Strangely illuminating for someone who has lived in countryside surburbs all my life and shook my fist at city-folk. My isolation is my own lack of connection with “the city” as people and turning it into a symbol of concrete corruption. Really appreciate this one! Thank you!
This is the first video I've seen from you but I love it. As an LA native I appreciate the way you talk about the good and bad of the city. A+ analysis!!
I’m so glad you’re getting the recognition you deserve! the video essays you make are phenomenal, definitely on the level of some of the greats. i’m excited to see you reach more people. your work is refreshing and unique, and something to know about people who love video essays? your interest is contagious. you could talk about the ethics of public bathrooms in america for all I care but as long as you’re interested, i’ll be interested. it’s not the topic every time, sometimes it’s the act of the deep dive that grabs us. i’ve never seen most of the films you mentioned, never been to LA, but I still listened. and I loved it.
Holy shit, Vivian was right, this is astounding. With this topic, any viewer would have to assume they knew where it was going - loneliness, corruption, sure, we've heard that before. But you took it places I never expected, and now my mind is blown. And Real Women Have Curves is definitely the next movie I will see. Then I'll re-watch Her with new eyes. Thanks for the video!
It’s really interesting coming across this because, while I do live in LA, I see a lot more of this mental journey in this video in my partner than in me. We met in the Midwest and for the longest time, he dreaded the idea of coming to LA to meet my family, because his idea of it from movies (La La Land in particular) was that it was just a bunch of self involved, opportunistic assholes trying to get famous. In the single week we were there, he was pleasantly dissuaded of that notion due to his love of exploration he saw the character in it that I never did. I was never “Oh everyone in LA is so fake” but it’s a place where everything feels so big that it’s easy to feel small and vulnerable so you just choose to drift about for your own emotional safety.
Thank-you for yet another beautiful video. I don't know LA beyond the screen but you made me care about the city deeply and also think a lot about the place I call home and how the reasons I love it ultimately boil down to having a sense of connection with my community.
Thank you for this video! The way you took this topic and crafted a well defined philosophy on human nature within cities is amazing. I'm so happy to have found your channel!
Ahhhhh I love to see the love for LA plays itself it’s my favorite ever documentary I rewatch obsessively and I feel like it does get talked about enough I actually yelped when I saw it in this video.
I just read Mike Davis' City of Quartz and the questions you ask remind me a lot of Davis' description of the perception of LA, especially in chapter one, "Sunshine or Noir". This video was extremely engaging and provoking to watch. Thanks!!