Chanlee Luu—poet, friend, and author of The Machine Autocorrects Code to I—joins the podcast to discuss Zhang Yimou’s HERO (2002), the wuxia classic that’s full of stunning martial arts sequences, gorgeous colors, and timeless questions about truth, narrative, and political sacrifice. We also use the film as a springboard to discuss Chanlee’s own writing, her background in science, and poetry as archive, comfort, and resistance.

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Secondary texts referenced:

The Machine Autocorrects Code to I by Chanlee Luu, available wherever books are sold. Visit bookshop.org to order a copy from your local bookstore!

“50 Years of HOPE and HA-HAs,” a Vietnamese American art exhibition in DC which features one of Chanlee’s poems

We’re discussing a monumental film this week: Céline Sciamma’s PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE (2019). Yes, it’s romantic and poignant and emotionally and intellectually rich, but it also features really direct communication between its two lovers—and that might be the hottest thing of all. We discuss myth-making, companionship as the bedrock for romance (also hot, Marin argues), the Green World Archetype, and, most importantly, which scenes make Maggie want to puke because they’re so good.

This episode’s Juvenalia Encore is a poem written and performed by Rachel Anne! Follow them on Instagram: @cairnradesign

Email your own musings and questions to tellmeimsorry@gmail.com

Follow us:

The podcast’s Instagram: @tellmeimsorry

Maggie’s Instagram: @_saint_margaret_

Join our book club:

See the Linktree in our Instagram bio (@tellmeimsorry) or copy this link to your browser: https://bookclubs.com/clubs/6062997/join/e74d1c

Secondary texts referenced:

The World to Come (2019) dir. Mona Fastvold

In Secret (2013) dir. Charlie Stratton

“Portrait of a Lady on Fire director Céline Sciamma on her ravishing romantic masterpiece” by Emily St. James (published in Vox)

We’re entering 2025 with new equipment and a revamped recording schedule, but we also want to take the time to appreciate the movies we covered and conversations we had in 2024—hence our creation of the prestigious Maggie & Marin Movie Awards. Which films were our favorites? Which intertextualities were the sexiest? Why does this episode open with Marin talking about Jojo Siwa? (It comes full-circle at the end, we promise.) Happy New Year!

Email your own musings and questions to tellmeimsorry@gmail.com

Follow us:

The podcast’s Instagram: @tellmeimsorry

Maggie’s Instagram: @_saint_margaret_

Join our book club:

See the Linktree in our Instagram bio (@tellmeimsorry) or copy this link to your browser: https://bookclubs.com/clubs/6062997/join/e74d1c