about, like, the kind of woman that he slept with. Like, who would forget her own underwear? She must be an addict. Like, it's amazing to watch themselves spiral out. It's so hilarious.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But he basically asked his wife to let the driver go, which is another one of her duties as the person who manages the house, to let her let this driver go. And then, as you know, after she does it, she says to Kijung, you know, was he weird to you or forward in any way? And Kijung is like, no, he was a perfect gentleman. He was great. She's like, oh, well, it sucks. It's like we had to let our driver go. And that's where she jumps in and she's like, oh, yeah, my uncle had a driver. That was really great. And because now mom doesn't trust anyone, but somehow she trusts Jessica again. It is this really interesting conversation where she's like, I don't trust anyone anymore. My faith has been so rocked. I only trust people I know. And I'm like, but you just met her. You just met her. But again, wealth blinds you to things when people are being nice and helpful to you, I guess. So Kijung is basically like, I got the driver for you. And who comes in? It's Pops. Yeah, right. It's Kai Tech. So Pops comes in and he's the driver. Now, we now have three people in this family in this house. And then they all together decide to set their sights on the housekeeper. So the housekeeper, we eventually learn, her name is Moon Gwang and she's been there the longest. She was actually the housekeeper for the architect who built it. So she came with the house, essentially. And the family, the Kim family, doesn't like it because, like, well, she acts like she owns the house. And basically, if anyone's gonna find them out, it's gonna be her. So they find out through Dahai, and she's tutor, you know, in this tutoring session with Kiwu, and she's like, oh, I wish I could have peaches. But, you know, our housekeeper is allergic, so we can never have peaches. They fucking jump on that, start shaving peach fuzz off of peaches and just kind of sprinkling it around Moon Gwang and just giving her all these, like, allergic reactions. Dad takes a picture of her at urgent care. He's like, oh, I was there for my annual exam, and I heard her say she had tuberculosis. And then the Next. And then he tells the mom of the family, like, oh yeah, I heard her say she had tuberculosis. Like, don't say anything. I'm so sorry. But like, you should know. And just this whole act that they're practicing with each other, like how to talk, it's wild to watch. And they sprinkle peach fuzz near her. They cut when they're coming home one day. So the mom and Kai Tech come home one day. As soon as the housekeeper Moon Guang starts coughing, Kai Tech goes to the garbage can and sprays hot sauce on her napkin that she's just thrown away so it looks like blood.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And holds it up and the mom almost passes out. So she's gone. Like now housekeeper is also gone. And who comes in? Dad suggests, oh, I've got this card for this high class service, you know, because, you know, Dong Ik is like, well, I really miss our old housekeeper. Like, she knew how not to cross the line, which was very important for him. Which is another thing to discuss about this movie in terms of class and wealth disparity is they don't mind being around people who don't have as much money as them as long as they don't cross the line, which to him is specific. But it feels like everyone kind of has their own definition of what that is for them when they reach a certain level of wealth. So he really misses the housekeeper. And he's like, oh, I've got this perfect person. There was this service that was trying to actually headhunt me before I started working for you. And they just have veteran grade help to VIP clients like you. So now everyone, the entire Kim family is working in the park house. And there is a moment where Da Song, the little boy kind of sniffs the dad and sniffs the sister and he's like, oh, you all smell the same. Because they basically all smell like the basement they live in. So again, it comes back, the importance of how they smell and the fact that it's discernible. It's something that this wealthy child can pick out as a discussion point or something to just notice that people smell different from me and they don't smell good to them. And that does come back.

[A]

Not enough people talk about smell as being an indicator of class.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know what I mean?

[B]

I do. But keep going.

[A]

The way in which people can be really compelled by that notion to not smell bad, to not want to smell poor. Like, I don't know why. When I was watching this movie again, I really thought about that, you know?

[B]

Right.

[A]

And I'm just like. I'm sitting there going, like, yeah. I mean, what an indictment of poverty to just smell bad. Like, to have that. You know? Like, for them, there's a scene, which I don't know if you'll get to where they're under the table, where basically, like, they're forced to listen to these rich people, like, talk about the way in which he smells.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And it just crushed me. Like, I was just like, it's so humiliating. So humiliating. And felt like that the kind of. It's so primal. Like, I remember that being such a huge issue when we were, like, in middle school, like, for example, where, like, people would make fun of other people because they smelled poor or something. And you're just like, what is that? Is just such a crazy concept to me.

[B]

I got made fun of. Oh, my God, this fucking bitch. I will never reveal her name, but I know her name.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And one day, out of nowhere, she's. She's like, you smell. They smell bad. And I was, like, rocked to my core.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because I'm like, I don't think I do. Like, I bathe every day.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, I wash my clothes. I don't think I do. But I also live with, like, two heavy chain smokers. And, yeah, we're poor, so maybe I do. I don't know.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. But it was a way to, like, hurt people's feelings, especially when we were kids. Like, even, like, ways in which, like, they, like, you would be wearing perfume, but it would be, like, the shitty. Like, the. What? Electric Youth or something.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I'm like, I'm sorry, you're in seventh grade. Should I be wearing Tom Ford right now? Like, what the fuck are you thinking? Like, oh, you smell like sunflowers. Cvs. My God, what a bitch. Why did you, like, say that? Good Lord, by the way. Like, some of that shit still hits. Okay? If I. If I smell a guy. If there's a guy that walks in, he's wearing Curve from Duane Read. I'm like, hello. I don't know what, 30 bucks.

[B]

I don't even know what anything smells like because I've never been able to afford good perfume. Like, I don't know what anything smells like.

[A]

Like, it's crazy. It's crazy, like, how people get so caught up in, like, the smell thing as an indicator of so. Of people's worthiness.

[B]

And it's also. It's beyond your control because there is a. There is a scene where the family is talking about it, and it's. Before the humiliating scene. And they're like, well, maybe we should each use a different detergent so we don't smell like each other. And then finally it's the sister who says that none of that matters. It's because we live in this semi basement apartment. It's the building we live in. Like, we will never get rid of the smell as long as we live here.

[A]

It's a lifestyle.

[B]

Yeah, it's a lifestyle. So it's fucking wild. It's wild. So the family again, Kim family is all in. Park family has hired all of them. They're all like thrilled. They're making money. Like, they're, they're happy as. Then the park family decides to go on a camping trip for Dasang's birthday. And this is where you see the car full of Snow Peak and they overpack like you wouldn't believe. And they have, of course their housekeeper is doing all the packing, but they are like jamming this car full of the most expensive shit you've ever seen in your life to take like an 8 year old on a camping trip for his birthday.

[A]

I just put in the chat a link to the Snow Peak website where they sell a pair of chopsticks for $50. If you wonder what kind of, what kind of shit we're talking about. Like, when I saw their entire house, like they have this, you know, I guess a storage area which plays very heavily into this. At some point they got like Snow Peak boxes up there. They fill the car out with snowflake. I was like, yo, this is like, this is just leisure camping equipment. Like, this is not year round use. This is like when we decide to go camping a couple of times a year and y'all are putting $50 chopsticks in the car. Like, and that's how rich these people are.

[B]

There are things on this website that are sold out that are over $750 for a tent. And I am rocked. I feel like I shouldn't even be. I'm not even. I don't make enough money to even look at this website.

[A]

Yeah, it's. It's beautiful. I will say that I have sadly been in pursuit of a couple of these items. And I actually have. I have the grill. Like, there's a fold up, a foldable grill that I used my REI dividend to buy because I was like, I'm gonna get that grill. Because the last thing I do, you know, I need a little piece of Japanese design exp. Like I need some luxury in my life. You know how many times I've used that thing one time. One time. And then I got stressed out about using it because I was like, it's probably. Now there's burnt charcoal residue.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Beautiful grill.

[B]

I'm looking at a $39 recycled cotton denim jacket that looks very stylish. And if you ever see me in one, that's how you know I've made it.

[A]

Yeah, I know.

[B]

But also, this is the kind of website where they do not show you the prices. You don't know the price. So you click through. They're like, if you don't. If you have to be worried about the price, you shouldn't even be on this website. Yep.

[A]

Well, that's how they go.

[B]

And that's how it is in this family. They don't even think about the money they spend. They just have so much of it. They don't even think about it. So they pack this car full of, like you said, one use items a year, maybe.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And they pack it full and go away for the weekend. And it's unreal. It's unreal. To watch them get in their expensive car from their fancy house. And this just. Again, markers of wealth everywhere.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

But the Kim family is like, yes, they're gone and they take over the house and it's pouring rain and they get drunk. And it is so fucking funny to watch them in this scene. But they're also kind of speculating because now Ki Woo is like, oh, yeah, I really like Dahai and I think I'm gonna marry her. So now they're speculating like, well, if I do, I'm gonna have to bring in actors to play my mother and father. Since you already work here.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And they're kind of like spinning this tale about how much more embedded they're gonna get in this family. But they're also talking about the family itself and how gullible the parks are. And the mom at one point is like, yeah, rich people are naive. Money irons out all the creases. They're just kind of aware of what they're doing. And again, it's kind of parasitic what they're doing. But then they're also. And you don't have to make a direct parasite, like, metaphorical shift here to understand the film. But it is interesting if you watch it more than one time to kind of start to make these connections. But they're having a great time until the old housekeeper comes back because she has left something in the house that is directly tied to the basement room that we've seen with all the you know, plum extract and equipment and, you know, just stuff that this family has. And I gotta say, when she comes back, all hell breaks loose.

[A]

Boy, does it.

[B]

The movie shifts into something remarkable. And then the family comes back because it's been raining and they're like, they give an 8 minute ETA. So now everyone is trying to, like, clean up their drunken mess, deal with this housekeeper that's come back and all the shit that she's bringing into the. In the fray, they're hiding under the table. They're like, it. It's just. I don't want to go beyond that point to describe this film because it will ruin the movie for you. Just know that when the housekeeper comes back, all hell breaks loose and the. You will find yourself questioning who the parasite really is in this movie. And I don't think that wealth prevents you from being parasitic, but it's just stunning. It's a masterpiece. It's a stunning, stunning movie. Incredible topic, incredible presentation. I could obviously talk about it forever. It is also over. Both of our movies are almost two and a half hours long, so you're in for a five hour masterclass on wealth disparity if you watch both of them back to back. But I fucking love it. I love this movie. I think everyone should watch it multiple times in different times in their life. It's stunning.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, it won the Oscar.

[B]

It won everything.

[A]

Yeah. Like, and. And was the first. Am I wrong? It was the first South Korean film to ever win Best Picture.

[B]

First one.

[A]

I mean, this. You can really honestly cannot overstress the importance of how this movie, like, this was a period, I think too, where South Korean culture was coming into America in a huge way, you know, because it wasn't just parasite. It was like, you know, obviously, like stuff like BTS and Squid Game and, you know, K dramas and, you know, all this stuff was coming. But this movie kind of, to me, when it won the Oscar, felt like, okay, like, now we're in this cultural moment where, you know, these kind of South Korean exports are now coming to America and getting, like, critical acclaim and, you know, which is very interesting to me, you know, and I think, obviously, like, this movie is saying a lot about class in this very specific time period that we're living in, I think we're still living in. And there's so many, like, little layers to it that I just really enjoy it. Like, I saw after seeing it again, I was like, oh, yeah, this movie is really textured and there's a lot going on here in the ways in which, like, yeah, how do people, like, navigate class? Because you've got like, you know, the obvious story where it's like, you know, you've got these, you know, poor people infiltrating this rich family, but then there's the old housekeeper and that story and how that those people clash. And you're kind of like, okay, so now these people who are both effectively poor, how do they fight each other for the, you know, to stay in the lives of this rich family? And you're just like, yeah, man.

[B]

And it also becomes a really interesting, as does your film, when you're talking about class, you also can't help but talk about power. So it becomes a really interesting study or at least examination of power dynamics as they relate to class dynamics. Because someone in the Kim's position gets a little bit of money, suddenly they're treating some people a little bit differently.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Or they act a little differently. Or they kind of start to, again, aspire to this role of wealth to the point where it changes who they are and how they treat people.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. That's a. That is a huge topic in my film.

[B]

Oh, yeah. Which I also loved. I did not know anything about your movie when I watched it the first time, and I was riveted.

[A]

Yeah. You want to talk about a little bit?

[B]

I want to talk about it. A lot of it.

[A]

A lot of it. All right, well, my movie for the theme, Eat a Little rich, is from 2022. It was written and directed by Reuben Ausland, and it's called Triangle of Sadness. It looks paid for the tickets.

[B]

Not bad, huh? So what do you do?

[A]

I sell shit now. It's really funny because when, like, you just said that you didn't know anything about the. This movie too. One of the funnest things to figure out. So, okay, when I. When I first saw this movie, I knew it was a Reuben Oslin movie. He did like force majeure in this in the square.

[B]

Force majeure is amazing. One of my top 10, easily.

[A]

Yeah. And like. And like, to that point, like, you know, I think he specifically is a director that's very, very much making provocative films that are, you know, kind of addressing class and the economies of people, rich and poor. And there are some people that I know that think that he's, you know, like, that is kind of like a eye rolly, like. Oh, it's another, like, especially when Triangle of Sadness came out, I had quite a few friends who are like, oh, really? Like, this is so obvious. I'm like, listen, I'LL take it. Yeah, I will take the. The. The deconstruction of, you know, capitalism in its modern form right now. I spent. I've spent the last year listening to K Pop. Do you think there's any critical thinking happening in that world? Mostly for the most part, like Sabrina Carpenter's and the Ariana Grande. God bless you. But do you think that they're deconstructing, like, class in a very, like, deep and interesting way? No.

[B]

Nope.

[A]

So, like, let this guy cook, okay? What the fuck? Why are we getting so caught up in, like, oh, it's like so obvious when he's trying to say, like, oh, it's like people on a yacht. You're like, yeah, there's like nobody out here making that kind of shit right now. Just let me have that.

[B]

Also, the things that Ruben Osteland is focusing on is the nuances that go along with that. That is what's interesting to me is it's not just his overall statement about wealth. He's looking at the nuances and things that you can find within yourself that you replicate that could eventually make you one of these people.

[A]

Yes, yes. Like, this isn't like. I know it's not super punk rock to. To be. To this movie isn't super punk rock. And I, trust me, I am capable of that type of thinking. But, like, sometimes you just have to accept the mass market are doing its little form of resistance and just let it go and move on. Like, it's at least in the right. It's at least fighting a good fight. You know what I mean? Like, come on.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

Cinephiles with your fucking opinions. Anyway, rant, rant over.

[B]

Not for long because we got a lot to talk about.

[A]

So. Yeah, so he. This is kind of in a trilogy about toxic masculinity, which again, I will.

[B]

Take all day long.

[A]

Love a takedown of toxic masculinity. Like, I don't care if it swings for the fences. It doesn't fucking matter. I'm in. I'm in. So when this movie came out, I didn't know anything about it. And I just. I saw the. The poster and it was a boat, right? So I thought, triangle of sadness. Are they talking about Bermuda Triangle? Perhaps? I don't know. Like, I didn't know what that meant. But the best part is when the opening moments of the film where you find out what that means, what is that's in reference to, which is so funny. And I was like, I didn't even realize that was a thing that people said. And what a stupid thing. What a stupid, what a stupid phrase for the stupidest thing. So the triangle of sadness, if you haven't heard, if you've not read the Internet, it's basically a, a section of someone's forehead that makes you look old and shitty where they can like Botox that shit out and all of a sudden now you're popular and hot. That's the, that's bas. That's basically what it is. Hahaha. It's like an industry term for like, I don't know, plastic surgeons and models and other people that care about that stuff, where it's like basically the old looking part of your forehead that you can fix.

[B]

Which I never heard about until I watched this movie.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. And that is kind of the, you know, the sort of undercurrent of the film, right? Because you've got this model, actually we've got two models. You've got the lead of this film, who is played by the actor Harris Dickinson. Okay. Harris Dickinson's having a moment right now. Having a moment culturally, but also in my brain. Most recently he, there's been a lot of articles about his new movie that's coming out with Nicole Kidman called Baby Girl, which is supposed to be like an erotic thriller, older woman, younger man type of scenario. Gotta say, I will probably watch that film. I also recently, because of that press junket, I suppose that they're on for this film or whatever's happening, promotion for the film. I saw an interview with Harris Dickinson and Andrew Garfield where he reveals that he's a old man skateboarder.

[B]

Really?

[A]

They both skate and then because they're old, they now switch to surfing because the bodies can't take the, you know, constant falling on the ground and shit. And I was like, did you just tell me that Harris Dickinson is a.

[B]

Skateboarder and Andrew Garfield is a skater?

[A]

I know. And they were like, the ways in which they're swapping like, you know, like old guy skate stories. I was like, I'm gonna need a moment here.

[B]

Like, wait a minute. Old guy Skate stories, A movie about an older woman, younger man. I feel like I can make this happen.

[A]

I mean, I'm not saying that I like looked him up on the Internet for hours one night. But I mean, honestly, like I, I remember him, this is the first time I ever saw him is in Triangle Sadness, but then he was also in the Iron Claw, you know, So I just was like, he's kind of in, he's in the mood, he's having a moment yeah, he's, like, in his late 20s. He's hot. He's a skateboarder. He's. Now he's gonna be in the, you know, the sleeping with your intern movie that we're all gonna watch. Cause we're horny old people. I don't know. I like him. Let's just say that I like him. So essentially, in this movie, Harris Dickinson's character is. He's a model. And the thing about it is that I read that Ruben Oslin's wife is a fashion photographer. And so he has a lot of firsthand knowledge, basically, about that industry and about, you know, this concept that male models do not make as much money as female models. Right. And this is, again, going back to this concept of, like, the triangle of sadness, the way in which we have to, like, get this, you know, ugly or old or, you know, unsightly thing away from us. Like, we're always in this pursuit of being young and beautiful. Right. It's like, one of the only industries where male. Males make less than women. Right. And this is like, his anxiety is that he's not. He's basically treated. He's kind of in a feminized position where he's being treated, you know, in. In a way, in his industry that, like, he's being debased, I suppose. He's got this beautiful girlfriend who is also a model. His name is Carl. Her name is Yaya. She's played by Charlie Dean, who sadly also passed away very young.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But that's kind of the thing about both of our movies this week. Right. Is, like, very sad deaths of some cast members.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And the crazy thing about her, she died of sepsis, which I almost died of sepsis. So I feel like I have something in common with her. And it was because. And I noticed this in the film. She has a scar that I have.

[B]

Oh, that's right.

[A]

So she. I mean, you can see it's kind of noticeable, but it's like, you know, basically, like, a scar that runs down the middle of her body. And I read that she had her spleen removed many, many years ago. And because of that, she was more susceptible to, like, bacterial infections. And that's eventually what killed her, is a bacterial infection. And so, I don't know. Like, you know, obviously, like, anytime I hear somebody having a bacterial infection and almost dying from it, I'm like, I feel connected to you. Cause I went through it. It was awful. But, yeah, she unfortunately passed away, and she was only 32, so.

[B]

Oh, God.

[A]

Yeah. Tragic. I know. Very tragic. But so in this film, basically, you know, Carl and Yaya are a couple. He is clearly trying to navigate this relationship where she makes more money than him. She is definitely about that influencer life. You know, she takes pictures of herself or the, the jokes are like so funny. Like, you know, she's in a restaurant pretending to eat pasta. She didn't eat pasta.

[B]

And it's also wild because of her status as a model slash influencer, they're having this interesting discussion about wealth disparity.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Between them, the two of them in their industry and just in their personal lives. And she gets everything for free. So her concept of generosity is like, well, I gave you this shirt. And he's like, you got the shirt for free. Well, I took you on this trip, you got the trip for free. You're not, you're not being as generous as you think because you make so much more money than me that you are never spending.

[A]

Yeah. And. And like, they have a very uncomfortable conversation at the beginning about paying for dinner, you know, where it's obviously, she makes a lot more money than him, but she explained expects him to pay all the time. And he kind of wants, you know, parody between the two of them. And she's just kind of like, what? Like, you gotta pay, you're my boyfriend type of thing. And it just really triggers me because I'm like, my whole life has been about making my own money. I never want people to pay for me. And I think it's just because I have this, like, really, it's a deep seated self sufficiency that sometimes I need to work on. I gotta let that shit go. Sometimes you gotta let people pay for you. It really hurt. It really hurts. You know, but in those moments when I watch this film, I'm just like, oh, God, this is so uncomfortable. Like, get me out of here. I just. So that's the beginning of the stress. This is what I started getting really stressed out about, watching this film again.

[B]

Was this the text moment?

[A]

No, no, no. The text moment comes, you know, fairly soon after. So basically, like you alluded to, she gets this free cruise on this, like, luxury yacht, you know, and it becomes. So the first part is kind of about them, you know, sort of navigating their model influencer relationship. Right. Which is obviously very ridiculous to normal people like us. Right. Then it moves onto the boat, and then the boat section is its own kind of contained universe because then it becomes a sort of like, you know, you've seen that in a below deck. It's kind of like an upstairs, downstairs type of feeling, right? Because you've got like the guests who are all rich, wealthy industrialists and models and influencers and then the people who are working for them. And then even beyond that you've got like the, the top of deck and then you've got the below, the guts, you know, which is like you got the white pretty people who are the staff, you know, and then you've got the people working below who clean toilets and cook and are mechanics and whatnot.

[B]

And they're all brown people.

[A]

Listen, all Filipinos down there. All Filipinos. And we'll talk about a very important one in just a second. But like, so basically, you know, you've got this scenario where all of these different people of these different social statuses and wealth statuses are interacting with each other, right. So what ends up happening is you're just really, really honed in on the ways in which like rich people suck. And this is the, this is where I started. Get stressed out. Where there's a scene where Carl and Yaya are interacting with this like much older couple. There's an older guy who is kind of this like Russian shit salesman, as he calls himself. He's kind of like a industrialist who sells fertilizer and his wife and his girlfriend, I believe that's kind of where he's, he's on the trip with.

[B]

Never explained but completely explicit.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. So you know, this guy and his, his, you know, wife and his girlfriend are kind of hanging out in the boat. So there's a scene where I guess it's his wife is in the pool.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And she basically is sitting there while this like young fresh faced white girl in her, you know, sailor's outfit is basically pouring her champagne. And this woman is basically like, you're so wonderful, get in the pool. And she's like, I can't, I'm working. And this woman absolutely insists that she gets into the pool.

[B]

Will not take no for an answer.

[A]

This scene is so deeply uncomfortable because you're literally watching this girl like trying to, you know, basically do her job while this woman is forcing her to do something that she feels is this like egalitarian statement. Like, oh, we're all one, we can all swim in the pool together. And this woman. Girl is like, absolutely can't do that. And you're making me do it because I'm supposed to be serving you.

[B]

I'm supposed to say yes to anything you want.

[A]

Yeah. And then it becomes so ridiculous that this woman, this older woman forces the entire Boat to go down the water slide.

[B]

It is like a death march watching them go towards this slide. It's not. That part made me stressed out too because I'm like, oh, this is not, this is, this is not enjoyable for anyone. And she's, you know, this, this Russian rich woman is getting some sense of pride but also generosity that she is the one who's giving these hard working people a day, a moment of fun. And I'm like, you're actually fucking dinner. You're fucking the whole ship.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Nobody wants to be doing this. You're forcing this on people because you have enough money to take the kind of trip where nobody can say no to you.

[A]

Yeah. Like she thinks that she's liberating all these like poor, stressed out working class people and really she's just ruining people's fucking day. So there's so much of that in this film. These like little moments that really kind of bring up the questions of like, you know, who has power in the scenario, you know, who's subservient to others. I won't like go super beat by beat because there's again, it's a long movie, but I will say that eventually there's a event that happens on the boat. I think it's probably what it's known for in terms of its notoriety, the film, because it's like. It involves puking, let's just say that. But basically the boat ends up for several different reasons. Basically. Well, I don't know.

[B]

Totally compromised.

[A]

Compromised. I don't know. It just. The whole apparatus gets shut down and then it forces this third section where it's essentially kind of like Survivor or Lost, where it moves on to like an island where there are some members of the boat who have washed up on this island and now they have to kind of exist together while they wait to be rescued. And this is where I think, I mean, the message of how a crisis in environment, like the ways in which the playing field gets completely leveled class wise. When you are in a survival scenario. Right.

[B]

Your money doesn't matter.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

When it becomes clear that money will not save you from anything in life.

[A]

Right. And as it regularly is, the people of the underclass, the working class, the poor have the survival skills and these rich fucks don't have them. Right?

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

So there's this inversion that happens where this Filipina salute named Abigail, who is played by the actress Dolly De Leon, she got a lot of praise for this role when she was in it. She was the former toilet manager on the Yacht. And now she's the captain.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

And when I tell you the scene where she cooks the octopus, she catches an octopus. These people are starving. With her bare fucking hands. Just like a fucking Filipino auntie would, by the way, like, love, love that part. She comes back, she cooks the octopus.

[B]

She starts the fire.

[A]

Oh, yeah, yeah. She's just. And then she's like, all right, you get a piece, you get a piece. You get a piece. This is for me. And everyone's like, what? You're not? And then, you know, her former boss, who was kind of like, I don't know, the, like, entertainment director on the boat, is like, trying to tell her what to do. And she's like, not here. You are not my boss here. I'm the captain. And she just walks around like, she's like looking at everybody. She's like, who am I? And they're like, the captain. And she throws a piece off. I swear I stood up and clapped in the theater. I stood up and was like, this is what I want to see. I want to see a Philippine. A middle aged Filipino woman weaponizing octopus and pretzel sticks. This is what I want out of entertainment. Oh, God. Period. And. But to that point, it gets further complicated because that's the kind of constant conversation in the film. Is that what happens when the power changes? Right. Because then it becomes this thing where Abigail is now the most powerful person on the island. How does she navigate that new role? Sometimes questionably. And it involves, you know, Carl, essentially where his status changes.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

And it's just such a fascinating film in that way because again, it is doing a lot, it is saying a lot. It's creating little pockets of. Of thought in terms of how we think about wealth and power and, and this kind of stuff. And I don't know, like, like I said, I think a lot of people when they watch this movie were like, oh, how obvious. Yes, we get it. Rich people are bad. I'm like, I'll take it. I will at this point.

[B]

And that's not the only commentary that the film is giving. Again, it's a. It's a. It's a. It's a real rich. It's a very rich text that looks at the dynamics of class and power. And it's not just rich people are bad. It's. Look at all the ways that we are complicit in this world. Look at all the ways that we aspire to this. Look at all the ways that this is destructive to us. Look at all the ways that this Is, you know, that you can have someone who's doing objectionably horrible things in the world. Like, they are grenade manufacturers.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Trying to present themselves as if they are saviors in some way. Like, I think it's so much. It goes so much beyond. Rich people are terrible. That if that's your takeaway from this movie, I don't know if we watch the same film.

[A]

Well, yeah, I agree. And, like, honestly, like, the thing that unites our movies this week, and part of the reason why I felt like it was so stressful, is the ways in which poor people have a desperation in their lives that rich people just don't like. People who are extremely wealthy have no idea what it's like to be not on top. They just don't have the skill set. They don't have the understanding. And the problem really becomes when we're all subject to this dynamic. Right. Because we're all infighting. We're all infighting trying to get on their level.

[B]

There's also this. This message in the film, this subtext in the film, I will say, which is about equality and how in several points in the film and the modeling on the yacht and beyond, there's this notion of the most rich and powerful people insisting that everyone is equal in this world.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And the lie that you have to tell yourself to believe that is astounding.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, while you are enacting all of these privileges of wealth and power and insisting that we are equal, which is what keeps us fighting with each other.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Instead of them, is this revelation that you. Or this. This notion that, well, we're not too different from each other. You could become me, I could become you, and it's not true. You are closer to being poor and on the street than you will ever be to being a millionaire or a billionaire.

[A]

If Birkin bags make you actually happy, like, if you go to bed every night thinking about your Birkin bag being like, man, I'm so glad I have that bag. It's really great quality, holds all my things. It's beautiful. I love it. Fine. It's more just about the promotion of this, like, fucking rich lifestyle on, you know, social media and, like, you know, just basically the flex of it. The flex of it is what makes people feel like shit. And there are people who are just literally, like, making money, being able to flex wealth. And then that's what I feel like. At least, you know. You know my take of it. It's creating the weird moment of being, like, loving rich people and wanting to see the kind of shit that they own and then hating them and wishing, you know, it was different. I don't know.

[B]

It's a losing game.

[A]

It's complicated thoughts.

[B]

Yeah, it's a losing game. One thing that's stunning to me about the four years we've been doing this podcast is that apparently I'm a socialist.

[A]

You are Marxist queen, right?

[B]

Apparently. Apparently.

[A]

Look, I. I'm here for it all day, every day. I mean, you know, I got that. I got that punk fire in me.

[B]

Too, you know, but what a fucking great week to.

[A]

What a great week.

[B]

Stoke that fire.

[A]

Okay, I know it's like, you know, we're on the final stretch here, the podcast. But if you want to email us, we are at a saw which did pot Gmail dot com. We're going to probably check the email for a while after the podcast is over. So send out. Send us messages at least. I will. I don't know what you're going to be doing, but you're going to be like, that's it. I'm done.

[B]

I don't know either.

[A]

I don't care.

[B]

I don't know either. Make no promises, but if you want to, you can find us on our social media. We are at I saw POD on Instagram, bluesky and Twitter. You can leave us messages. Like I said, like Millie said. We will check them for a while after the show itself is over. And we might still have merch. If we still have merch in this, in the exactly right store, go snap it up because that's it. Exactlyrightstore.com to find it.

[A]

That's right. Okay, so for our next episode, we're just gonna have some fun. There is no homework. There is no movies to watch. But come. Come with the. Come with the laughs if you want. If you want a couple laughs if you want to go reminisce. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just come. Come listen. So, yeah, no homework. Just come listen. Next week there will be homework.

[B]

Next week, though.

[A]

Oh, yeah. The week after there'll be homework. But I'm just saying you get a break. You get a little break, which is nice. Danielle, my Marxist queen, a fucking pleasure doing this podcast with you.

[B]

Always a pleasure. Make your money and give it away.

[A]

That's right. Give it to me.

[B]

Actually, Millie's gonna use it to buy Snow Peak. Bye. Bye. This has been an exactly right production. Our senior producer is Casey O'Brien. Episode, mixing and theme music by Tom Breyfogel. Artwork by Garrett Ross. Our executive producers are Georgia Hardstart, Karen Kilgariff. And Danielle Kramer. You can follow us on Instagram and Twitter. Saw pod and you can email us at isawwhatyou did Podmail.