We Don’t Know What We’re Doing Here Either
Hello!
It’s been a while.
Since the end of our award-winning, groundbreaking, hit podcast, The Brother Sister Show, we’ve taken a year to make a couple of video essays, write short films, and watch too many movies. Now that we’re back to creating things regularly, under a new name, we wanted to share our thoughts — but in a written format.
While we’re not entirely sure what this newsletter will look like or how frequent it’ll be, we can promise you one thing: every time we hit your inbox, you can expect movie recommendations, updates on our upcoming projects, personal stories, and more.
In this issue, we contemplate starting a newsletter.
Livia
In this inaugural newsletter, I struggled to think of what exactly my section should have. Mind you, I do have an idea of what I want to write weekly, but the thought of starting really freaks me out.
I guess I could tell you about myself. I could tell you that I’m engaged to my high school sweetheart, Sebastian, and we have a cat named Ari and a dog named Randy. But that might not be what you’re here for.
I could tell you about what you can expect in my section, but what if it’s better to surprise you, or what if I can’t deliver on those promises? I do love writing short stories and essays and sharing my opinion on anything related to movies. So you can expect some of that, but honestly, who knows what this can evolve to?
I don’t know, maybe this indecision just means I’m anxious about it all. I’m anxious about starting something new.
My therapist told me when I feel anxious about something, I should think about the worst-case scenario and ask myself if I can still handle it.
For example, the worst-case scenario for this particular newsletter is that I still have no idea how to write an intro. That by the time this lands in your inbox, you’re still reading this and you’re thinking “Why would she not change this out for something better?” You scroll down to the unsubscribe section and click it with a rage you’ve never known. You take the time to unfollow us on every platform and you even post about how bad this newsletter is, shaming me publicly for a terrible introduction…
Something along those lines is my worst-case scenario.
I can handle that.
Anthony
One of my favorite pastimes is asking my friends for recommendations for a song/movie/show/book that they’ve been enjoying recently. I love hearing about what it is they latched onto and ultimately convinced them to send it my way. The (ever-shrinking) list of people that I get responses from unearthed a profound realization; I rarely, if ever, form a full opinion about the media that I consume. It feels like I don’t give myself the time or room to fully consider my own thoughts outside of crafting a short one-sentence review for Letterboxd or instinctually skipping or liking a new song on Spotify.
Exhibit A:
I can’t imagine ever going back to listen to an episode of The Brother Sister Show, partly because I spent countless hours editing them but mainly because I probably never accurately expressed my own opinions. What the hell did I talk about for 122 episodes? Why was I so willing to share parts of myself online when I had no reason to be? Who the hell cares about what I think?!?!
I bet if you’ve made it this far, you’re asking yourself “So why start a newsletter?” and honestly, I’m still not sure. Right now, I don’t know if my ideas are worth sharing or if I can even convince you to subscribe — which is a great thing to say in the first issue. I’d like to figure that part out with you.
I want to use this newsletter as a space where I can discover and explore what it is I actually love about the media that I consume. As I figure out what my test and writing voice is, hopefully you’ll be convinced to keep coming back to read my nonsense and I’ll be convinced that this is worth climbing cringe mountain for.
Recommendations
Normally, this section will include recommendations for movies we love. Instead, in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA and WGA striking the AMPTP for the fair pay they deserve, we’re choosing to leave this section blank.
As the strike continues, we’ll recommend films from independent filmmakers and studios that have honored the fair terms of SAG-AFTRA and the WGA. For now, we’re going to provide some resources for those interested in helping the actors and writers on strike: