Director Watch Ep. 165: 'Sweetie' (Jane Campion, 1989)

On episode 165 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter to discuss the first film in their Jane Campion series, Sweetie (1989). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. In the same week the boys say goodbye to the Christopher Nolan series, their next adventure begins as they make their way back to New Zealand to cover the films of a singular voice in cinema, Jane Campion. Known for make films about female expression, rebellion, awakenings, and how women's roles change over time, Campion is an essential director the guys knew they had to talk about, and all her themes come to form one way or another in Sweetie, which covers two sisters that are polar opposite of one another, with the titular character going through their own emotional breakdown due to the siblings' family dynamics. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, their relationship with Campion's filmography, the point of view as a storyteller, and how this all relates to her promising, haunting first film. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 2h04m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Jane Campion with a review of her next film, An Angel at My Table. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).