I’d have to add Ghost World from 2001, with a young Scarlett Johansson. The central friendship is between two outsiders, Enid and Rebecca, and the challenge to their friendship when one of them no longer wants to be an outsider.
That sort of challenge is often depicted in movies. For example, it’s almost exactly the situation between the two outsider sisters in 1987’s Housekeeping (based on Marilynne Robinson’s slender American classic), when one sister wants to be more like other people, make new friends, etc. rather than becoming more like their eccentric aunt.
Although perhaps beyond this newsletter’s book/movie/TV focus, I might also mention the glow of friendship evident between the two founders and songwriters for the band Wet Leg in their triumphal (and funny) breakthrough music video, which arrived during the pandemic like a messenger of hope, that we could still have fun, that life will go on:
I’d have to add Ghost World from 2001, with a young Scarlett Johansson. The central friendship is between two outsiders, Enid and Rebecca, and the challenge to their friendship when one of them no longer wants to be an outsider.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq6AOc0ATnU
That sort of challenge is often depicted in movies. For example, it’s almost exactly the situation between the two outsider sisters in 1987’s Housekeeping (based on Marilynne Robinson’s slender American classic), when one sister wants to be more like other people, make new friends, etc. rather than becoming more like their eccentric aunt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ask1brD5nLA
I've somehow never seen Ghost World — thanks for resurfacing, Frank, you've given me the motivation to change that!
I love the book Housekeeping, so am also excited to watch the movie.
Housekeeping: a book-length prose poem.
Although perhaps beyond this newsletter’s book/movie/TV focus, I might also mention the glow of friendship evident between the two founders and songwriters for the band Wet Leg in their triumphal (and funny) breakthrough music video, which arrived during the pandemic like a messenger of hope, that we could still have fun, that life will go on:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd9jeJk2UHQ
Also highly recommend Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend series, and if you don't feel like reading, the HBO miniseries adaptation is also fabulous.
I didn’t know there was a series. Thanks for the rec!! 😊
Me neither! Ah, I loved that book.