Carolina and Robin celebrate ONE WHOLE YEAR of The Ministry of Film with Ridley Scott's 'oh-god-the-terror-of-childbirth' haunted-house Halloween special Alien (1979). Politics include: the insane gender dynamics of a film about motherhood, domestic violence and female revenge in the context of a monster flick in space; how this film is sort of about 16th-century colonial ships; and how the Weyland Yutani Corporation is the perfect allegory for rapacious capitalism and labour uprisings....

This spooky season, Robin and Carolina delve into the mystical forest of fauns and folklore with Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro's modern classic tale from 2006. Politics include: why you would never find Franco inside Pan's Labyrinth, how the church in 1940s Spain may have consisted of a bunch of sellouts, and how you can portray the coolest, greenest imaginary world a 10-year-old girl could wish for. Plus a load of Spanish Civil War, WWII and fascist soldiers. But we'll make...

Carolina and Robin revisit our collective childhoods with Toy Story, the ultimate Pixar classic, where Marx's theory of the proletariat meets the best Mr Potato gags you've ever seen. Politics include: surveillance capitalism, the rise of the enslaved worker class, the American 'end of history' obsession with alternative realities, and a hero who is a toy but turns into a man by realising he is in fact a toy. Also, for the ultra fans, you will be glad to hear that The Truman Show and th...

Robin and Carolina get into the autumn spirit with the incredibly successful Iranian domestic drama 'A Separation'. Politics include: why not every Iranian film has to be about Iranian politics, how every Iranian film necessarily ends up being at least a little bit about Iranian politics, and the very universal need for directors to pick beautiful actors to portray normal people going about their normal lives. More about Iranian cinema, Director Ashgar Farhadi being ve...

Carolina and Robin take you back to 31st July 2025, when the Lionesses won the UEFA Women's Euros (again!), by way of the brilliantly prophetic Bend it Like Beckham (2002). Politics include: the hypocrisy of families from all cultures, how an Indian wedding can look like a scene from The Godfather via Bollywood, and how a generation of girls grew up wishing and hoping that they too could bend it like Beckham... and then they did. More about Gurindher Chadha, the Lionesses, and directing good ...

Robin and Carolina choose life, choose dental insurance, choose the best f*cking Scottish film ever made. Politics include: the working-class communities of Scotland in the 1980s that turned to drugs as a form of protest, Danny Boyle creating a film that straddles the Thatcher and Blair years (sorry, John Major), and the most perfect soundtrack ever produced. Come get (musically) high with us: Listen to the whole soundtrack, stat.An interview with Andrew McDonald and Robert Carlisle on...

Carolina and Robin go on a summer blockbuster adventure, comparing the totemic dinosaur film Jurassic Park (1993) with its on-paper extremely similar reboot Jurassic World (2015). Politics include: why a film about dinosaurs that (initially) can't reproduce is actually a film about a human couple deciding to have children after all; the evolution of our idea of the billionaire in society; and why Dennis the IT guy in Jurassic Park is basically Elon Musk. Dino-diversions and readin...

Robin and Carolina embrace the surreal with Eraserhead, the film featuring possibly the creepiest baby in cinematic history. Politics include: honestly, not very many - but the baby really is very scary. And there's a lot about Christian morality. And horniness. A lot of horniness. Continue the surrealist journey: Gorgeous, if short-lived, podcast series about Lynch - ON LYNCH (truly wonderful work)From the horse's mouth - Lynch's autobiography 'Catching the big fish'Eraserhead at 40: a print...

Carolina and Robin talk about Spirited Away, Japan's most successful film of all time, and likely one of the best films about life in a ghost bathhouse. Politics include: how said bathhouse is maybe a metaphor for oppression, but also a really lovely-looking place; the post-80s economic bubble haze in Japan; and a very cool radish ghost. Continue the reverie: *That* review of Spirited Away by Nigel Andrews from the FTA Youtube love letter to Ghibli, with an interview with the man himselfWhat ...

Robin and Carolina discuss the Wizard of Oz, the most-watched film of all time, and likely the children's film with the most religious, LGBTQ+ and feminist theories around it. Politics include: how Dorothy is the ultimate feminist, queer queen, how the yellow brick road may be a metaphor for the gold standard (?!) and how you can genuinely spot a bit of Plato's Republic in this fantasy musical from 80 years ago. More wizarding nerdery, just for you: A runthrough of the (completely mental) mak...

Carolina and Robin are back in your ears for a bonus episode to mark the best real-life sleepover that is the Papal Conclave. Politics include: faith and politics being quite icky together, how the West Wing really did dictate political art through the 2010s, and how electing a Pope is actually not that dissimilar to electing your Constituency Labour Party Secretary. Genuinely. Conclave nerds, rejoice: A Conclave expert runs you through the election process (The Spectator)The best print revie...

Carolina and Robin take you through one of the worst calamities in history and the people behind it in domestic-drama-turned-holocaust-film The Zone of Interest (2023). Politics include: literal Nazis, how there was no God in the house of the Commandant, and how Robin will (maybe) quietly compare your LinkedIn posts to a Rudolf Hoss memo to the SS. As the 80th Anniversary of VE Day approaches, we encourage you to consider donating to organisations supporting those suffering from the atrocitie...

Robin and Carolina discuss the best samurai film of all time, Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954). The bandits are mean, our heroes are heroic, and the farmers are just trying to survive. Politics include: how Jaws and Star Wars blatantly copied this film, the making of a seven-person army, and a village trying to stay safe in an uncertain world that is basically, literally all of us at the moment. Hungry for more? Good stuff on Seven Samurai The Cine-Files talk about the film for 4+ hoursW...

Carolina and Robin discuss two of Wallace & Gromit's fabulous films: The Wrong Trousers (1993) and Vengeance Most Fowl (2024), two films that confirm that dogs really are better than human beings. Politics include: a murderous penguin that uses technology for evil, a robot that is terrifyingly pliant until it's not, the turbulent Yorkshire-Lancashire border, and the literal fundamentals of AI ethics. See here the complete Sight & Sound critics' list of the 100 best films of all time. ...

Carolina and Robin discuss The Shining, the terrifying (but always beautiful) tale of a family falling apart in a remote Colorado hotel in the 1970s. Politics include: the hotel owner who looks like a young Trump, the grim reality of the film being about domestic abuse more than it is about ghosts, and how Jack Torrance represents the broken dreams of the white American working class. If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will hel...

Carolina and Robin discuss Cleo from 5 to 7, an outrageously French film about a young woman who may or may not be terminally ill in 1950s Paris. While she waits for her diagnosis, she discovers who she is and her place in the world, politics and all. Politics include: the beret-wearing, tarot-reading difficulties of being a beautiful woman in Paris, how the war lingers in even the most gentle of French New Wave films, and how everything connects to the modern French far right. If you like w...

Carolina and Robin discuss The Substance, a very modern classic about a Hollywood actress who will do anything to be young and beautiful again. Politics include: the late-stage capitalism of beauty standards, how not having an inner life will ruin your outer life, and why most men in this film are morons. If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod. You can now follow us on: Instagram @ministryoffilmpod Blue...

Carolina and Robin go from discussing the pre-modern world (see our previous episode on Barry Lyndon) to deciphering the futuristic messaging of 1927's Metropolis. Politics include: why authoritarianism may not actually be that great, the catholicism of the Weimar republic, and why a 1920s film has a lot to say about... AI? This is the final of our episodes shot earlier in 2024, so please bear with us, the sound was less than ideal. If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to th...

In 2025's first episode, Carolina and Robin discuss the film that best depicts the pre-modern world, Barry Lyndon. Politics include: how a conman acquires wealth and status, the utter boredom of aristocratic women, and how to understand Trump ahead of his upcoming presidency. If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod. You can now follow us on: Instagram @ministryoffilmpod Bluesky @ministryoffilmpod.bskyb.s...

Happy holidays! Carolina and Robin discuss the historical drama The Lion in Winter, a film that takes place during Christmas, but with more backstabbing than giftgiving. Politics include: the nature of power, legacy and the politics of elites, why Katherine Hepburn is the ultimate gilf queen, and Peter O'Toole having the time of his life as king. If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod. You can ...