Ugh, As If! - contemporary art and culture podcast · Lisa Fevral

You must bounce on it, crazy boss babe style(Nosferatu and Babygirl) - 3x12

·59 min·4 clips

The new Nosferatu gives Ellen a childhood connection to Orlok that the original film did not have.

The hosts start with *A Short Introduction to Beauty* and use it as a loose runway into the rest of the discussion. They call it all right, not the greatest, and let that opening move into aesthetics and related questions. From there, they bring up *Babygirl* and *Nosferatu* as the two movies they are technically covering. They quickly decide there is more to say about *Nosferatu*, so that is where the conversation settles. The pairing makes sense to them because both movies open onto psychosexual themes. They treat sexuality as a central thread in the newer *Nosferatu* version, especially in terms of what was changed. *Babygirl* is described as heavily hyped and aimed at a certain audience, and the hosts sound unconvinced it offers much beyond the buzz around it. That skepticism folds into the larger conversation instead of standing alone as a review. The discussion then broadens into feminism and rights. They argue over what feminism is meant to mean, push back on the idea that it is only about preserving what has already been won, and raise the worry that rights can be rolled back. Privilege also enters the picture, especially the divide between people able to think narrowly about these issues and people who need more protection. The tone sharpens as they mock complacency and challenge the instinct to treat existing rights as enough. The episode keeps the show’s fast, interruptive energy throughout. Even while talking politics, they keep circling back to what a film, a stance, or an argument is actually doing underneath the surface. The episode also ends by inviting listeners to share reading recommendations and thoughts on the movies and topics discussed.

As heard by us

A loose, sharply argued culture talk that uses two films to think through desire, feminism, and power.

It begins with a book on beauty and aesthetics, then pulls Babygirl and Nosferatu into a wider argument about psychosexuality, sexuality, and feminism.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Press play if you want a filthy-smart argument about desire, feminism, and two very different movie obsessions.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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