David Thomson: Movies Made Culture Worse
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- David Thomson proposes in his new book 'A Sudden Flicker of Light' that movies may have made culture worse by normalizing dangerous fantasies through antiheroes, citing 'The Godfather' and 'The Sopranos' as key examples
- David Thomson joined IndieWire’s 'Screen Talk' podcast to discuss his argument that rooting for morally compromised characters in film reflects and reinforces a distorted self-image in audiences
- David Thomson expresses anxiety about his life’s work, suggesting that the art form he has long celebrated might have inadvertently fueled a toxic cultural climate
- IndieWire's 'Screen Talk' covers the reopening of the Cinerama Dome under Sony and Alamo Drafthouse, though skepticism remains about Alamo’s operational reliability after a poor PR year
- IndieWire's 'Screen Talk' reviews the Venice and Toronto film festival lineups, noting a strong tilt toward international arthouse films and long documentaries, with minimal gender diversity among directors
Why it matters: Thomson’s critique shifts the conversation from film as art to film as cultural influence, challenging an industry that celebrates antihero narratives. With only one female-directed film in Venice’s main slate, the lack of diversity amplifies concerns about whose fantasies are being normalized—and who bears the cost.
