March Roundup

Hope you’ve had a good March. Please do share if you’ve read, watched or heard anything interesting. I love a good recommendation.

For me, March was an extra special month. My cousins from Austria came to visit. I haven’t seen them since the summer of 2006! And I’ve never seen them outside of Austria. It certainly felt strange and exciting and also as though no time had passed at all since we’d seen each other.

Us enjoying some delicious Mexican food

Have you watched the film Anatomy of a Fall, about a woman who is accused of killing her husband? If you haven’t, it’s brilliant; please go watch it. It won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival and an Oscar for best original screenplay. I’ve had many a discussion, some rather heated, about the film. Then, my son shared this video with me which offers a brilliant theory on who killed the husband. Be sure to watch it only after you watch the film.

The video talks about how we miss the clues to the real killer because our brains rush to conclusions as they desperately try to avoid the discomfort of uncertainty.

I go to my son for everything film. He’s starting off as a director and working on his first short film. I asked him to recommend a film for this month’s newsletter, and he picked Tampopo. Have you seen it?

If you’re hungry for a good watch, look no further than Tampopo. It’s a film that doesn’t make you think too much, but it doesn’t come off as flat by any means. Not only does it serve as an excellent study of the many ways in which food can connect us, it also gives you a good laugh. - Miles Mendes

As we’re on the topic of film, let me tell you about a documentary I watched this month called Once Upon a Time in Uganda. I love stories of people who defy the odds and insist on doing what they love most in the world no matter what challenges come along.

If you’re a writer or a creative of any kind for that matter, you might like this podcast. It’s an interview with the Before Sunrise co-writer Kim Krizan. I’m a huge fan of the Before Trilogy and loved hearing about the behind the scenes of writing the first screenplay. A part that really stuck out for me was when Kim talked about being deep enough into creating a project that you lose all ego. She also said that, often, people get too hung up on wanting to create something great that it ends up stymieing them. I can so relate!

I haven’t read as much as I wanted to this month— guess why? Here’s a clue: it starts with the letter i and ends with the letter phone (more on that in an upcoming newsletter).

But I did get through enough of Martyr! to know I’m in love with the book. I’m almost at the end, and it is so good! Reading a novel by a poet takes reading to a whole new level.

I came across this article on Substack which made me rush to the library and borrow the book.

If you’re a writer and want to fall in love with sentences all over again, you might want to give this Substack a read. It’s one of my favourites!

The News of the Sentence

Lastly, if you haven’t read any of my fiction yet, where have you been and what are you waiting for? Haha. But in all seriousness, I do write fiction and would be delighted if you’d take a look.

1. Giraffes In My Garden

Thanks so much for reading! Until we meet again in my next newsletter!

XO Ingrid