I was a Drama girl. Comedy wasn’t my jam. Sci-fi or superheroes movies weren’t my thing. Ingmar Bergman1… well, he was my guy. I would watch anything existential, dark, moody, or psychological. “Anything with substance”, I thought. Spoken like a true snob.
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I still remember being in my teens and using my blockbuster card to rent The Seventh Seal2. You know, the existential movie where a knight plays a game of chess with death. A normal Friday night, you know? Not that I understood any of it, but I loved it! Now, that was my jam.
Scene form “The Seventh Seal” by Ingmar Bergman (1957)
And horror! I grew up with horror movies, so I’ve always had a soft spot for them. But I think that’s a story for another time…
Clip from Breaking Bad S4E6. One of the best scenes in the history of tv…
Another example: I didn’t get into Game of Thrones pretty much until season 4 or 5 aired. I thought it was too… medieval. In my defense, I was already watching Breaking Bad and Mad Men - simultaneously. I had no psychoemotional space for anything else. I finally succumbed to awards season and peer pressure (awards season used to be my Super Bowl). And I have zero regrets… Except the GoT3 series finale.
SPOILER ALERT: scene from Game of Throne’s S3 E9 - The Red Wedding. To date, I believe this episode is a masterpiece in writing.
In hindsight, I believe I was searching for the words I couldn’t express. I was looking for stories that resonated with my inner turmoil. I was looking for characters that resembled the heroes and villains of my life story…
One of the most beautiful gifts I have EVER received was from one of my best friends (university) who knew me, oh, too well. “A” gave me the entire film collection of Ingmar Bergman. Pirated, obviously, because Venezuela…
“A” is a big comedy guy, but he also had an extensive knowledge of films, plays, stories and storytelling. Because I respected “A’s” brain and criteria so much, I started watching Community. (Mind you, also recommended by other people who I loved and respected). And even with the cringe moments brought by mysoginistic and politically incorrect jokes, I loved it. It provided a welcome comedic relief in my Breaking Bad/MadMen routine.
Cast of Community <3. They all look like babies!
Another incredibly gift came from my friend “C” whose love for SNL and American comedy, eventually made way into my brain… She gave me a collection of short essays about the 1960s advertising industry in America. Written by journalist Natasha Vargas Cooper4, Mad Men Unbuttoned5 illustrates real life events, characters, settings, or products from the advertising world in the 60’s, and the role they played in the fictional narrative of the Mad Men tv show.
Mad Men Unbuttoned - paperback cover. If you’re a Mad Men fan and love going on deep dives and Rabbit Holes, I highly recommend this book! Find it on Amazon.
The last years of uni, I did an internship at a top Ad Agency in Caracas: ARS DDB. It didn’t take long to realize that the Ad life was not for me. I was an ok copywriter, but I felt constrained. I craved expression and editorial freedom. While I knew this wouldn’t be my life, I loved going there to absorb everything and everyone around me.
As a Mad Men fan, working at an agency was a dream! I could see the tropes, the conflicts, the products in real life… I could see the characters, the clients, the archetypes walking all around me. All of it accurately portrayed in a tv show.
Mad Men created by Matthew Weiner.
I believe this was a pivotal moment in my creative life - reading this book. Because, for the first time, I think I fully grasped how deep research could enrich a fictional narrative. Little did I know that I would soon apply this method in my B.A.’s thesis...
THE COMEDY
I didn’t properly get into comedy until way later in life. And it’s not so much that I didn’t watch ANY comedy; it was more that I did so begrudgingly. Looking down upon them… The ONLY exception being Gilmore Girls6: a comedy show that I was seriously invested in. Ridiculously good writing!
I believe my proper comedy education began with Wes Anderson’s7 dramedies. The Royal Tenenbaums to be exact - which I watched at the carpark-level-cinema of the old Plaza Las Americas Mall. I loved that I was part of the inside jokes, because I could identify at least some pop culture references. Like the museum scene, which was clearly (for me) related to a children’s book I read in school: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler8.
Museum Scene from The Royal Tenenbaums. Source: Medium
I found Anderson films incredibly funny: not “haha” funny, but funny on the inside. The kind of funny that made me smirk. The kind of funny that lingered and made me think. There was something about his work that I couldn’t articulate. An “oomph” of sorts. A deep layer of knowledge and sadness.
Of course, I became SO obsessed with Wes Anderson, that I wrote an entire undergraduate thesis about his work - which included writing an original short play inspired by his theatrical elements. But I believe that his work educated my brain to embrace comedy.
I was still at uni in 2011 when Bridesmaids was released. I think that that was another aha! moment for me. It wasn’t so much that I disliked comedy, but more that I didn’t like comedy that I didn’t relate to.
The power of hindsight is the distance it provides. Perspective. I can see it now with Hallucinatory Clarity: my likes were deeply interconnected to where I was in life.
REALITY CHECK
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I watched an Instagram live interview9 with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro10, where he shared that, during lockdowns, he was devouring films. Any film. ANY FILM.
Del Toro had come to realize that the term guilty pleasure was a disservice to the industry and to the audience. He said something along the lines of (I’m paraphrasing here): "if a film is allowing you to feel anything - entertainment, joy, anger, or any emotion- then it’s not a guilty pleasure, it’s just pleasure. And that’s its purpose in life. That is what art does.
Similarly, actress Elizabeth Olsen has recently shut down11 criticism about Marvel movies saying that she’s had enough of the opinion that these films “seem like a lesser type of art.” — (just a little diss on Scorsese):
“I’m not saying we’re making indie art films, but I just think it takes away from our crew, which bugs me. These are some of the most amazing set designers, costume designers, camera operators — I feel diminishing them with that kind of criticism takes away from all the people who do award-winning films, that also work on these projects.
From an actor’s point of view, whatever, I get it; I totally understand that there’s a different kind of performance that’s happening. But I do think throwing Marvel under the bus takes away from the hundreds of very talented crew people. That’s where I get a little feisty about that.”
Now, I’m not the audience for superheroes films, but Olsen has a point. And so does Del Toro. Don’t get me wrong: embracing these notions doesn’t mean that we can’t critique productions. On the contrary! I believe that, it deepens our appreciation for work.
Once we fully embrace that (1) artists (both cast & crew) are hungry for work, (2) that they/we, like you, have bills to pay, (3) and that doing is THE best education for the craft - any craft; then, we’re able to notice how crafty an actor is by delivering a remarkable performance in a film with mediocre writing, or how outstanding the writing of a production is despite having a terrible execution (or budget).
Being able to choose your projects, do indie productions, or be part of a masterpiece (which is usually only judged by history), is a privilege as much as it is, sometimes, a result of necessity.
In the current binger society we live in, exposure is our education. Every time we watch something, we, as an audience, are learning about stories, storytelling, and performance. We KNOW when a show is good, when writing is outstanding, or when a performance is remarkable.
We are story educated audiences that gravitate, inevitably, to what we like; and, therefore, where we are at in life. Like in any craft, in the arts, it’s practice that makes perfect. Or masterful, because perfection does not exist.
If you only watch crime, you KNOW when a show is good. If you only watch Marvel movies, you KNOW when a story is good. The same applies to any genre, and in any medium! When you’re a theatre regular, you KNOW when a play is good, great, or bad. And you’re able to appreciate the craft of the moving parts that make the whole.
FROM SNOBBERY TO CURIOSITY
The problem with being a snob is that you miss out on incredible things.
I discovered Tina Fey and Amy Poehler way too late in life… (*Facepalm emoji*) I’d like to officially apologize to the entire human race…
At the same time, there’s something wonderful about discovering things later in life, - when you’ve experienced life events that allow you feel works of art at a deeper level.
I’m proud to share that, now, in my thirties, I’ve not only expanded into comedy but also into sci-fi. So worldly, I know! Thank you very much…
I also have made a point to watch films, shows, and theatre production that I KNOW are not going to be great. But I do so mindfully. And without guilt. I KNOW that Buffy the Vampire Slayer12 is not a masterpiece, but I can appreciate the supernatural elements, the dark existential vibes, the silly jokes, and the levity. AND I can appreciate the great lines in an episode, or a moving performance in a scene. I know I’m watching it for the entertainment. And still, I’m able to be surprised by remarkable moments that resonate in me.
You see, snobbery allowed me to consume the exceptional. But curiosity has allowed me to expand my worldview and discover mastery in the simplest of things. And now, that is my jam.
HallucinatoryClarity is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Ingmar Bergman (1918 – 2007) was a Swedish film and theatre director and screenwriter. He is considered one of the greatest and most important filmmakers in the history of cinema, most notably as a prominent figure of both European film industry and Swedish cinema. His films have been described as "profoundly personal meditations into the myriad struggles facing the psyche and the soul." (Wikipedia)
The Seventh Sealis a 1957 Swedish historical fantasy film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Set in Swedenduring the Black Death, it tells of the journey of a medieval knight (Max von Sydow) and a game of chess he plays with the personification of Death (Bengt Ekerot), who has come to take his life. (Wikipedia)
Natasha Vargas Cooper is an American journalist and author. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, GQ, Spin, The Atlantic, the New Statesman, Good magazine, Bookforum, BlackBook, New York magazine, and Los Angeles magazine.
Mad Men Unbuttoned, footnotes to the show and the era, including these fascinating tidbits like: Don Draper’s character is based on the real-life Draper Daniels, protégé of Leo Burnett who started off as a copywriter and rose to creative director, eventually heading the team that launched the Marlboro Man. (Amazon)
Gilmore Girls is an American comedy drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino. It stars Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel as Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore, a mother–daughter pair living in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. (Wikipedia)
Wes Anderson (born May 1, 1969)is an American filmmaker. His films are known for themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Due to his films' eccentricity, distinctive visual and narrative styles, and frequent use of ensemble casts, critics have described Anderson as an auteur. (Wikipedia)
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is a children’s novel by E. L. Konigsburg. The book follows siblings Claudia and Jamie Kincaid as they run away from home to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. It was published by Atheneum in 1967 (Wikipedia)
On Guillermo del Toro’s Instagram live interview: I tried, unsuccessfully, to find it for this article. But if you, dearest reader, have found, please do let me know and I’ll happily add it.
Guillermo del Toro is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, gothicism and horror, often blending the genres, with an effort to infuse visual or poetic beauty in the grotesque. (Wikipedia)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an American supernatural horror drama television series created by Joss Whedon, and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. (Wikipedia)
