Willow Catelyn Maclay

Scorsese has always been captivated by what can be expected of a person, and how a person may or may not live up to a personal moral code. It is dialectic that runs throughout the entirety of his work. Scorsese made a few films prior to Mean Streets in 1973, but the course was set for him ever since Harvey Keitel’s gangster character in that film got on his knees and prayed for guidance. Scorsese seems to always come back to the question of whether or not a man can ever truly be good, and he has wavered back and forth with his answer. Jake LaMotta punched his way into an animalistic state in Raging Bull (1980) in pursuit of it, Christ nearly failed when he was given the task of weighing our qualities against his crucifixion in The Last Temptation of Christ, and we are shown to be merciless and not worthy of such a sacrifice in Killers of the Flower Moon’s portrait of aboriginal genocide within an American community. Scorsese is probably American cinema’s greatest chronicler of the post-world war II era, and he has remained vital because his questions have remained personal, even when they’ve become maximalist in his final years, and he has begun to grapple with centuries of violence. I don’t believe he has much faith in the collective body of mankind, but I think a hope remains in his films that one man can do one good thing on any given day, and that it can matter a great deal to put in the effort to try. In his adaptation of “Silence” there are many examples of this happening, and they are among some of the most moving and profound moments in the picture. He finds God in hopeless places, between men clasping each others palms, in acts of mercy, and in the sacrifice of identity for the sake of another person’s safety.

a still image from SILENCE of Andrew Garfield praying in the foreground and Shinya Tsukamoto praying in the background

I wrote about Martin Scorsese's SILENCE for my readers choice series and wrestled with its many questions of faith.

www.patreon.com/posts/152227...

Modern Fairy Tales on Film: Phantom Thread Join host Adam Nayman as he discusses P.T. Anderson's masterpiece with critics Manuela Lazic and Haley Mlotek.

Starting on March 24 I'm beginning a virtual lecture series with
@torontolibrary
on modern fairy tales on film. The first episode is about Phantom Thread, with guests Haley Mlotek and Manuela Lazic; information below. eventbrite.ca/e/modern-fai...

Just want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to read or share my essay on Isabella Rossellini in BLUE VELVET. Love y'all <3

thank you Marya!!!!!

thank you jen <333

Book cover 1000 WOMEN IN HORROR

Film poster 1000 Women in Horror

Can't wait til 20 March when the @shudder.com doc 1000 WOMEN IN HORROR is released? Good news! You can read my book that inspired the film in the interim!

www.bearmanormedia.com/products/100...

thank you babe!!!!!

Love this piece, which goes to great lengths to underline Isabella Rossellini's agency and artistry in helping create one of David Lynch's best films.

Thank you Eric! 💙

thank you Odie! 💙

Thank you so much 💙

This is my favourite piece of film writing this year. Just brilliant.

"There is a distinction between movies about sexism and movies that are sexist, and “Blue Velvet” remains shocking because it is honest about misogyny and the power dynamics of rape."

Really an excellent essay. "Dorothy Vallens was the first of Lynch’s many 'women in trouble', but she remains strange even refracted in that canon."

me too. I think this was the first David Lynch movie that I watched. He eventually became my favorite filmmaker

thank you!!!

The Mysteries of Dorothy Vallens: On Isabella Rossellini in “Blue Velvet” A look at one of the most essential performances of the '80s.

I was invited to participate in Women Writers Week at the Ebert website, and I wrote about Isabella Rossellini's performance in BLUE VELVET, and how she helped guide the film into its dark and mysteries places.

www.rogerebert.com/women-writer...

The Mysteries of Dorothy Vallens: On Isabella Rossellini in “Blue Velvet” A look at one of the most essential performances of the '80s.

“Isabella Rossellini’s extraordinary performance set the stage for all the actresses who would venture into those dark, mysterious places we call Lynchian," writes @willowcatelyn.bsky.social about the actress’ turn in BLUE VELVET.

Thank you Matt! 💙

"Blue Velvet circles down the drain, ever further into the abyss, and the black hole that a viewer enters when watching this picture emanates from Dorothy’s experiences."— @willowcatelyn.bsky.social

Thank you so much Mike <3

"A movie like Blue Velvet and a performance like Rossellini’s have to make us feel uncomfortable in order for it to be honorable. They hold true to her experiences by showing us that Vallens is a woman with no protection from her emotions and her exposed vulnerability."

Superb essay.

That's lovely to hear. I appreciate that

thank you!!

Ebert famously hated this movie when it was released. My piece isn't really about criticizing Ebert, but I do address his position and use it as a way to challenge how we write about acting and collaboration in movies made by male geniuses.

Ebert famously hated this movie when it was released. My piece isn't really about criticizing Ebert, but I do address his position and use it as a way to challenge how we write about acting and collaboration in movies made by male geniuses.

The Mysteries of Dorothy Vallens: On Isabella Rossellini in “Blue Velvet” A look at one of the most essential performances of the '80s.

I was invited to participate in Women Writers Week at the Ebert website, and I wrote about Isabella Rossellini's performance in BLUE VELVET, and how she helped guide the film into its dark and mysteries places.

www.rogerebert.com/women-writer...

Certainly fits the mood of 2026 that's for sure

Formative films: Les Ordres A government declares martial law, isolates a city, abducts its citizens and imprisons them for weeks without charge? It happened in Canada! Welcome back to the Sunday Scaries.

A government declares martial law, isolates a city, abducts its citizens and imprisons them for weeks without charge? It happened in Canada! I look back at the newly relevant Quebecois masterpiece Les Ordres in this week's Sunday Scaries. buttondown.com/daviddemchuk...

Dreamed that I started referring to myself as the Dale Earnhardt of trans women, and everyone in my day to day life just went with it