Voiceover: Movies that Move Us

Hamnet: Expressing Grief

Liberty Barnes, sociologist and ethnographer, joins Heather to discuss Hamnet (Zhao, 2025) and how the film demonstrates the importance of expressing grief. Liberty is the author of the forthcoming The Children’s Hospital: Healing America with Pediatric Love (Oxford University Press), which is the story of the development and culture of pediatric hospitals in the United States. It is also the story of industrialization, urbanization, immigration, education, medical science and the radical notion that people are fundamentally good, every life is worth living, and health is a basic human right.

Paddington II: Looking for the Good

Lex Rofeberg introduces Heather to Paddington II. They talk about how Paddington II is more than a delightful children's tale—it's a mirror reflecting our society's complexities. They analyze its commentary on immigration, incarceration, and the goodness in every person. And most importantly, Lex discusses how children's art can inspire us to be kinder and more connected in our communities. Lex Rofeberg is the Senior Educator with Judaism Unbound and host of the Judaism Unbound podcast.

Terms of Endearment: Real Life with Movie Stars

Hubbel Palmer joins Heather to discuss Terms of Endearment, a film that premiered the year his mother died of cancer. Hubbel and Heather discuss whether male writers can capture the honesty of women's lives. Hubbel Palmer is an American screenwriter. He is best known for writing A Minecraft Movie; Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life; Masterminds; and the Oscar-nominated short film Ninety-Five Senses, all with frequent collaborator Chris Bowman.

Dads on Film

Heather reflects on how films have shaped her understanding of fatherhood, using five informal categories of movie dads: noble single fathers, absent dads, dead dads, and unprepared dads. Heather explores the tensions between fathers’ responsibilities to their children, their communities, and their own identities. These cinematic fathers, though exaggerated like modern fairy tales, tap into deep longings for love, safety, moral guidance, and emotional presence.

Knives Out: Searching for Truth

Adam Jortner joins Heather to discuss Knives Out and the search for truth in the movie mystery genre and our lives today. Adam Jortner is a history professor by day and in his off hours a film instructor with Great Courses, where he explains the importance and history of the horror genre.